Bruce Aidelis' Secret Spice Rub

Cookgirl's Note:

We found this recipe printed on the back of a box of Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt. My husband tried it today on roasted chicken and it was really good! A few changes were the substitution of smoked Spanish paprika for the more common Hungarian paprika, replacing ground spices with whole when possible and most importantly, removing the dried thyme altogether. (We're not fans of dried thyme however, if you wish to add the thyme, the recipe calls for one teaspoon. I should note, too, that this recipe is an extremely rare instance where I use dried basil.) I think the smoked paprika gives the chicken that special grilled, outdoorsy taste-but without the mess involved in grilling. The chicken was slow roasted to avoid burning the skin due to the brown sugar in the rub. My husband wasn't aware the rub contained sugar and he was roasting the chicken at too high of a temperature. Consequently, the chicken was blackened, not burnt luckily. (Oh, but did taste delicious blackened!) Lastly, the recipe states that the rub can be used on both poultry and meat.

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Yield: 1 cup

• 1/3 cup kosher salt
• 2 tablespoons black peppercorns
• 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons smoked spanish paprika
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon ground sage (I used my own dried sage leaves from the herb garden)
• 1/2 teaspoon whole allspice
• 2 teaspoons fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon coriander seed
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 2 tablespoons salt-free granulated dried garlic

Directions:

1. Add the ingredients to a blender or clean coffee mill and whirl to a fine powder.
2. Note: My husband used about 3 tablespoons of the spice rub for a whole chicken that weighed 4.75 pounds (give or take a few ounces).
3. Store the remaining rub in an airtight container. Good for up to 3 months.