What are some of the basics that you would buy if you were starting from scratch? I stopped by Costco and I was wondering if the McCormick seasonings are decent. The large jar of paprika would come in handy but I'm not sure of the quality. It probably isn't Hungarian. I'm thinking paparika, pepper, salt, kosher salt and garlic powder for now. Also, yellow mustard and worcestershire sauce. What else would you get?
Spice list for newbie.
- Thread starter Ron C.
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Morgan Sziraki
TVWBB Pro
Hi Ron
I'll put the Victory Bell aside
I like to keep dried
thyme, oregano, bay leaves, cayenne, paprika, onion powder & garlic powder
and whole
cumin, black pepper
if you toast the cumin and pepper then grind them it's out of this world
I'll put the Victory Bell aside
I like to keep dried
thyme, oregano, bay leaves, cayenne, paprika, onion powder & garlic powder
and whole
cumin, black pepper
if you toast the cumin and pepper then grind them it's out of this world
Rick Kramer
TVWBB All-Star
I go thru a lot of rub. So I usually buy the larger containers (1 to 1.5 lb) of spices. Last time I went to Sam's I broke down and bought their "store brand" called Tone's. Mainly because it's cheap. I'm sure this stuff is probably the lowest of lows so far as quality goes. But being new at this cooking game it's hard for me to distinguish what makes one brand better than the other. Is the difference that great? Are there brands out there that you should just avoid ... like, Tone's maybe? I know that Penzey's is top of the line stuff, but with the amount of rub I use, (I cook lots of butts and ribs for other folks) it really isn't feasible. Any tips or suggestions?
Ron, you're right about Kevin. His "real-time" posts has saved my butt on more than one occasion. His posts, along with Chris's info sections, and the rest of the knowledgable folks here at the VWB makes it almost impossible to screw up cooking on a WSM. My cooking skills have improved dramatically since joining this website less than a year ago and I owe it all to them. So .... thanks everybody!
Rick
Ron, you're right about Kevin. His "real-time" posts has saved my butt on more than one occasion. His posts, along with Chris's info sections, and the rest of the knowledgable folks here at the VWB makes it almost impossible to screw up cooking on a WSM. My cooking skills have improved dramatically since joining this website less than a year ago and I owe it all to them. So .... thanks everybody!
Rick
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by K Kruger:
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rick Kramer:
I go thru a lot of rub...But being new at this cooking game it's hard for me to distinguish what makes one brand better than the other. Is the difference that great?...Any tips or suggestions?
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I go through a lot of rub myself but it's the other capsicums (Anchos, New Mex, Cascabels, Negros, et. al.) that I sail through. I use paprika in just a handful of rubs, mostly as a carrier rather than a major flavoring ingredient. I find the other capsicums more suitable for flavoring the types of rubs I most often make; the flavors stand up to--and blend well with--the other spices and herbs in the rub. For example, I can mix Ancho (for fruitiness) with NM (for heat and flavor--much better than cayenne, imo), and Guajillo for depth; or Aleppo (for fruit with a little heat) with Ancho and Cascabel. Using ground chilies also satisfies the chile component of the generic 'chile powder' found in many rubs; I can add the other components if I wish.
Paprika I tend to use when I'm looking for little (or very subtle) pepper-fruit flavor but where the paprika--when blended well with the other rub ingredients--will 'carry' those ingredients evenly across the food I'm rubbing. This is particularly effective when I want to throw the focus on ground peppercorns, say (black, green, white), or on exotics (cardamom, cubeb, ginger, mace, e.g.), or on easily 'lost' flavors (citrus zests, ground dried fruit or nuts, coriander), and where use of these ingredients as primaries would be impractical or overkill.
I definitely think there are differences between the herbs and spices offered by different companies (sometimes strikingly so) though that can vary within the company in question. You may notice the difference as soon as you open the jar of a given herb or spice or the difference might not be as evident till the spice is cooked. I have used some of Tone's stuff as well as other supermarket and warehouse-store brands--some were marginal, some passable, some perfectly fine. I buy from Penzey's (and Pure Spice) primarly, because I like how and where they source their stuff and because I can get a specific herb (Turkish oregano or Mexican oregano--they're different), or spice (Korintje,Vietnamese, or Ceylon cinnamon; California or Hungarian--half-sharp or különleges paprika; Sarawak white peppercorns, Malabar or Tellicherry blacks) and that's important to me. They have tremendous turnover so I'm confident I'm getting fresh.
If you are happy with what you're using, good. But since you make your own rubs I assume you enjoy the process, like the element of control, the greater possibilities to create signature mixes, find the pre-made rubs lacking, or all (or any combo) of the above, for your own knowledge and pleasure I'd urge you to try replacing some or all of your ingredients with Penzey's when you can and see what you think. Try pure chilies (I usually buy chilies at markets catering to Mexicans) in place of some or all of your paprika, chile powder, and/or cayenne as well; if you're happy with paprika as a base you might wish to try a non-generic paprika* (or a blend of a couple). As many here have said, you get to eat your experiments.
Kevin
* Peppers for paprika are produced all over the world. Hungary and Spain are major producers; here, it's Texas and California. Paprika is instrumental in Hungarian cuisine and they've made paprika production an art. The best are produced in the Kalocsa and Szeged areas. As far as I know they are the only producers that grade the finished product. The grades are determined by the degree of ripeness of the pepper when picked, and the level of pungency of the finished product. Különleges, e.g., is produced from selected,perfectly ripe peppers that are ground without seeds or placenta yielding a delicate, non-pungent finish. Its mild fruitiness is lost in most rubs, but is great for many other uses. Two grades up the pungency scale is edesnemes (half-sharp), two up from there is er?s. These two are more appropriate, imo, for rubs. If you're interested in trying them I have a source where you can get both grades (from both Kalocsai and Szededi growers) in small, 10oz containers ($4.95). If you prefer any of them, they are also available in 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, and 50-lb (as well as 100-kilo) bulk packaging for much less $ per pound, but of course there's shipping to consider. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Rick Kramer:
I go thru a lot of rub...But being new at this cooking game it's hard for me to distinguish what makes one brand better than the other. Is the difference that great?...Any tips or suggestions?
</div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I go through a lot of rub myself but it's the other capsicums (Anchos, New Mex, Cascabels, Negros, et. al.) that I sail through. I use paprika in just a handful of rubs, mostly as a carrier rather than a major flavoring ingredient. I find the other capsicums more suitable for flavoring the types of rubs I most often make; the flavors stand up to--and blend well with--the other spices and herbs in the rub. For example, I can mix Ancho (for fruitiness) with NM (for heat and flavor--much better than cayenne, imo), and Guajillo for depth; or Aleppo (for fruit with a little heat) with Ancho and Cascabel. Using ground chilies also satisfies the chile component of the generic 'chile powder' found in many rubs; I can add the other components if I wish.
Paprika I tend to use when I'm looking for little (or very subtle) pepper-fruit flavor but where the paprika--when blended well with the other rub ingredients--will 'carry' those ingredients evenly across the food I'm rubbing. This is particularly effective when I want to throw the focus on ground peppercorns, say (black, green, white), or on exotics (cardamom, cubeb, ginger, mace, e.g.), or on easily 'lost' flavors (citrus zests, ground dried fruit or nuts, coriander), and where use of these ingredients as primaries would be impractical or overkill.
I definitely think there are differences between the herbs and spices offered by different companies (sometimes strikingly so) though that can vary within the company in question. You may notice the difference as soon as you open the jar of a given herb or spice or the difference might not be as evident till the spice is cooked. I have used some of Tone's stuff as well as other supermarket and warehouse-store brands--some were marginal, some passable, some perfectly fine. I buy from Penzey's (and Pure Spice) primarly, because I like how and where they source their stuff and because I can get a specific herb (Turkish oregano or Mexican oregano--they're different), or spice (Korintje,Vietnamese, or Ceylon cinnamon; California or Hungarian--half-sharp or különleges paprika; Sarawak white peppercorns, Malabar or Tellicherry blacks) and that's important to me. They have tremendous turnover so I'm confident I'm getting fresh.
If you are happy with what you're using, good. But since you make your own rubs I assume you enjoy the process, like the element of control, the greater possibilities to create signature mixes, find the pre-made rubs lacking, or all (or any combo) of the above, for your own knowledge and pleasure I'd urge you to try replacing some or all of your ingredients with Penzey's when you can and see what you think. Try pure chilies (I usually buy chilies at markets catering to Mexicans) in place of some or all of your paprika, chile powder, and/or cayenne as well; if you're happy with paprika as a base you might wish to try a non-generic paprika* (or a blend of a couple). As many here have said, you get to eat your experiments.
Kevin
* Peppers for paprika are produced all over the world. Hungary and Spain are major producers; here, it's Texas and California. Paprika is instrumental in Hungarian cuisine and they've made paprika production an art. The best are produced in the Kalocsa and Szeged areas. As far as I know they are the only producers that grade the finished product. The grades are determined by the degree of ripeness of the pepper when picked, and the level of pungency of the finished product. Különleges, e.g., is produced from selected,perfectly ripe peppers that are ground without seeds or placenta yielding a delicate, non-pungent finish. Its mild fruitiness is lost in most rubs, but is great for many other uses. Two grades up the pungency scale is edesnemes (half-sharp), two up from there is er?s. These two are more appropriate, imo, for rubs. If you're interested in trying them I have a source where you can get both grades (from both Kalocsai and Szededi growers) in small, 10oz containers ($4.95). If you prefer any of them, they are also available in 1-, 2-, 5-, 10-, and 50-lb (as well as 100-kilo) bulk packaging for much less $ per pound, but of course there's shipping to consider. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
K Kruger
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
Btw, Penzey's catalog is worth getting even if you don't choose to order from them. It's free, the articles are informative, and they often have a smattering of decent recipes (which, if they contain proprietary blends, can be easily modified). There is a link at the top of their homepage to order a catalog.
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Btw, Penzey's catalog is worth getting even if you don't choose to order from them. It's free, the articles are informative, and they often have a smattering of decent recipes </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
I agree with Kevin - get their catalogue and look at it and you will be hooked. They are quality folks with quality merchandise.
Ray
I agree with Kevin - get their catalogue and look at it and you will be hooked. They are quality folks with quality merchandise.
Ray
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