Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed BBQ Beef Brisket

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed BBQ Beef Brisket

I absolutely adore southern style barbecue beef brisket. I always look for it on menus at pit barbecue restaurants when traveling in the southern US. I still crave BBQ during the winter months and this year I have been able to satisfy my yearning with this new oven roasted dry rubbed method which I've also successfully tried with succulent pork ribs and fall-apart tender pulled pork. This time I turned my hand to trying it with my favorite cut of slow cooked beef and it was terrific.

Thinly sliced and drizzled with some of my homemade Bourbon BBQ Sauce, this brisket made incredibly delicious sandwiches, especially on artisan bread from local Georgestown Bakery; just the thing to serve as a hearty lunch or dinner and absolutely perfect to feed the game day crowd.

DRY RUB

Makes about 2 cups dry rub.

• 3 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 3 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp powdered ginger
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp ground oregano
  
• 1 tbsp ground thyme
• 1 tbsp ground coriander 
• 2 tbsp dry mustard powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together well and store any unused dry rub in an airtight container in a cool place.

• 5-6 pound beef brisket roast

Liberally rub the entire brisket with the dry rub, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours to let the spice flavors penetrate the meat before cooking.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F

Place it on a roasting rack in a shallow roasting pan. Pour about 3 cups of water into the roasting pan.

Roast uncovered for about 2 hours per pound.

When the brisket comes out of the oven, tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it sit to rest for 30-45 minutes before thinly slicing across the grain. I like to serve it on sandwiches with a drizzle of Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce or Bourbon BBQ Sauce and maybe some sauteed mushrooms and onions.

Barbecue Spice Oven Fried Chicken

Barbecue Spice Oven Fried Chicken

With the weather warming up this early April and winter relinquishing its grip this month, I am beginning to yearn for the upcoming barbecue and grilling season. Last summer I came up with Smokin' Summer Spice Dry Rub which I have used in many ways since on pulled pork, beef brisket...even as a seasoning for grilled burgers. I really do think it has a great combination of flavors in the herbs and spices that are used in it. 

When I was making dinner last week, I set out to use my original recipe for The Best Oven Fried Chicken which our whole family loves. When I pulled out the spice drawer to get the spices needed, I noticed that there were a few tablespoons of that Smokin' Summer Spice Dry Rub left from the last batch that I made. I decided to give it a shot as the seasoning for the fried chicken and it turned out great!

We served it with some delicious pasta salad for a quick meal but I recommend if you have the time that you try my easy Unfried Crispy Wedge Fries which go great with fried chicken as a lower fat alternative too.

Cut one whole chicken into parts or use 3 lbs chicken parts of your choice. Add the chicken parts to a large Ziploc bag and then mix together and pour in:

• 1 1/2 cups buttermilk
• 2 tbsp hot sauce (optional
• 1 1/2  tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Push as much air as you can out of the bag, close it and place in a bowl in the fridge for 6 - 8 hours or overnight.

Make a dredge for the chicken by mixing together:

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 2 to 3 tbsp Smokin' Summer Spice Dry Rub

Drain the chicken pieces from the buttermilk and then dredge thoroughly in the flour and spice mixture to coat the pieces evenly.

Coat the bottom of a cookie sheet or large baking pan with approximately

• 3 tbsp canola oil  (light olive oil or peanut oil are also good)

Place the coated chicken pieces in the pan and lightly spray the tops with olive oil from a spray bottle. Bake at 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes depending on the size of the chicken pieces. Drumsticks and wings will take only about 45 minutes. I use a meat thermometer to make sure the internal temperature of the largest pieces reaches 165 - 170 degrees F.

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

Winter persists here in the Far Northeast. The calendar may say Spring but the foot and a half of snow we had this week insists it is not. It's going to be a while still before the several feet of snow melts from my back deck and the gas grill and smoker can be put to use. To bridge the gap, I came across this idea from Chef Perry Perkins who slow roasts dry rubbed pulled pork in the oven for a very long time as you would in a temperature controlled smoker.

While the original idea calls for the use of liquid smoke in the liquid under the pork, I've never really liked it plus It will fill your house with a smoky scent that may persist for some time. Instead I used a dry rub that uses smoked paprika to provide some delicious smoky flavor.

You really do need to use a large piece of meat for a recipe like this, it really won't work well with a small pork roast for example. I used a whole pork shoulder that was about 8 pounds. The cooking time will vary depending on the size of your particular piece of meat but like when I smoke pork shoulder, up to 2 hours per pound is recommended. I took this one out of the oven at 14 hours which was 1 hour and 45 minutes per pound and it was perfect. The pork will mostly stay together as a whole but should pull apart easily. On a meat thermometer 190 - 200 degrees F should be perfect.

This recipe got the approval of my pulled pork loving son. We made some great pulled pork sandwiches with the addition of a little of my Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce.

One of the best reasons to make pulled pork, especially on the weekend is for the leftovers that it provides for easy meals early in the week. We used some of our frozen pizza dough to make pulled pork pizza very much like this one. Pulled Pork Nachos are also one of our family's favorites and we've used it in great calzones too.

If you like the idea of this recipe, try the same idea on some succulent slow cooked ribs too.


The recipe here makes about 2 cups of rub so you can scale it down if you like but I like to keep it on hand for terrific roast chicken, chops or even burgers. You will find many ways to use it. I just keep a supply on hand in a mason jar in my spice drawer. It also makes a wonderful thank-you gift if someone invites you to dinner. You're sure to receive another invite before long.

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

DRY RUB

Makes about 2 cups dry rub.

• 3 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 3 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp powdered ginger
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp ground oregano
• 1 tbsp ground thyme
• 1 tbsp ground coriander 
• 2 tbsp dry mustard powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together well and store any unused dry rub in an airtight container in a cool place.

• 7-8 pound whole pork shoulder

I like to remove the skin from the pork shoulder and trim the outer fat layer to about a 1/4 inch. You can leave the skin on if you prefer.


Liberally rub the entire pork shoulder with the dry rub, cover with plastic wrap and let sit in the fridge for 12-24 hours to let the spice flavors penetrate the meat before cooking.

Preheat oven to 225 degrees F.


Mix together:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup apple juice
• 1 cup apple cider vinegar

Pour into the roasting pan with the pork shoulder.

Roast uncovered for about 1 hour and 45 minutes per pound. (See notes in recipe introduction.)

When the pork shoulder comes out of the oven, tent it loosely with aluminum foil and let it sit to rest for 30-45 minutes before pulling the meat apart  in medium sized pieces to serve. Toss the pork in the skimmed pan drippings or with a little Maple Chipotle Barbecue Sauce to serve.

Slow Roasted Dry Rubbed Pulled Pork

Foolproof Dry Rubbed Oven Ribs

Foolproof Dry Rubbed Oven Ribs

It may be the first full day of Spring but it is still very much winter here in Newfoundland and it seems like an eternity yet until my backyard grill and smoker get put to good use. My back deck still has about 4 feet of snow on it.

I love slow smoked ribs, it is my favorite way to prepare them during the summer months but when that's not possible, I make very simple dry rubbed ribs in the oven using my own blend of herbs and spices. This recipe is practically foolproof. Plenty of time but no skill at all is required to produce succulent, fall apart tender ribs.

These ribs are perfect party food because the spice rub provides all the flavor with no need for messy sauces that always land on your favorite outfit. If you like however, a favorite glazing barbecue sauce can be brushed on at the end. My kids are quite fond of honey barbecue sauce on these ribs.

The recipe here makes about 2 cups of rub so you can scale it down if you like but I like to keep it on hand for terrific roast chicken, chops or even burgers. You will find many ways to use it. I just keep a supply on hand in a mason jar in my spice drawer. It also makes a wonderful thank-you gift if someone invites you to dinner. You're sure to receive another invite before long.

Makes about 2 cups dry rub.

• 3 tbsp paprika
• 2 tbsp smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp chili powder
• 3 tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tbsp powdered ginger
• 1 tbsp chipotle powder
• 6 tbsp brown sugar
• 1 tbsp black pepper
• 1 tbsp ground nutmeg
• 1 tbsp ground oregano
• 1 tbsp ground thyme
• 1 tbsp ground coriander 
• 2 tbsp dry mustard powder
• 2 tbsp garlic powder
• 3 tbsp onion powder
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together well and store any unused dry rub in an airtight container in a cool place.

There is a thin membrane called silver skin on the back of all pork ribs that I like to remove first. If left on, it will shrink during cooking and cause the ribs to curl. It also prevents the spice mix from seasoning the underside of the ribs. I push a butter knife between the silver skin and the first bone on the rack of ribs to loosen the skin, then I poke my finger into the slit the knife has made, grasp the silver skin and pull it off all the way down the length of the rack of ribs.

Liberally rub the spice mix all over the surface of the pork ribs on both sides. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for several hours or as I prefer, overnight.

Place the ribs, uncovered, on a wire rack over a baking sheet and place in a 225 degree F oven for 8-9 hours depending on the thickness of the ribs.

Foolproof Dry Rubbed Oven Ribs

Coffee Chipotle Rubbed Grilled Steak

Coffee Chipotle Rubbed Grilled Steak

I first sampled a version of this flavorful steak at a restaurant quite a few years ago when coffee rubbed steaks were a bit of a rage. I loved the earthiness of the coffee with the smoky spices; it is a delicious complement to the flavor of a good quality steak. I've tweaked my version of the recipe a few times and now make it with chipotle powder as the main spicy element rather than the chili power in my original version because I like the smoky flavor so much but you could easily use the chili powder if you like a bit milder spice.

Makes sufficient dry rub for 4  twelve ounce striploin steaks.

Mix together until well blended:

• 3 tsp very finely ground coffee (I grind whole beans to a very fine powder)
• 1 tsp granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp coarsely ground black pepper 
• 1 tsp ground coriander seed
• 1 tsp brown sugar
• 1 tsp chipotle powder (more or less to taste, depending on how spicy you like it)
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 1 tsp powdered ginger

Rub each of the steaks on all sides with about

• 1 tsp olive oil

Sprinkle both sides of the steak and the edges with the coffee and spice rub. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or even overnight. Before you are ready to grill the steaks take them out of the fridge to warm up for at least a half hour.

I used an oiled cast iron grill pan to cook this steak but a lightly oiled cast iron skillet also works well if you are not using the back yard grill.

Grill over high heat until your desired internal temperature is reached. I like medium rare at about 135 degrees F on a meat thermometer. Tent the steaks loosely with aluminum foil and let rest for 5 minutes before serving.