Deconstructing Williams-Sonoma's Chili-Lime rub


 

JMGarciaJr

TVWBB Fan
For Christmas, as part of a gift, I received a sampler ("The Ultimate Grilling Collection") of W-S rubs. These included:

Adam's Steak Rub
Memphis Rib Rub
Potlatch Seasoning
and
Chili [sic] Lime Rub

I particularly enjoyed Adam's Steak Rub and the Chili-Lime Rub. I've had pretty good success deconstructing the steak rub, which allowed me to turn down the salt a good deal and also swap granulated garlic for granulated roast garlic, which I thought got kind of bitter in most applications.

Anyway, I am having less success with the Chili Lime Rub, though. The website describes the ingredients as being "New Mexican chilies, California cilantro, Turkish cumin, paprika and more – plus sea salt and tart lime."

Has anyone here
a) tried this rub, and
b) had any luck deconstructing it?

I'd like to tone down the salt -- actually, I'd prefer salting as a completely different operation, myself -- and also get away from the artificial ingredients. To say nothing of not paying $9 for a 3 oz. (!) tin.

Thanks in advance...
 
I haven't had it. I never buy prepared rubs or seasonings.

If you want to send me a tablespoon or two I could try to figure it out for you. (I do a lot of that.)
 
Part of what's throwing me off is that other than the cilantro flakes, the rest of the ingredients are powdered VERY fine. In my experience, also, the chiles/paprika tend to be darker. These are pretty much orange-ish red, which is something I have never seen before in a rub. Lastly, there is a strong taste of lime...but it's invisible!

-Joe

P.S. My only real gripe is that if you want a stronger hit of rub, you're adding extra salt. (I prefer salting the meat FIRST, but maybe I'm just weird.)
 
I wouldn't worry about the cilantro. Like parsley, it does not dry well. It ends up with very little flavor, if you can even call it that; it does not taste like itself at all.

Depends on the chile. I have many that are not at all very red. Paprika is not very red unless it is domestic (California--not very good flavor though). Numerous NM chilies are orange-red when ground.

The lime is likely powdered lime juice, possibly with a litle zest in there as well.

I always salt meat first, never put salt in rubs. Iconoclastic to be sure -- the only way to fly.
 
Aha! So I am not deranged in "pre-salting." My thinking is that salt performs functions beyond seasoning and depending on what my time will look like for a given cooking operation I need to adjust quantities and time...something I can't do with rubs where salt is the prime ingredient.

Also, my inner cynic tells me that salt (even "sea salt") is a cheap filler for commercial rubs. The cilantro is likely there more for the sake of SAYING it's there and because it has some marketing-ish associations with chiles and limes, because, as you noted, its flavor profile disappears with drying.

The attractive green specks can't hurt, either.

Now, in trying to deconstruct this rub, what I am able to taste is:

First, the salt.

Second, a three-way hit of lime and cumin, and some generic chile heat -- it was not intolerable for my wife or kids, incidentally.

Third, garlic.

In thinking out loud, I'm wondering is these components might not be better served in a paste or smear? The cilantro and lime juice would provide the moisture for the paprika/chile(s) and cumin and I'd have to play with the garlic to see if fresh would work better than dried.

I could also mess around with the various possible chiles and paprikas (sweet, hot, bittersweet).

Hmm.

Back to the drawing board.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Aha! So I am not deranged in "pre-salting." My thinking is that salt performs functions beyond seasoning and depending on what my time will look like for a given cooking operation I need to adjust quantities and time...something I can't do with rubs where salt is the prime ingredient. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Nope, been writing about this and noting it on my rub recipes, here, for years. Salting first then waiting a spell allows the salt to draw moisture; this allows the rub to stick well (no mustard 'glue' required). One can use as little or as much rub as one wants without worry as to the salt level since salting is done separately anyway. Win-win.

Yes, salt, sugar, and cheap versions of what otherwise might be decent stuff (paprika is a prime example) are fillers, imo.

A paste would be good. As noted, colantro dries horribly. Consider both fresh and granulated garlic. Try plenty of lime zest for the lime --plus a little juice. Skip the paprika. Try ground NM chile. If you don't have any at hand I'd go with some ground guajillo with a little cascabel, first; moderate only if necessary with a little paprika.

Just a thought.
 
K.,

As I scratch out the paste proportions in my head, I'm thinking of just enough lime juice to (in combination with the fresh cilantro) bind the paste.

I'll check on the chile situation. I'm pretty sure I could score NM chiles whole, so if push came to shove, I might toast and grind those and the cumin seeds at the last moment.

Once the salt starts the juices going, I figure a paste/smear will allow more flavor to penetrate.

Next up: playing with the proportions.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JMGarciaJr:
K.,

As I scratch out the paste proportions in my head, I'm thinking of just enough lime juice to (in combination with the fresh cilantro) bind the paste.

I'll check on the chile situation. I'm pretty sure I could score NM chiles whole, so if push came to shove, I might toast and grind those and the cumin seeds at the last moment.

Once the salt starts the juices going, I figure a paste/smear will allow more flavor to penetrate.

Next up: playing with the proportions. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

I believe this is the rub recipe you are looking for
icon_smile.gif


I would remove the chicken stock/broth though.

http://www.foodchannel.com/rec...-with-chili-and-lime
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by JMGarciaJr:
Thanks! That gives me an excellent springboard... </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

You are welcome - I just re-read the recipe and saw the stock was used later. Heh. I posted before coffee. Let us know how it turns out and what you figured out.
 
OK.

Here is v 1.0...not yet tested on anything.

1 tablespoon sweet (unsmoked) Spanish paprika
1 tablespoon hot (unsmoked) Spanish paprika
1 teaspoon ground guajillo chile
½ teaspoon cumin seeds, ground
2 garlic cloves, mashed (v. 1.1 will use granulated garlic to compare)
½ cup chopped fresh cilantro stems
1 lime, zested fine with a microplane and juiced

Everything except for the juice in the minichop. Zap it. Add enough lime juice to get a thin paste (what some cookbooks call a "smear") about the consistency of molasses...basically something with the barest possible "flow" and not something that would fragment, like a wet rub.

I will also try toasting the cumin, NM chiles (when I get them), whole cilantro, etc. Then play with various permutations.
 
Joe- Cna you post your deconstructed Adam's Rub? I bought it for a friend named, of all things, Adam and was curious. I know it had a bit of mustard seed.
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Jay Rogers:
Joe- Cna you post your deconstructed Adam's Rub? I bought it for a friend named, of all things, Adam and was curious. I know it had a bit of mustard seed. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Done! (I started a new discussion here, so as not to commingle.)
 
I like to work with citrus zest in my rubs. I find it has a brighter flavor and doesn't have burnable sugars like juice.

I try to zest any citrus I plan to juice. The zest dries easily and can then be powdered. It does lose a bit of flavor over time, but with orange its actually preferable to let it mellow some (IMO).

Despite liking it better than marinading in citrus juice, zest still needs some help. I bought a cheese making kit that came with citric acid. Its a potent souring agent. I'm wondering if it might help add some punch to rubs with citrus zest.
 
If you watch the Food Network video review of Smoque (it's on YouTube) you'll see they use citric acid in their rubs. It mightn't be a bad idea in something like this...
 
Interesting - I use lime zest a lot on a pork dish I make that involves slow cooking in banana leaves and then roasting in the smoker for a few hours. A good chili rub is also involved.

Kind of a take off of some Oaxacan food I like. I serve it with handmade tortillas and some fresh salsa verde (I never buy salsa)...
 
<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Its a potent souring agent. I'm wondering if it might help add some punch to rubs with citrus zest. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It can--but that is all it adds. Nothing in the way of flavor. That's fine as far as it goes; if that's all you require for a rub you're working on it can work okay. There are other souring agents that, imo, work better because they also boost flavor qualities (the high and/or low notes of fruitiness): vinegar powder, amchoor, sumac, powdered wines et al., all do this.

Cameron-- If you haven't, try cochinita pibil, a Yucatecan dish that, while a little involved, is worth every moment. Pics.
 
<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">Its a potent souring agent. I'm wondering if it might help add some punch to rubs with citrus zest. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
It can--but that is all it adds. Nothing in the way of flavor. That's fine as far as it goes; if that's all you require for a rub you're working on it can work okay. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
Thinking out loud...I'm guessing the only time it'd be desirable to use the citric acid is to add some sourness when using citrus zest vs. juice.

Maybe you didn't want to use juice (or too much juice) because the mixture would be too wet and loose, maybe there is an issue of separation with oil, etc. By using zest, you can bring many of the flavors of a given citrus, but the sour part of the equation may be a bit too muted...it's then, I believe, where citric acid might be worth considering.

Just a thought.
 
Yes, and it will work for that. To me, some of the fruitiness gets musted along with the brightness. That's why I tens to use something(s) that will bring up the fruit and return the tang.
 

 

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