Spice up summer grilling with Sonoma County-made dry rubs

If you’ve got some old spices taking up real estate in a dark corner of your cupboard, it’s time to start tossing and stocking up on some fresh dry rubs and seasonings to make entertaining a breeze this summer.

Here in Sonoma County, there are companies that buy spices whole, then grind, toast and hand-blend them in small batches, creating artisanal products that deliver peak freshness and flavor. These can be rubbed directly on your drumsticks and pork tenderloins or blended with oil and vinegar to marinate meaty portobello mushrooms and T-bone steaks.

We rounded up three local brands - Sonoma Spice Queen of Petaluma, owned by Wind McAlister; Savory Spice, with retail shops in Santa Rosa and Sonoma; and the new kid on the block, Chef Josef’s Gourmet Seasoning Blends, recently launched by longtime Santa Rosa chef Josef Keller of Santa Rosa - to give your Memorial Day grill some extra sizzle and pizazz.

By sourcing a few authentic spice blends, you can easily whisk your guests off to exotic destinations, from Morocco and Spain to Cuba and Latin America, without ever leaving the backyard.

“People love to make international foods,” said McAlister, who started out selling her spices in 2014 at the Petaluma farmers markets. “I wanted to make it easy for people, who with one product, can turn their dishes into something special.”

McAlister started the business because whenever she threw a theme dinner party, she had a hard time finding organic spices that were culturally authentic.

“People always asked me what spice I was putting in my food,” she said. “I wanted a healthy product that is completely transparent. All the ingredients are listed on the label.”

As the company grew, McAlister moved into her own retail space on the ground floor of a Petaluma Victorian, where she recently put in her own commercial kitchen. Her line now includes 70 individual spices, 30 spice blends and 10 to 15 salts. Among those are four dry rubs, but almost all her products can be turned into some kind of rub or marinade for the barbecue.

“Yesterday, my family wanted Thai chicken,” she said. “So we blended the Thai Yellow Curry into a marinade with lime, sugar and coconut milk.”

Her most popular rub is one of her first: the Java and Spice BBQ, which she spikes with low-acid decaf espresso made by Retrograde Coffee Roasters of Sebastopol.

“It has a medium heat, with a little bit of earthy coffee and a rich, robust spice,” she said. “We use it as a dry rub for ribs, then we make a barbecue sauce from it.”

Her barbecue rub highlights typical barbecue flavors like smoked paprika, cumin and brown sugar but is not too spicy, so it’s perfect for kids.

“It’s a classic,” she said. “A little smoky and a little sweet.”

Her Sonoma Herb Rub, made from thyme and rosemary and lemon, is an all-purpose seasoning that can be used year-round in the oven as well as the grill for vegetables and chicken. “You can add olive oil and vinegar and marinate portobello mushrooms,” she said. “My vegetarian customers use it on tofu to add flavor.”

Her newest rub - the Spicy Carolina Rub - tastes earthy and sweet, with a nice, spicy kick. “We put in bird’s eye chiles and cayenne for heat, plus coriander and thyme and smoked cherrywood salt and cane sugar,” she said. “We use just a little sugar and salt to enhance the cooking.”

Sonoma Spice Queen products can be found at the retail shop, 407 C St. in Petaluma, the Petaluma farmers markets and Oakville Grocery in Healdsburg, where McAlister will do a barbecue rub cooking demo from noon to 4 p.m. June 3. sonomaspicequeen.com.

Savory Spice was started in Denver in 2004 and has grown to more than 30 stores nationwide, including shops in both Santa Rosa and Sonoma, where the high-quality spices are available in three sizes of glass bottles as well as in smaller, resealable bags.

The shop features a wide range of single spices and hard-to-find spice blends from all over the world, ranging from the Cuban Island Spice, ideal for an authentic marinade, to the more exotic Mapuche-Style Merken Seasoning from Chile.

“That’s a smoked chile pepper that is hard to find,” Santa Rosa store manager Lola Huras said of the merken.

There are all kinds of all-American spices as well, including the Pike’s Peak Butcher Rub, which is great on beef, pork or chicken, and the Georgia Boys All-Purpose BBQ Rub, a terrific flavoring for juicy steaks.

“Team Sweet Mama’s BBQ Chicken Rub reminds me of my mom’s fried chicken,” Huras said. “And for ribs, try the Team Sweet Mama’s Kansas City Rub.”

If your taste runs more toward seafood and vegetables, the Pearl Street Plank Rub will add a mild kick to wild salmon.

“It’s sweet and smoky,” Huras said. “You can add some balsamic vinegar to it for grilled vegetables.”

Also ideal for lighter fare is the California Citrus Rub, a salt-free blend made from black pepper, lemon peel, orange peel, garlic, white sugar, crushed red pepper, citric acid and parsley.

“It’s good on chicken and fish,” Huras said. “And absolutely delicious on vegetables.”

For dessert lovers, the shop also carries various spice blends that would work on grilled fruit, such as the Georgia Peach Spice - excellent to rubon peaches that are grilled and topped with mascarpone, goat cheese and prosciutto.

For those interested in making their own barbecue rubs and spice blends, Savory Spice even carries a “Pitmaster ‘Cue Kit” with all the essential equipment, an assortment of spices, instructions and recipes.

“The book explains how to blend spices and the ratios,” Huras said. “There are foundation, dimension and accent spices.”

Savory Spice is found at 317 D St. in Santa Rosa and 201 West Napa St., Unit 5, Sonoma. savoryspiceshop.com.

Josef Keller, a veteran Santa Rosa chef who ran the kitchen at La Province restaurant from 1980 to 1990, then Josef’s Restaurant at Hotel La Rose until 2011, has always concocted his own spice blend to perk up his restaurant dishes.

Now, the chef has come up with four creative seasoning blends that are 40 percent Himalayan salt and 60 percent high-quality spices that he sources from Savory Spice.

“Every chef has their secret seasoning blend,” he explained. “I used the Original Seasoning at the restaurants all of my career … it’s Himalayan salt, mustard powder, paprika, pepper and other secret spices.”

While Chef Josef’s Original is the perfect companion for meat, Keller also developed a Lemon Dill Seasoning that complements fish and seafood, a Curry Basil Seasoning that adds kick to stir-fries, and a barbecue seasoning that enhances the flavor of steak and lamb chops.

“When I barbecue, I use all four of them,” he said. “The Lemon Dill is good on salmon, the Curry Basil works on shrimp or scallops, and the Original is good on chicken and beef.”

Chef Josef’s Seasonings come in 4-ounce canisters or 1.5-ounce packages and are available at Big John’s in Healdsburg, Pacific Market in Santa Rosa and at Oliver’s Markets in Cotati, Santa Rosa and Windsor. chefjosef.com.

The following two recipes are from Chef Josef Keller of Chef Josef’s Seasonings.

Grilled New York Steak or Lamb Chops

Makes 2 servings

1 pound New York Steak or 2 lamb chops

3 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon Chef Josef’s BBQ Seasoning Blend (or Chef Josef’s Original Seasoning Blend, for milder flavor)

1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Combine olive oil, seasoning blend and Worcestershire sauce and marinate meat for at least a half hour before cooking.

Preheat the grill to a temperature of 475 degrees. Place meat on surface for three to four minutes until a dark crust appears. Turn the temperature to 375 and grill to desired doneness (120 degrees for rare, 140 for medium rare, 150 for medium and 160 for well done.)

“This is a great vegetarian salad in spring and summer,” Keller said. “You can also add grilled chicken, salmon or shrimp to this dish.”

Josef’s Quinoa, Spinach and Golden Beet Salad

Makes 2 large salads

For salad:

1 cup cooked quinoa

1 medium avocado

3 cups cleaned, fresh spinach

1 1/2 cup cooked and sliced golden beets

1 medium apple, sliced

20 almonds

1/4 cup dried cranberries

For dressing:

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

1 tablespoon fresh, chopped chives

1 tablespoon fresh, chopped cilantro

- Chef Josef’s Curry Basil Blend, to taste

Add all salad ingredients to a large bowl.

Whisk dressing ingredients together in a small bowl and pour over salad, tossing to coat.

The following two recipes are from Wind McAlister of the Sonoma Spice Queen in Petaluma. “I developed this rub one evening thinking about the old Texas chuckwagon days and their use of coffee to tenderize meat,” she wrote.

Java and Spice BBQ Ribs with BBQ Sauce

Serves 2 to 4

For ribs:

- Sonoma Spice Queen Java and Spice BBQ Rub, to taste

1 rack baby back pork ribs

For BBQ sauce:

1/2 small, white onion

2 tablespoons oil

1 15-ounce can unsalted tomato sauce

1 cup ketchup

1 teaspoon mustard

2 tablespoons molasses

1/2 can Coca-Cola

2 tablespoons Java and Spice Rub

1 teaspoon Sonoma Spice Queen smoked cherrywood salt

- Cayenne, to taste (optional)

2 tablespoons brown sugar (optional)

For ribs: Evenly disperse the BBQ rub on both sides of the pork ribs. Wrap in plastic and let sit overnight or for at least 2 hours.

Soak wood chips (I like almond or apple chips) for at least 30 minutes. Gas barbecue: Heat it to 275 degrees and put wood chips under a grate in tin foil. Charcoal grill: light charcoal and heat to275-300 degrees and place wood chips directly on the coals and rake coals to one side.

Put a little bit more rub on the ribs, wrap in tinfoil and place on grill on indirect heat, turning the ribs every 30 minutes.

It should take between 2 ½ to 3 hours or longer to cook the ribs so they are extremely tender but not falling apart.

Take the ribs off the grill and let sit uncovered for about 5 minutes to release steam and disperse heat.

For barbecue sauce: Dice the onion. Pour oil into a medium saucepan and sweat onions on low for about 10 minutes or until soft and translucent.

Add the wet ingredients: tomato sauce, ketchup, mustard, molasses and Cocoa-Cola and completely combine.

Add the dry ingredients: the Java and Spice Rub, the smoked salt, and combine, making sure there are no lumps.

If you like it spicy, add some cayenne. If you like it sweet, add the brown sugar.

Cook the sauce on low for 30 to 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

You can either serve the sauce on the side, for dipping, or coat the cooled ribs with the sauce, put back on a 300-325 degree grill, and cook on each side, adding barbecue sauce a total of two times per side. Cook until lightly caramelized but not burned, then let the ribs rest under tinfoil for 10-15 minutes.

Serve with the slaw (following recipe).

This recipe calls for Sonoma Spice Queen Pickling Spice Mix, which adds an aromatic flavor to the sweet and salty brine.

Quick Pickle Cabbage and Radish Slaw

Serves 4 to 6

1 large Napa or Savoy cabbage

1/2 red cabbage

2 medium carrots

4 large watermelon radish

1/2 cup cane sugar

1/2 cup sea salt

2 cups white vinegar

2 cups filtered water

3 tablespoons Sonoma Spice Queen Pickling Spice Mix

Chop the Napa or Savoy cabbage into fine strips. Chop the red cabbage into fine strips

Using the large side of a grater, grate the carrots. Peel the radishes and grate on the large side of the grater.

In a medium saucepan, combine 1/2 cup cane sugar, 1/2 cup sea salt, 2 cups white vinegar and 2 cups filtered water over low heat until the sugar and salt are dissolved.

Add 3 tablespoons pickling spice to a cheesecloth, tie in knot, then drop into the warm mixture. Heat until it reaches a light boil, pour over the vegetables, and refrigerate overnight or until cold. Strain and serve.

The following two recipes are from Savory Spice and have been tested for accuracy.

Moroccan Chicken ?Skewers with Herb Sauce

Makes 5 skewers

For chicken:

3 tablespoons Savory Spice Tan-Tan Moroccan Seasoning

3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts cut into 1-inch cubes

5 bamboo skewers, soaked in water for 1 hour

For herb sauce:

1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

1/2 cup fresh spearmint leaves

1/4 teaspoon Savory Spice ground cumin seeds

1 1/2 teaspoon Savor Spice ground Peruvian Ginger

1 1/2 teaspoon salt

1 lime, juiced

1 1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 cup olive oil

For chicken: Preheat grill to medium-high heat. Put cubed chicken in a bowl and toss with Tan-Tan to coat.

Place chicken on the skewers and lay on the grill. Cook for about 10 to 12 minutes, until chicken is cooked through, turning often so that the spices don’t burn.

For herb sauce: Add the fresh herbs, spices, lime juice and honey to a blender. Blend to combine, then slowly add the olive oil with the motor running.

Once combined, taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary. Serve sauce alongside the skewers for dipping, or drizzle it over the top of the skewers.

Barbecued Street Corn

Makes 6 servings

6 ears corn, in their husks

1 tablespoon Savory Spice BBQ rub: Red Rocks Hickory Smoke Seasoning, Long’s Peak Pork Chop Spice or Black Hills BBQ Seasoning

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1/2 lemon, zested and juiced

3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons fresh chopped chives

Preheat oven to a temperature of 350 degrees. Set corn (in their husks) on a baking sheet and bake for about 35 minutes.

In the meantime, mix rub of choice with mayonnaise, lemon juice and lemon zest in a small bowl until thoroughly combined.

Remove corn from oven and let cool. Peel back husks and remove, or leave on as a sort of “handle” for the corn.

For char and color, grill the corn over high heat, about 5-10 minutes.

Liberally brush on the mayonnaise mixture to thoroughly coat the ears of corn.

Finish by sprinkling all sides with a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and chives.

Staff writer Diane Peterson can be reached at 521-5287 or diane.peterson@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @dianepete56.