Seeking dry rubs for chicken; some urgency

[the_bird]

OK, we're having a party this weekend, and I'm taking off the afternoon to do some prep (including grocery shopping). Grilling some chicken for the main event, and I'm looking for some quick and tasty ideas for some dry rubs. I'd like to get all the meat prepped tonight so it has time to absorb as much flavor as possible.

So, what are your best crowd pleasers? The "ugency" part is just referring to my leaving the office for the store at noonish-time.

Thanks, y'all!

 

[c.n.budz]

McCormick Montreal Chicken is a good all purpose poultry dry rub. I also find that it's tough to beat crushed rosemary with lemon pepper and some olive oil.

 

[bigjohnmilford]

I'd say keep it simple. Nothing wrong with olive oil, salt, pepper, onion and garlic powder. Then you can throw a bottle of bbq sauce out there if anyone wants to add some.

 

[PseudoChef]

This is what I'd do:

Half of chicken in:

Salt
Pepper
Lemon Juice
Crushed Garlic
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Parsley
Fresh Rosemary

Other Half in:

Chile powder (or Chili powder if you're so inclined)
Paprika
Salt
Pepper
Ground Red Pepper
Crushed Garlic
Onion Powder
Cumin
Allspice
Touch Brown Sugar

Apply mustard or so to chicken, then dry rub to desired levels.

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I like a mixture of ancho chile powder, chipotle powder, salt, pepper, onion powder and brown sugar. I've also substituted DME for the brown sugar with good results! The slightly hot/slightly sweet dynamic is awesome, especially if you're adding some smoke to the process with wood chips. I don't normally use anything hotter than chipotle with chicken.

If you use any kind of sugar, you'll want to use indirect heat to avoid burning it. It's actually a great way to cook chicken on a grill, as you don't have to worry about flare-ups.

 

[the_bird]

I love heat-and-sweet. Indirect cooking may be a little bit of a problem just because of timing, we've got a fairly large number of people coming over. Good ideas, though; I think I'll camp out in front of the spice section for twenty minutes. Chipotle powder would be awesome if they have it (the local Stop & Shop has a really, really nice Chipotle BBQ sauce, too).

 

[Revvy]

There's a Spanish Rub/mariande that I do a lot....

It is simply a mixture of Olive Oil, Chopped Garlic, Oregano, a little lemon juice, and Paprika (a nice variation is to mix a little smoked paprika in with the regular.)

Place it all in a gallon baggie and put the chicken (whole or in parts) in ther...stick in in the fridge for a few hours or overnight, giving it a good rub/shake every few hours...

 

[Yuri_Rage]

For quick, easy, and tasty, it's hard to beat Butt Rub.

 

[GreenwoodRover]

If you can find in in your grocery store, I like Stubbs rub. I just rub the bird down with yellow mustard and sprinkle on. It's usually found near the BBQ sauses. Another good option is Walkers Wood jerk paste and a side of Pik-a-Peppa sauce for dipping/dressing.

 

[bradsul]

Nothing earth shattering here but this is one of my favourites for turkey, chicken or pork.

• 4 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons onion powder
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 3 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 cup kosher salt

 

[olllllo]

You're really going home early to choke it first... that's the urgency...

 

[Revvy]

You're really going home early to choke it first... that's the urgency...

so would doing a "butt rub" be foreplay then????

 

[BlindLemonLars]

I love heat-and-sweet. Indirect cooking may be a little bit of a problem just because of timing, we've got a fairly large number of people coming over.

If you're doing several birds, maybe do a couple of them whole, beer can style. You can start them early, and the great thing is you don't have to babysit them when using indirect heat, freeing you up for other party prep. Once they are done (about 1.5 hours) set them in a warm oven while you conventionally grill the rest.

The only drawback is that people will fight over the beer can chicken!

For straight up grilling over direct heat, I like a marinade. I usually use fresh lemon juice (love my tree!) and olive oil, and whisk in fresh garlic, chopped fresh rosemary, kosher salt, black pepper and a few pinches of red chile flakes. Some finely grated lemon zest is good too. A couple of hours is usually long enough to marinate, if you leave it in too long the acid in the lemon juice will start to "cook" the meat and it may end up dry.

 

[JustDave]

Birdman, along the lines of what BLL is saying, how about starting them in the oven and finishing them on the grill? Since the timing is a problem, you don't have to worry about the indirect portion of it .... which could make things easier if you have a bunch of different things on the grill.

 

[Short Drive]

Jerk seasoning and lime juice

 

[BlindLemonLars]

You're really going home early to choke it first... that's the urgency...

Well...so long as he washes his hands before applying the dry rub.

 

[the_bird]

You're really going home early to choke it first... that's the urgency...

I'm not sure that I want "jerk" chicken, though...

 

[Revvy]

I'm not sure that I want "jerk" chicken, though...

I have a recipe for that if you want it...it is barbados style which has dark rum in it as well...