rub my legs! rub my thighs!

Yesterday I went to a Rogue Festival Barbecue Party, and I amused myself by taking over the barbecue and grilling up some meats. Earlier in the day, I created two dry marinades, and, since I rarely make any meat dishes at home, I had a great time making the rubs and seeing how the final products turned out. I think that at least some of the roguers enjoyed these, but by the time I got around to grilling the chicken that I brought, nearly everyone had either already eaten (nothing I could ever make could compare to airplaynejayne's Basque-marinated Omaha steaks) or were pretty trashed or both. In any case, I thought it was pretty tasty.

Here's what I made:

Chicken Legs with All-Purpose Spice Rub

1/3 cup coarse salt
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons dried thyme leaves
1 tablespoon cayenne pepper (optional, but I used it)

This makes about 1 1/4 cups or spice rub, which is enough to season anywhere from 5 to 10 pounds of meat. I used this to season about 24 chicken legs. You can also store this in a jar and it will keep for about six months.

Chicken Thighs with Curry Rub

8 teaspoons curry powder
3 teaspoons ground coriander
3 teaspoons coarse salt
2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground pepper
1 teaspoon sugar

I used this to season about a dozen chicken thighs.

For both the legs and the thighs, I thoroughly rubbed the mixture all over the meats and shook off the excess. I put those puppies on the grill, skin side down, and kept vigil.

Both these recipes come from my favorite cooking magazine, Everyday Food.