Why Rubs Are Better Than Marinades

Why Rubs Are Better Than Marinades

THAI RUB
This rub is used throughout Southeast Asia where live-fire cooking is a primary means of preparing food. The rub is usually applied dry about half an hour before cooking, but you may want to add a few slugs of olive oil to moisten things up. If you don’t add oil to your rub, make sure you soak a paper towel in a lubricant like peanut, coconut, or grape seed oil and paint your grill grate before cooking. This will prevent charring and sticking.

For one cup of rub:
4 tablespoons garlic powder
4 tablespoons sugar
4 tablespoons salt
3 tablespoons turmeric (if you don’t know this spice, be careful — it will stain everything it touches yellow)
2 tablespoons cornstarch
2 tablespoons white pepper
1-3 tablespoons cayenne pepper (to taste)

This recipe makes a lot of rub. Some of that rub is meant to be saved. If you put all this rub on one batch of chicken, you will kill someone.