Dry Rub

For those who don't know, Dry Rub refers to one of two ways to season barbecue. There is the wet stuff, all those red sauces. There is the dry rub, a combination of spices rubbed on the meat at the outset and then largely left alone. You have to be good to rely on a dry rub. With the right red sauce you can make anything edible. If you've got the right wood and an experienced cook, a good pork shoulder will almost season itself.

Smoking pork has to be my favourite diversions. I just don't seem to be able to get enough of it. It's becoming one of the few things I really love about Summer. It started out of boredom during long weekends spent alone here during 2003-04. I played around for a time with cheap cuts of meat, chicken and cuts of pork from the expiration rack at Dub's grocery.

Now, five years into this hobby, I am finally turning out meat that is passable. It took a while. Lots of mistakes. My family is the best gauge. Not by what they say but by what they eat. There are times when the leftovers languish and others when they don't make it past 24 hours.

Currently working on the long slow smoking of pork roasts and ribs. 175 degrees and 18-24 hours of smoking. The roasts almost always come out well. The ribs are more difficult. I know there are many who will wrap ribs in foil to seal in moisture but to me this is cheating. I want to create a great rib that comes from nothing but the smoke. Generally I think my ribs are a bit on the tough side. I cook them too hot too long and dry them out. Part of the problem is I never smoke just ribs. I've usually got a roast on that I'm paying more attention to, building that smoke ring.

I like the relaxing nature of smoking. Grilling is hard hot work. You get your hands burned and your hair singed. Smoking is more work just spread out over more time. If grilling is surfing, smoking is strolling for seashells.

I have not smoked beef much. Most folks will smoke a brisket from time to time, self included. Other than that, you probably have to go to Texas for decent barbecued beef. As I write there are pork ribs, beef ribs and a pork shoulder in the smoker. It's 7pm, they've been on about 2 hours. I'll nurse the smoker through the night and then check the product in the am.