Basic Barbeque Rub

Tonight we're making baby back ribs on the grill. Sometimes I make them with a rub of  minced garlic, coarse salt, minced fresh rosemary and extra virgin olive oil. Tonight I'm in the mood for good old barbequed ribs, dripping with sauce. So I'll prepare them for grilling with Steven Raichlen's Basic Barbeque Rub, which I use on Beer Can Chicken, too.

 

Ingredients:
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup sweet paprika
3 Tbsp ground black pepper
3 Tbsp coarse salt
1 Tbsp hickory-smoked salt (or more coarse salt if you can't find this)
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp onion powder
2 tsp celery seeds
1 tsp ground cayenne pepper

Mix it all up in a big bowl with your fingers or a spoon. (Fingers work best.)
Store in an airtight jar (I use a pint canning jar with lid-- it'll almost fill it up.) It'll keep for 6 months in a cool dark place, but if you cook out often in the summer, you'll use it long before that.

The recipe comes from Steven Raichlen's How to Grill cookbook.