Spicy Rub and Seasonings - Wild Boar Sweet and Sassy Red Pepper

Tis the season to fire up the grill!  Whether you are grilling ribs, steaks, chicken or whatever, you just cannot forget the spices!  Everything I grill, has to be rubbed down with some sort of spice or seasoning, to bring out the flavor of what I am grilling.  Even if you aren't a griller, you can still prepare your meats in the oven, with your favorite rubs.

The rub/seasoning shown here, is the Wild Boar Sweet and Sassy Red Pepper Rub by JuliasPantry Etsy shop.  Let me tell ya...this stuff has some kick to it!  It is definitely on the spicy side, but with a side note of sweetness.  It's a brilliant red spice rub that just enhances the flavor of whatever you are grilling.

This spice rub is perfect for chicken, pork, ribs and steaks.  Not only is this a great spice rub, but you can also turn this into a marinade or dip- three-in-one! This spice rub is All-Natural, fat free, gluten free and contains no MSG.  I found, that it doesn't take much of this spice at all, to flavor and give your meats some heat!  If you are not faint at heart and can handle the heat, go for it!  I, on the other hand, used just enough to cover my ribs, but not to the extent where my ribs were smothered in this spice.

I also used this on my chicken (just a little) to give my baked chicken a different twist and taste.  If you are looking for a spicy rub for your grilling meats, head on over to Julia's Pantry on Etsy and check out all the rubs and spices she has.  You will find the Wild Boar Chillin Chipotle, Sweet N Sassy Red Pepper Sauce and Marinade, Sassy Crackers Seasoning Mixes in a variety of flavors, plus tons more!

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***I may have received complimentary products, in exchange, for my honest and unbiased review.  Regardless, all opinions expressed are 100% my own and I only recommend products that I have tried and believe in.

BBQ Rubs That are Bad Ass!

I love to grill, especially during warm weather, when it's nice and sunny outside where I can just hang out and enjoy a cold one (wine, in my case.) Most of my grilling involves bbq-ing, and with bbq-ing, you must season up your proteins! 

I normally let my steaks, hamburger meat, etc. marinate for at least an hour before slapping them with rubs and sauces.  I allow my grill to get hot, to make sure that my meats cook thoroughly and evenly.  There are tons of seasonings and rubs that you can use and a lot of us create our own bbq rubs.

That is the case with Hop Baron's Bad Ass BBQ Rubs.  They have these two rubs that I have used and I must say...it beats making my own!  The first one shown, is the Spicy Bad Ass BBQ Rub.  It adds a spicy kick to meats and is a great addition to pizza, BBQ sauce and fish.  Hop Baron grows their own cascade hops locally and features them in their bbq rub spices.

If you love your meats spicy, this would be the bbq rub to go with.  The ingredients are: Brown Sugar, habanero infused hop salt, spicy paprika, garlic salt, onion salt, chili powder, black pepper, habanero powder, white pepper, oregano, cayenne pepper and cumin.  Can you see why this is called SPICY!

The next rub is Hop Baron Bad Ass BBQ Rub (not spicy.)  This BBQ rub has pretty much the same ingredients, but less of the habanero spices and infused salt.  It uses Smoked Hop Salt instead of the Habanero Infused Hop Salt and does not contain the Habanero Powder or the Spicy Paprika.  Ingredients include: Brown Sugar, smoked hop salt, smoked paprika, garlic salt, onion salt, white pepper, black pepper, chili powder, oregano, cayenne pepper and cumin.

Both BBQ Rubs are awesome on pork steak ( I should know, I've tried it!) and excellent on chicken! Both rubs come in a clear bottle with a nice black label. They are your standard sized bottles, not samples and does not really take a whole lot to flavor your foods.

Hop Baron Etsy Shop has these two BBQ Rubs as well as Cascade Infused Olive Oil and Habanero Dip & Spread Mix.  The Cascade Infused Olive oil is different than any Olive Oil I've tried.  I love Olive Oil on my salads as well as sauteing my veggies.  If you like a little bitterness to your foods, you must try this.  Hops is used in this Olive Oil and is perfect for any foods that you prepare with it.  

Hop Baron partnered up with Figueroa Farms in Santa Ynez, California to produce this unique, one of a kind, Olive Oil.  Each 8 oz. bottle of this Olive Oil is infused with over 50 lbs of Hop Baron's Cascade Hops and made with 100% California Olives.  Once you've tried this Olive Oil, you probably won't want to go back to your everyday brand!

You can check out all of these items at HopBarons Etsy Shop.  For recipes and more info on their products, go check out their website: www.hopbarons.com, there, you will find recipes for the Habanero Dip & Spread Mix

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***I may have received complimentary product(s), in exchange, for my honest and unbiased review. All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

Spice Up Your Foods With Cocina Stina BBQ Rubs

I love to cook and grill, but only get to enjoy it maybe once a week - Sundays, as I work through the week and my husband just can't seem to wait,until I get home, to cook.  I love experimenting with new recipes, new foods and even trying to convert an oldie recipe into a new one.

I can probably say, 99% of the time when I prepare a dish, I'm using some kind of spice, herbs or sauces. Of course, salt and pepper are the main spices, but there are those recipes and everyday dishes, that just needs that extra something special...something that's going to make your dish stand out.

Shown here, are several different rubs, mainly for grilling and baking, but they can also add something extra to stove top dishes.  These BBQ rubs are by CocinaStina Etsy Shop.  CocinaStina has tons of different rubs to choose from, and are excellent, depending on what type of meat you are preparing. 

I was baking and frying up some chicken for Sunday night's dinner and decided to try the Sweet Mesquite Rub.  This rub is excellent for BBQ chicken and pork and contains a blend of: Smoked Mesquite Salt, onion, garlic, paprika, chili pepper, bell pepper, raw cane sugar, pepper and natural smoke flavor.  It's not too spicy and add a great texture to the skin of the chicken.

I also decided to do some wings and tried the Six Pepper Spice, as I was turning these babies into hot wings, but needed that extra kick.  The Six Pepper Spice contains: Salt, dehydrated chili pepper, white pepper, black pepper, red pepper flakes, mixed bell peppers, citric acid and caraway.  Can you see why this would be perfect for those hot wings?!!   Yes, it is a bit spicy, but that is what you want, when at times, your hot sauce just doesn't do the trick!

Six Pepper Spice

Are you looking for a different take on a BBQ rub? Something that adds a little cafe flavor to your ribs, roasts and mole sauces?  Try this Cafe BBQ Rub by CocinaStina Etsy Shop.  It has a blend of organic coffee granules, organic sucanat sugar, sea salt, tomato, roasted chili powder, red chili, garlic, pepper, mustard, onion and allspice.  This is great as a dry BBQ rub or as a finishing seasoning.

Bayou Honey BBQ Rub

These are just a few of my favorite from CocinaStina Etsy Shop.  These, are by far, only a sampling as to what CocinaStina has to offer.  You have to check out CocinaStina Etsy Shop and view over 350 handmade spices, crock pot creations, soup mixes and more.  

Kristina Arnold is the owner of CocinaStina Etsy Shop and creates spice mixes from her kitchen to yours!  

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***I received a complimentary product(s), in exchange, for my honest and unbiased review.  All opinions expressed are 100% my own.

National BBQ Month Essentials

Although many of us BBQ throughout the summer months, May is the month that is considered the National BBQ Month.  With Memorial Day just right around the corner, many of us will be dusting our grills off to cook up some fabulous BBQ food.

Some of us will be grilling and BBQing up hot dogs and hamburgers, while others will be mastering their hands at ribs and pork steaks.  But not lets forget about the side items...Baked beans, grilled cabbage, potato salad...and the list goes on.

BUT....You can't have the perfect BBQ without the essentials.  What are the essentials?  How about the sauce?  What kind of sauce do you use?  Is it homemade or a certain specific sauce you buy, that you are faithful to and just can't do without.  What about seasonings? Aside from the sauce and seasonings, you will need tongs, spatulas, maybe an apron...What are your BBQ essentials?  

Everyone has their own twist and way of BBQing.  And everyone will think their BBQ is the best.  But, there is one company that is well known for offering men, all the essentials they need..Man Crates. “Man Crates" offers gifts for men, in wooden crates, that have to be opened with a crowbar…Yes... A crowbar!  

Whether it be football games, sports events or your National BBQ Month grill off, BBQing is very popular during the Spring, Summer and even Fall months.

Now, I will admit, I don't make my own BBQ sauce, mainly, because I'm in no competition, I'm not trying to win anything, except the approval of satisfaction from family.  I DO, however, doctor up store bought BBQ sauce with some brown sugar, a little mustard, cloves and finely chopped onions....YUMMO!

When I grill (or BBQ), I HAVE to have my cooking tongs.  No if's, and's or but's about it.  I don't want to pierce the meat with forks, while I'm cooking it.  And, although I don't have one, but need one really bad..AN APRON!  I have to be one of the messiest, not only at grilling, but cooking person I've ever seen! I also have to have a spray bottle of water nearby, just in case a fire flames up...but this hasn't happened since I've been using Grill Mats. And let's not forget the grilling gloves, we don't want burned fingers! And what's even better... a nice, cold beverage, while your doing your thing! Be it a cold brewsky or a glass of wine (my choice), you just have to have that drink in hand, while mastering your BBQ skills.

So, to sum it all up...Essentials Must Haves:

• BBQ Sauce
• Tongs
• Water Bottle (to rid of flames)
• Apron
• Nice cold beverage

WHAT ARE YOUR BBQ MUST HAVES?  I'D LIKE TO HEAR THEM.

And while you're trying to think of your PERFECT essentials, check out some of these crates at Man Crates.