This Applewood Chipotle Rub is destined to become one of our most popular blends. We’ve used this on everything from chicken to salmon to ribs. Any great rub for the grill or smoker tends to have three things to form the foundation – sugar, salt and paprika.  

If you’ve ever tasted truly great barbeque, it is most likely that a dry rub was used. Dry rubs give meats (especially chicken, fish or pork) a memorable flavor. If you’re not familiar with a dry rub it is a seasoning blend of dry spices, herbs and sometimes salt. The seasoning is shaken onto the meat and then rubbed (or more likely patted) evenly on all sides before cooking. This helps to form a tasty crust that contains tremendous flavor. 
 

The Great Salt Debate
Now we know that there are two opposing views on salt and like our politicians in Washington their opinions on the matter are not even close (you might as well call them polar opposites). One side is looking to avoid salt at all costs (usually due to valid health related issues) as Americans consume well above the daily recommended amounts of sodium. The other side either is practically addicted to salt or truly believes that salt really brings other spices together and is essential to a great rub for meat (whether pork, beef or chicken). 

While I tend to gravitate towards seasoning blends that rely more on the flavors of the spices being highlighted (by nature these blends are either very low in salt or are salt free) I also know that some blends are almost magical when a little bit of salt is blended in. 

I also tend to believe that the real argument should not be “does this rub include saltâ€ but instead “how much salt is in the dry rubâ€. Most dry rubs purchased commercially contain way too much salt. There is a business reason for this - salt (even sea salt or Kosher salt) is the least expensive ingredient in the spices and herbs used in blending the commercial dry spice rubs. So the more salt used means more profit for the company. 
How Much and When
As a rule of thumb you should use about 1 tablespoon of dry rub per pound of chicken or pork, for fish I prefer using about ½ that much to start. I always recommend using a bit less the first time your experimenting with any new rub as you can always add more but can’t take much away if you over season.

I’ve seasoned both chicken and pork with this rub and have then let it sit in the refrigerator for 8-24 hours to allow the seasoning to work its way into the meat before smoking or grilling. For fish I only tender to let the seasoning sit for 30 minutes to 2 hours before cooking.


Flavor Profile
The flavor profile of this blend gives just the right amount of sweetness and you’ll certainly pick up a delightful balance of heat from the chipotle and the black pepper. The heat is not overpowering at all.  


What’s In It
Hand blended from granulated honey, smoked apple wood sea salt, California paprika, garlic, onion, chipotle powder, black pepper and chipotle flakes. 





Nutritional Information
Serving Size 1 teaspoon, Amount Per Serving: Calories 15.0, Fat Cal.1.8, Total Fat 0g (0% DV), Sat. Fat 0g (0% DV), Trans Fat 0g (0% DV), Cholest. 0mg (0% DV), Sodium 56.3mg (2% DV), Total Carb. 3.9g (1% DV), Dietary Fiber 0g (0% DV), Sugars 3.8g, Protein 0g (0%DV), Vitamin A .8% DV), Vitamin C (.1% DV), Calcium (0% DV), Iron (.1% DV), Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet. 
