Rubs can be applied to meat up to 30 minutes before cooking. If you’re short on time, just sprinkle and cook. Or apply the blend by patting or rubbing it into the meat; use as much or as little as you wish. Here are some other tips:

Tasty crust Rubs can contribute a nice crust to meats. Give the meat a heavy coat, then grill or sauté quickly.

Waste not If two or more homemade rubs or purchased seasoning blends are getting low, combine them. For instance, lemon pepper would go well with an herb blend for lamb, poultry, pork or seafood.

More than a rub Add a little moisture to a dry seasoning rub and it becomes a paste. Add lots of moisture, such as vinegar, oil or wine, and the rub becomes a marinade.

Please crush Always crush dried herbs to release their aromatic oils.

Which sugar? Brown sugar is a good sweetener for rubs because it won't burn as quickly as white sugar due to its higher moisture content.

Poultry seasoning If you’ve ever used commercial poultry seasoning, you’ve used a rub. Thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper and nutmeg are the ingredients in poultry seasoning. Now that you know what’s in it, make your own and tailor it to your own taste.