A Rub For Your Grub

To be a stand-out in the kitchen, it's a good idea to keep a couple tricks up your sleeve that will really make your dishes pop. These "tricks" are easy to pull together and utilize items that you probably already have on hand.  One such trick to stash away in your culinary arsenal kit is a couple of great recipes for rubs. A rub might not seem like it should fall into the category of "kitchen tricks" but I'd beg to differ. A rub, even in its simplest form, gives such a boost of flavor, but is often times overlooked and underestimated. Everyone needs a couple of good, fail-proof recipes for some rubs that will work for any meat you're working with. You know, the kind of rub that will instantly, and with minimal effort, provide your beef, chicken or pork with a nice punch of flavor. 

The trick to a good rub is to use fresh ingredients and to take the time to get the most out of them. For this rub I combined fresh chopped rosemary, a bit of shredded basil, lime zest, garlic paste and a grainy Dijon mustard with a splash of olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Simple enough in concept but don't underestimate the flavor provided here. Earthy and tangy, while bright and zesty all at the same time. For best results, really massage the rub into the meat before grilling it or searing it and baking it through and you'll be good to go.

Fresh Rosemary - Mustard Rub
* Recipe below created for about 1/2 lb of meat

- 1 sprig fresh Rosemary, cleaned and very finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic, made into paste
- 2 TBS coarse mustard
- 3 leaves basil, finely chopped
- The zest of 1 lime
- 2 TBS extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients well to make a thick paste. Thoroughly coat meat before cooking it. For best results, make sure the meat is dried well with paper towels before coating it with the rub.