RECIPE: Magic Dust

My most-used dry rub for BBQ pork, chicken and more

If you’re like me, you might find it handy to have an all-purpose spice rub on hand at all times. For me, that’s Magic Dust, a recipe I picked up from Michael Romano and Karen Stabiner’s excellent Family Table cookbook.

Magic Dust

• 1 teaspoon celery seeds

• 1/2 cup paprika

• 1/4 cup kosher salt

• 2 tablespoons dry mustard

• 1/4 cup chili powder

• 1/4 cup ground cumin

• 2 tablespoons black pepper

• 1/4 cup garlic powder

• 2 tablespoons onion powder

• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper

It’s a fairly versatile rub—I use it quite a bit when barbecuing, but also if I’m just quickly preparing chicken for lunch prep or simply don’t know what seasoning to throw on it. The real key to the recipe, however, is running the whole thing through a coffee/spice grinder. (I should note that I have a cheap grinder that I use specifically for this purpose—you don’t want your coffee tasting like barbecue.)

(Or do you? Note to self: experiment further.)

Anyways, this transforms the rub from a just bowl full of spices to a perfect, evenly-distr…