The Story of Our Honey Chipotle Rub

During our first year of business, we were pretty much strictly selling herbs, spices, chiles, and a few pre-mixed blends. We started learning more about spices and seasoning blends, so we figured we could try our hand at making a blend or two and see how they did. Taco Seasoning, Italian Seasoning, and Garam Masala were some of our first ventures into creating some ubiquitous blends that we knew would already have some fans.

Some of our early customers were regional competition barbecue folks, so we did some research looking into what exactly they were using in their seasoning blends to create such flavorful meat. This was the first time we had ever heard the phrase "sweet heat," as many barbecue masters combine the two elements to create mouthwatering flavors. The "sweet" part of these blends typically comes from a sugar, with brown sugar or turbinado sugar being the obviously favored of the sugars. Granulated honey is a perfect choice, because it's created by spraying honey over sugar. This honey gives the right amount of sweetness to our blend and perfectly complements our "heat" element- the chipotle. We didn't want something that would burn your mouth, but something that would give that "just hot enough" sensation. Ancho isn't hot enough to fit the bill, and habanero adds too much heat and too much fruity sweetness of its own, so chipotle chiles were the obvious option for us.

What's in it?

Our Honey Chipotle Rub is hand blended from granulated honey, sea salt, onion, paprika, chipotle powder and Italian seasoning.

Flavor Profile

This blend has the ideal balance of sweet and heat. We absolutely love the sweet taste provided by the honey combined with the smoky flavor of the ground chipotle powder.

Where to Use

We initially tested this rub on chicken and fish. The granulated honey in this blend really helps form a crust around the meat and seals in the moisture, making for a juicier dish. Our customers took our experimentation a little bit further and have used this on everything from beef tenderloin to pork chops, in black eyed peas and ham, seasoning ribs, mixed into dips, and sprinkles on sweet potatoes, roasted potatoes, and stir fries.

Use as a dry rub and apply to any meat evenly on all sides before cooking for that previously mentioned perfect crust, especially on the grill. If you have ever tasted a great barbecue, it is likely that a dry rub was used. Dry rubs give quite big flavor to meat, though sometimes they are loaded up with salt. We like to use high quality ingredients in our blends and use salt as an accent flavor, not a bulking ingredient or dominant flavor. We recommend using one tablespoon of rub for every pound of meat, and because of the salt in this blend, there is no need to use any kind of bring or marinade before adding the dry rub.

Once the rub has been applied, let the seasoning settle into the meat in the fridge. When it's ready, you'll notice that the meat looks slightly wet and tacky. Add extra seasoning to any spots that don't appear wet or properly seasoned. This should take about 2 hours for meats like pork or chicken, but only about 30 minutes with fish or other types of seafood.

When used on vegetables, try roasting a sheet pan full of your favorites and add after they've cooked! The inherent sweetness of roasted vegetables will be nicely enhanced with the sweetness of this blend. Salt also reacts with sweet foods to make them taste a little bit sweeter, so the small amount of salt in this blend will help draw out that flavor too. Try it on cauliflower, brussels sprouts, zucchini, carrots, or beets. We also like it on salad greens, for an interesting flavor dynamic.

Helpful Hints

Just one tablespoon of rub per pound of meat is all you need! Remember to let your seasoned meat sit for around two hours before you grill it to ensure maximum flavor.

Meeting Your Business Needs with Our Products

Honey Chipotle Rub is a popular bulk product with our specialty spice shops and our customers who like to use it in their own restaurants. This blend is exceptionally popular during grilling season as it can be used as a dry rub to create that mouthwatering, juice sealing crust that is sought after by meat connoisseurs all over the country. It's perfect for marketplaces that sell specialty ingredients and in grilling supply stores. When purchased in bulk for a restaurant, the convenience of having a tasty, pre-made blend is an absolute benefit, especially when your place of business is packed, and you don't have the time to measure your ingredients for a spice blend individually. Rely on our Honey Chipotle Rub to give you that signature, high quality flavor for your grilled meats, especially chicken.

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