4th of July BBQ Rub

Some things are simply too good not to share. Forget about licensing or copyright infringement. I haven't gone socialist, (NEVER!!) but there was a time not that long ago when a neighbor came to the aid of his fellow neighbor. Whether it was to take up arms to protect their freedom, or simply to lend a hand in the field. If he figured out a way to make life better, or more comfortable, he didn't run off to the patent office. He kindly shared his creative invention with those that cared to listen, and that was reward enough. So I am lending a hand to my BBQ neighbors...

We oft times think creativity can only be fostered in some sort of mental sanctuary where we can let the brain steep and stew with no distractions. How far from the truth! More times than naught with me it comes from plans gone awry.. You start down a certain path and have to change course or simply fail. That's when creativity has to come into play. I was going to BBQ during our vacation last week, but the heat and schedule just didn't make it convenient. That was coupled with the fact I was out of some of my usual BBQ spices... doomed??

So Rach mentioned we could just throw this bird in the crock pot. A knot began forming in my stomach.. To go from a perfectly blackened BBQ bird to the crock pit, oh, the HORROR! But what other choice did we have? Well I caved, with the caveat that I would dress it up somehow. So I started measuring out ingredients by hand and throwing them in a bowl. But it needed something extra, something different.. This is what I came up with..


Camo Cook's 4th of July BBQ Rub



1/4 cup brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup paprika
1/4 cup coarse kosher salt
1 Luzianne Tea Bag (Family Size) Cut open the bag and pour the leaves in
2 Orange & Spice Tea Bags (Cup Size) (Name Brand is Celestial Seasonings Constant Comment)
1/2 teaspoon or so freshly cracked black pepper

Directions:
Mix together with your fingers and coat all sides of the meat with the rub. To add some zing throw in more black pepper. (This is enough to thoroughly coat a whole chicken or half pork tenderloin)

Since this rub contains sugar don't cook any meat it's applied too over direct flame. This is perfect though for using your Weber Kettle with charcoal piled on the sides, your smoker, rotisserie, or crock pot.

I would suggest if you are cooking with fire of any kind to either stand your bird up on a can of tea, or simply spritz the meat with an iced tea concoction of your choosing thrown in a spray bottle every 20 min or so.


So the question is.. How does it taste? Well it's got SUMMER written all over it. The brown sugar makes it sweet, but not overly so. It's not too spicy, so the kids will love it, and the tea really imparts a special tang to the flavor that just makes you want more!!!

Camo Cook


P.S. So surely I am not the first to do this right? Well, I did a quick Google search and am not finding anything quite like it. I even did a scan of my Raichlen cookbooks and he has one recipe that dabbles in this idea, but it's not even close really. So, I am going to consider this an original Camo Cook recipe! ENJOY and Happy 4th of July!!!