The Ultimate Barbecue Buddies - My BBQ Dry Rub And Holy Moly BBQ Sauce

BBQ Dry Rub And Holy Moly BBQ Sauce

For those who are not living in London, it's 20ºC today. Yes, that's right! This practically signal the arrival of the long awaited for Summer of 2012. The sun is shining, everyone has stripped off their layers of thick winter coats. The bare, pale legs brigade are all out in full force. The park is packed with weekenders trying to soak up the sun and everyone is in jolly good spirits.

This apparently is going to last for at least a good few days and it can only mean one thing ......barbecue! As any of my friend will be able to tell you, I'm a barbecue enthusiast. At any given opportunity, I will chuck things onto the charcoal barbie and grill them into pure smoky awesomeness. If any further proof is needed, look no further than my Christmas turkey post. That bird was cooked on a barbecue in deep winter and it tasted mighty fine.

To set myself up for the coming summer BBQ season, I have decided to make a batch of my own dry rub that will be perfect for marinating any meat prior to cooking them. This is absolutely delicious and will be indispensable for any BBQ prep. The rub contain layers and layers of flavours, which when rubbed over the meat and left to marinate, will penetrate the meat and make them incredibly tasty. 

Now, a barbecue won't be a barbecue without a finger-licking sticky sauce. I have also made a batch of my very own BBQ sauce. This is a recipe which I have over the years, made time and time again with little minor tweaks here and there, just to perfect it. My friends who tasted it have always beg for the recipe, so here it is, my very own Holy Moly BBQ sauce. 

Why holy moly, you ask? Because it's good y'all! (in a southern twang)

For the BBQ dry rub (makes about 250g):


Ingredients


200g soft dark brown sugar
2 tbsp mustard powder
2 tbsp onion powder/granules
2 tbsp garlic powder/granules
1 tbsp dried basil
1 tbsp ground bay leaf
1 tbsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tbsp cayenne pepper
6 tbsp smoked sweet paprika
2 tbsp sea salt
2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper


Method


Put all the ingredients for the rub in a large bowl and mix well. These can now be store in a clean, sterile jar for several months.

BBQ Dry Rub

For the Holy Moly BBQ Sauce (makes about 550ml):

Ingredients


2 tbsp sunflower oil

1 medium onion, finely chopped

3 garlic cloves, crushed

500ml chili sauce

3 tbsp ketchup

6 tbsp soft dark brown sugar

1 tbsp mustard powder

150ml cider vinegar

1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce

1 tsp Tobasco sauce

1 tbsp celery seeds

juices of half a lemon

sea salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Method

Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for for 5 minutes, until soften. Add the garlic and cook for another minute before adding the remaining ingredients.

Bring to the boil and reduced the heat to low. Simmer for 45 minutes, until the sauce has reduced and thicken, stirring regularly. 

Season with salt and pepper to taste. Allow to cool and stored in a clean, sterile jar. This can now be refrigerated for 2-3 weeks.

Holy Moly BBQ Sauce