The leftover skins from citrus fruits are aromatic and full of flavor. They can be dried out in the sun, in an oven, a dehydrator, or in a warm, dry spot in your kitchen or pantry. Then those dried skins can be added whole or powdered to baked foods and cakes, or used for making a lovely barbeque rub.
Store them in larger slices in an airtight jar, or pulse them in a small food processor for smaller pieces.
Your citrus peels can be used in so many ways, but I like to use them in a dry rub for grilling - and making a dry rub is so easy. Blend everything together, store in a jar on the shelf. Just remember, the quicker you use it, the more sophisticated the flavors, so keep your batches small.
Most dry rub recipes, used by 'grill masters', start with two basic ingredients, sugar and kosher salt, beforeadding your preferred spices at a ratio of 8:3:1:1. The following is a simple example.
83-11 RUB
8 Tablespoons Brown Sugar
3 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
1/2 teaspoon Cumin
1/2 teaspoon White Pepper
1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1/2 teaspoon dry Coleman's Mustard
For the best results, the rub should have time to 'rest' with the meat. Rubs should be applied liberally to moist, thawed meat for a minimum of two hours. You have maximum flavor if you apply the rub 24 hours before throwing on the fire. This allows the rub's ingredients to marinade with the meat's natural juices. If preparing duck, chicken, or some other fowl for barbequeing, place the rub under the skin for best results. Play with the citrus to find your favorite flavor combinations. For instance, orange peel works well with duck, lemon peels with chicken, and a combination of grapefruit and lemon blends wonderfully with pork.
Wrap your meat tightly in plastic wrap, this helps keep your rub married to the meat, and rest for the desired time in the refrigerator. Pull out meat about an hour prior to cooking and let return to room temperature. Grill according to taste.
Personally, I don't consider cooking on gas grilling. For an unrivaled, full-barbeque flavor, Paul and I prefer cooking over a natural hardwood charcoal fire, but we all do as we must!
1 Tablespoon Paprika
1 Tablespoon diced Onion
1 teaspoon ground Sage
DIRECTIONS
Personally, I don't consider cooking on gas grilling. For an unrivaled, full-barbeque flavor, Paul and I prefer cooking over a natural hardwood charcoal fire, but we all do as we must!
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| Dried grapefruit and lemon peels in the Mini Chopper. Grind into small bits, store in a container in the fridge or with your other dried spices. |
DRY CITRUS RIB RUB
INGREDIENTS
2 Tablespoons Kosher Salt
2 Tablespoon Dark Brown Sugar
2 Tablespoons dried Citrus Flakes
2 Tablespoon Cumin
1 Tablespoon diced Garlic
1 teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
1 teaspoon White Pepper
1 teaspoon ground Thyme
NOTE: Garlic and onion may be fresh diced or granulated. Dried citrus flakes can be any combination of lemon, orange and grapefruit.
DIRECTIONS
Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix well. Store in an airtight container. Pack on the dry rub onto your next rack of ribs, pork roast, venison loin, or chicken.
NOTE: Purchase the best quality spices you can find. There is a huge difference between the older discounted spices, and the newer fresher bottles.
I practice small batch preserving, preferring quality over quantity. Visit my blogspot, Preserved and Pickled.
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