Spice it up with DIY rubs for meat

Exotic blends of dry spices and herbs fill shelves in the seasoning aisle, providing instantaneous impact to anything you grill.

But many commercial rubs are high in salt and sugar, which is fine in moderation but expensive for what you're buying. It takes only minutes to mix up your own secret seasoning combos, hitting all the high notes of flavors you really like.

Finding a good source for bulk herbs and spices allows you to buy in small quantities, ensuring your personal blends are super-fresh. If you already have jars of whole spices and crushed herbs lingering in your spice drawer or pantry, open them up and take a good whiff. If there's only a faint aroma, it's time to replace them.

Dried herbs, which are the leaves of plants, lose their pungency fairly quickly. Most spices are the dried seeds, roots, flower buds (and bark, in the case of cinnamon) of plants, and will last longer on the shelf if stored whole. Seeds, in particular, are higher in oils that carry their specific tastes, but those oils will evaporate quickly when exposed to air — when you grind them.

The key to the boldest seasonings is making the time to lightly toast those whole spices, such as cumin, mustard or coriander. Heat brings the essential flavor oils to the surface of the seeds in just a few minutes, creating an explosion of flavor when they are crushed or ground.

I often use a mortar and pestle. I'll dry roast whatever whole spices I want for a particular recipe, heating them in a small skillet, holding the heat to medium or medium-low. As soon as I smell the delicate toastiness rising from the pan, I quickly pour the spices into the mortar so they won't burn, allowing them to cool for a minute or two. A little elbow grease makes short work of grinding them up with the pestle by hand.

Or easier still, I might use a small spice mill or clean coffee grinder. Doing this yourself, rather than buying ground spices, gives you flexibility for how coarse or fine the texture is.

A generously applied coarse seasoning will form a savory crust on chicken, pork chops or steaks that will help seal in flavor. If you're grilling pork, steak or boneless chicken, drizzle the meat with a little oil before massaging on a rub.

And for skin-on chicken pieces, like bone-in thighs or drumsticks, rub some of the seasoning under the skin as well as rubbing it over the outside of each piece. For fish, I've made seasonings that I toss with fresh breadcrumbs or crispy panko for dredging the fillets before shallow-frying them — my own version of a shore lunch coating.

Vary the following blend as you wish — sometimes I'll use a spoonful of darkly roasted espresso beans, crumbled smoked tea leaves, or a smattering of brown sugar, fennel seed or crushed dried chipotle chile. There are no hard and fast rules. Play with flavors you like and see how well your special seasoning is accented by adding the smokiness of outdoor cooking.

Lisa Golden Schroeder is a Twin Cities food stylist and writer. Find her at foodesigns.com.

Makes a generous 1/2 cup.

Note: From Lisa Golden Schroeder.

• 1 tbsp. whole cumin seeds

• 1 tbsp. whole mustard seeds (yellow, black or white)

• 1 tbsp. black peppercorns

• 1 1/2 tsp. whole coriander seeds

• 1 tsp. whole cloves

• 2 tbsp. kosher (coarse) salt

• 1 tbsp. dried sage leaves

• 1 tbsp. smoked paprika or chili powder

• 1 tbsp. roasted garlic powder

Directions

Mix cumin seeds, mustard seeds, peppercorns, coriander seeds, and cloves in a small dry skillet; place over medium heat and toast about 2 minutes, shaking often, just until aromatic.

Pour out of skillet and cool. Grind toasted spices in mortar and pestle or spice grinder until desired texture.

Combine with the salt, sage, paprika and garlic powder until well mixed. Store in an airtight container (a small wide-mouth canning jar works well) in a cool place.