Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Chicken Rub

I'm smoking some chicken drumsticks this afternoon, so I searched the InterWebs for advice on a good rub for chicken. 

Based on the recipes I pondered, I created this rub that is similar but not the same as other rubs. 

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup of light brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons (TB) of kosher salt
• 2 TB of paprika
• 2 TB of garlic powder
• 1 TB of onion powder
• 1 TB of smoked paprika
• 1 TB of black pepper
• 1 TB of Penzey's Old World seasoning (similar to seasoning salt)
• 1 TB of coriander
• 1 TB of chili powder

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Smoked Duck Soup

The other week I smoked a whole duck in my electric smoker. So this week I decided to make some smoked duck soup. I toured the InterWebs for ideas and really didn't find what I wanted, so I made this up on my own. 

Ingredients

1 smoked duck carcass with legs and wings

Leftover smoked duck breast

1 yellow onion, quartered

2 carrots chopped into chunks

3 stalks of celery chopped up into chunks

5 bay leaves

Handful of whole peppercorns

Enough water to make duck stock

2 carrots, peeled and cut into thin half moons

1/2 of a yellow onion diced

4 cloves of roasted garlic, chopped

2 packages of baby Bella mushrooms, sliced thinly

Salt and pepper to taste

Health smidge of Penzey's Old World seasoning

Leftover wild rice

Process

To make the stock, put the carcass and chunks of onion, celery, and carrots into a large stock pot along with the bay leaves and peppercorns. Use enough water to cover the duck. Set to boil and then reduce to simmer slightly covered for approximately four and a half hours. Skim the duck fat from time to time. 

Once the stock has been created, pour the stock into a different pot using a strainer. Pick out the good pieces of meat from the carcass, legs, and wings. 

Add that meat and the leftover duck breast into the stock. Add in the thinly cut onions, carrots, and mushrooms into the soup pot along with the roasted garlic. Add in some of the Old World seasoning at the start and taste later to add salt and pepper. Simmer for about an hour and serve. I added in some leftover wild rice I had in the fridge to give it a little something more. 

Fumbling Toward Culinary Talent: Dry Rub for Pork

Here's the ingredients of a dry rub I used on some spare ribs today. My early Xmas present was an electric smoker. 

Ingredients

1 cup of light brown sugar

3 tablespoons of kosher salt

2 tablespoons of onion powder

2 tablespoons of smoked paprika

1 tablespoon of black pepper

1 tablespoon of cumin

1 tablespoon of Old Bay

1 teaspoon of dry mustard

1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper