Rib Rub #1

Today’s recipe is for a meat rub that’s intended to clone one we discovered years ago at Sam’s Club. It’s kind of funny, I enjoy Indian food every time we have it, but I never crave it. I love ramen, but my wife never craves it. She likes BBQ more than ramen, but she still doesn’t crave it, mostly because BBQ can be pretty filling and a bit fatty. But the first time we tried the rub from Sam’s, both of us agreed it was one of the better rubs we’d tried and we both really liked it. The rub was Durkee brand Chicken and Rib Rub. Fast forward a couple years and unfortunately Sam’s stopped carrying our favorite rub and then Durkee stopped making it. Fortunately, Weber started selling as Weber Chicken 'N Rib Seasoning. I’ve tried the Weber version and I think it’s the same or very close to the Durkee one, but my primary complaint with it is I can’t find it locally and the packaging is so small that I have to order it every few cooks. 

Long story short, with the help of ChatGPT I decided to try cloning the blend so I wasn’t having to order it from Amazon all the time. I’m not confident the first attempt will be a perfect clone, so my plan is to try it then tweak it until I get close to replicating the Durkee version or discover a recipe I like as well or better. 

I mixed a batch up this afternoon and rubbed it on some pork spare ribs that I plan on smoking tomorrow. It definitely smells very close to both the Weber and Durkee versions, but the color is definitely a little darker and more reddish compared to the more orange-ish commercial versions. I tasted the rub and I think does taste pretty close but I think I can get closer. Anyway, here’s the first attempt:

Batch size 100 grams, probably enough for at least three racks.

18g Maltodextrin - I used LD Carlson from my local homebrew shop. The maltodextrine will help prevent clumping and adds a light sweetness.

22g Light brown sugar, dried in the oven @175F for about 90 min. 

18g Sweet Paprika

6g Smoked Hot Paprika

12g Kosher salt

8g Garlic powder

7g Onion powder

4g Chili powder (mild, American style)

2g Mustard powder

2g Celery salt

1.5g Black pepper, finely ground

0.5g Cayenne pepper

Use a spoon or fork to blend until well mixed. Apply liberally and evenly to ribs, chicken, pork shoulder, etc. and rub in well. For pork, I like to apply it the night before I plan to smoke, then apply another light coat right before putting the meat in the smoker.

Update 2/3/2026

I wasn't able to provide an update before I had to head out of town for work. I used this on some pork spare ribs and they turned out well, but definitely not a cloned rub. I felt like it needed more salt, and likely more garlic. The paprika ratio also isn't right as this rub went on more reddish while the Weber version is more orange/salmon color. Regardless, I think it was a good starting point and I'll continue to play around with it.

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Carbonnade Flamande

I had a recipe for Carbonnade Flamande pop up in my social media feeds about a month or so back. It looked pretty awesome so I figured I'd bookmark it for a future weekend dinner. This is one of those recipes that isn't hard to make, but it takes time so you need to plan ahead. 

I've never had Carbonnade Flamande before, but having made it today I can tell you I'm going to make it again. Carbonnade Flamande is also known as Flemish Stew and my understanding is it's a traditional comfort food in the Flemish-speaking areas of Belgium. I could see this being served on a cold winter night in a Belgian monastery.  Also, giving credit where it's due, here's the source for the recipe I used. Also, I didn't have fresh thyme, so I used dried. Here's the recipe as I made it today.  

2-3# Chuck roast, cubed
12g Kosher Salt
6g Black pepper

All-purpose flour
3 Yellow onions, thinly sliced 
2 Slices bacon, minced
1T Butter
3 Garlic cloves, crushed
1-2 Bay leaves
1T Fresh thyme (or 1t dried thyme)
400ml Belgian ale - I used Westmalle Dubbel + a tiny bit of my Irish Extra Stout
400-800ml beef broth - I used ~450ml
1T Apple cider vinegar
1T Dark brown sugar

Instructions

1. Prepare all ingredients (cube beef, slice onions, mince bacon, etc.).
2. Season beef roast cubes with salt and pepper and mix well to coat. 
3. Lightly dust beef with flour, again mixing well so that so sides are coated with salt, pepper, and a small amount of flour. I used about 1.5T of flour.
4. Hear oven-safe braising pot/Dutch oven over medium high heat on your stove. Add enough canola oil to form a thin layer.
5. Sear the beef in batches, being sure to brown all sides. Don't worry too much about the brown bits sticking to the bottom, you'll deglaze the pot later on. 
6. Transfer browned beef to a plate.
7. Add butter, bacon, onions, and garlic to pot and sweat over medium heat. Stir frequently, scraping the bottom of the pot. The liquid from the onions will deglaze the brown bits stuck to the bottom of the pot.
8. Continue caramelizing the onions, stirring regularly to avoid burning the mixture. This should take a minimum of 45 minutes. Add a splash of water as needed to deglaze the pot when needed and to avoid burning. 
9. After 45 minutes, add beer to pot, stirring well. Bring to a simmer and simmer for 5 minutes. 
10. Return beef to pot.
11. Add bay leaves, brown sugar, vinegar, and thyme. Gently stir to mix all ingredients. 
12. Top off with enough beef broth to mostly cover beef, but don't worry if it isn't fully submerged.
13. Partially cover the pot and put it in the oven at 300F for 4-6 hours. I did about 5 hours with the pot lid cracked open about 3/16". Most of the liquid had evaporated leaving a thick sauce/broth behind.
14. Taste before serving and add additional salt, vinegar, and/or sugar to taste. In my case, I thought it was pretty much perfect and didn't add any additional. 

Allow it to cool a little bit before serving. It's often served with French fries (frites), but pretty much any potato or starchy side will likely go well with it. I served mine with Potato Pavé, but you don't have to get too fancy here. 

Update: This dish was great, super flavorful, a little sweetness from the caramelized onions, nice tangy acidity from the vinegar. It’s a great comfort food for sure and I’ll definitely be making it again. This is one of those dishes that’s even better the next day.

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