Ever since squirtthecat said,
“Jan's Rub would make a brick taste good!” I wanted to try it. I’m surprised it took me this long given the strong following it has. The
original version has is based on a combination of four compound salts, which I normally don’t keep around. But I do have recipes for them (Lawry’s Seasoned Salt clone, garlic salt, celery salt and lemon pepper). In the interest of keeping my pantry and spice cabinet somewhat less out of control than it already is, I reformulated Jan’s Dry Rub using basic spice and herb ingredients, converted volume measurements to weights (my preference) and made a whole big batch, which is nearly 1.5 lbs. My version follows below.
To my taste it is incredible! I completely understand STC’s comment. But I really wanted an expert evaluation and comparison. So, I asked KyNola (Larry) if he would be the test taster and judge, since he and his wife created this, and he very graciously accepted offering Jan’s expertise as well. After the famous “wet finger” test he reported, “In our opinion it is EXTREMELY close to our version. It does seem to have just a very very slightly sweeter taste to it and a bit more "back of the throat" heat to it than the original recipe.”
I expected it to be a more different than “extremely close” given the normal variations that would be expected with volume measurements, volume-to-weight conversions, age of ingredients and my spin on the compound salt blends used in the original. Given KN’s report, I am extremely pleased with the outcome. It’s not really Jan’s Rub, just an imitation.
Thanks Jan & Larry for both the recipe and your help
Almost Jan’s Rub – weights are exact, volumes are approximate
I added this as an image since the forum posting doesn't handle tables well. The second entry "Salt, purified" should be "Salt, pure", as in canning and pickling salt.
