Compatible rub ingredients

[whitetailfan]

Last few rubs I made, I have gone out and picked up actual turbinado sugar and kosher salt as per recipe instructions.

My issue is thus:
The kosher salt and turbinado sugar are huge compared to the other ingredients in the rub.  They don't mix as well as the like sized spices, and when I apply it, all the pepper, paprika, garlic, etc sticks to the meat and the big hunks of sugar and salt never stick properly and fall off.

Does anyone grind their "rock" ingredients to make it stick better?
Is there a solution here?

[iceman]

Last few rubs I made, I have gone out and picked up actual turbinado sugar and kosher salt as per recipe instructions.

My issue is thus:
The kosher salt and turbinado sugar are huge compared to the other ingredients in the rub.  They don't mix as well as the like sized spices, and when I apply it, all the pepper, paprika, garlic, etc sticks to the meat and the big hunks of sugar and salt never stick properly and fall off.

Does anyone grind their "rock" ingredients to make it stick better?
Is there a solution here?

I grind all the course stuff so it's all uniform and goes on the same. Maybe it's just me but I think it works better that way. :)

[HCT]

I grind down the sugar and use pickling salt instead of kosher, it's smaller.

[Habanero Smoker]

I do the same as HCT, just remember when using pickling salt use about 50% less salt. Also, instead of grinding the turbinado sugar you can use brown sugar. Light brown sugar is closer to the taste of turbinado sugar.

[LilSmoker]

I have also got into a habbit of grinding all my rub/marinade ingredients, even stuff like garlic granules etc, just seems to penetrate the meat quicker and more evenly this way.

LilSmoker

[3rensho]

I always toss everything into the spice grinder and let her rip.  Gives me much more uniform results.

[Consiglieri]

Seems like everyone (me too) is using a small spice grinder/mini processor.

[whitetailfan]

Seems like everyone (me too) is using a small spice grinder/mini processor.

Well, there's my next purchase....

Anyone use a pestil (is that a word?)  The ceramic bowl with hand crusher....

Will a coffee grinder work?

Anyone got a make and model for me?

[Consiglieri]

Coffee grinder is good for turning whole dried spices like cinnamon stick, mustard seed, allspice into powders.

We have the cuisinart miniprep plus.  Two speeds: chop or grind.  Great for turning fresh herbs into paste.  Also good for blending rubs and chopping whole spices.

As for mortar and pestle, I haven't used one per se.  I have a molcajete (Mexican mortar/pestle made out of volcanic rock) that I used to use for carnitas and such.  Some use one of those for spice grinding or salsas-- I'm sure Nepas could chime in here-- but the mini processor really does a good job.  Haven't used the molcajete much since I did the smoked carnitas experiment (don't need this tool to shred a butt finished in the BS).

Good luck

[LilSmoker]

Mortar and pestle will do the job, but very time consuming, i use the mortar and pestle for small jobs but i usually use a grinder as it's fast and consistent.
I get all my rub/marinade dry ingredients down to a very fine powder with the grinder

LilSmoker

[Habanero Smoker]

As mentioned, a mortar and pestle will work but it is time consuming. A mortar and pestle is better for making pastes. I use a Cuisinart Mini-Mate Plus. It has a blade with a sharp and dull edge, and it which works great. If you get a coffee grinder I would choose the type that have a blade.

[acords]

Anyone got a make and model for me?

I bought one from K-mart a couple years ago for about 8 dollars.  It still works fine.  IMHO, the cheaper the better

[NePaSmoKer]

WTF

I use a small electric chopper too for my sugar and salt. I use alot of dried ancho pepper that i grind up in the same way.

nepas

[Gizmo]

For a spice grinder I use a mini coffee grinder - Salton GC-5
Also have a Baun KSM2 but that is used for coffee.  :P

I also use a Cuisinart Prep 11 plus (model DLC-2011N) that I use for large batches of spices (like rubs) as the mini coffee griders will not hold a large quantity of spices to blend together.

[Lefty_Smoker]

I use a free coffee grinder that I got as a free gift from Gevalia a few years ago.  Works like a charm on spices as well as whole coffee beans. 

My favorite rub calls for both brown sugar and turbinado sugar, so I can't simply substitute one for the other, I need BOTH.  ;D

I grind kosher salt, turbinado sugar, and dry out my brown sugar in the oven before adding any of them to a rub.