Apply a Dry Rub to Steak
A rub is a combination of salt, pepper, sugar, herbs and spices used to flavor meat. Unlike a marinade, the dry rub will form a tasty crust on the exterior of the meat when grilled. When grilled, the sugar will caramelize and form a crust to seal in all the flavor and juices. Just about any cut of meat can be rubbed before going on the grill or into the smoker.
Steps
- Select the steaks.
- There are many cuts of steak available, but not all are suited to being rubbed with a dry rub. The flavor of very thin steaks can easily be overwhelmed by a dry rub, so choose steaks that are thicker, at least 3/4 of an inch (2 cm). Cuts of steak with a bone in them tend to be more flavorful but require more time to cook. Look for cuts of steak that are well marbled with little or no connective tissue. Great choices are ribeye steaks, t-bone steaks, New York strip steak and sirloin steaks.
- Prepare the rub.
- Either follow a recipe for a rub or make your own. Brown sugar, paprika, cumin, onion and garlic powder, mustard powder, chili flakes, cayenne, and thyme are just some of the herbs and spices used in a rub. If making your own, don't forget to add salt and pepper to the rub. You'll need approximately 1/4 cup (60 ml) of rub for each steak.
- Rub the steaks.
- Working with 1 steak at a time, apply a generous amount of rub to 1 side and using your hand, rub the spices around the surface of the meat until it's totally covered. Turn the steak over and apply the rub to this side as well.
- Rest the steaks.
- Rubs can be applied as soon as a few minutes prior to grilling, but the best flavor comes as a result of letting the steaks rest, covered, in the refrigerator overnight or for at least a few hours. Let the meat come to room temperature prior to grilling it.
- Grill the steaks.
- Put the steaks on a preheated grill and cook them until they're cooked according to your taste. Rubs can burn so it is advised to cook the steaks over a lower temperature. Broil for 7 minutes a side at broil. Broil after leaving steak out for a few hours at room temperature. Broil on screen or grill sheet.
Tips
- If uncontaminated by raw meat, the remainder of the dry rub can be kept for months in a sealed container.
Things You'll Need
- Steak
- Rub recipe
- Sugar, herbs, spices, salt and pepper
- Grill
