I go through quite a bit of it. It and amchur are two of my favorites as they add wonderful fruity sour notes. In Persian cuisine sumac is added after or simply sprinkled on right before serving - or placed on the table for guests to add as they like (or to add more of).
Don't let that stop you from adding it to rubs. I do often, usually with Aleppo, a chile with fruity sour notes that complements nicely.
Another tabletop condiment popular in the Middle East and Levant is
za'atar, a blend of various herbs and sometimes seeds, the blend varying by locale - but in the west (Lebanon especially) - za'atar is made with sumac as the primary ingredient (often with thyme, sesame seeds, sometimes a bit of marjoram and/or oregano, and a little salt.
Anyway, I buy it from either
World Spice or
Penzeys.
I am not one to make the typical sides with barbecue - sweet beans and such make the overall plate profile too sweet for me. What I'll do if using, say, sumac and Aleppo in a rub (I'm thinking ribs here - often with garlic, onion, thyme, marjoram or powdered bay, maybe a little white pepper, a little sugar) is to make either a pilaf or simply lightly seasoned plain rice as one of the sides (a roasted tomato for another side immediately comes to mind) and sprinkle the rice with sumac just after plating. Boosts the sumac in the rub nicely.
Give sumac a try. Highly recommended.
