This year, my husband surprised me with this sweet necklace for Mother’s Day. The three discs each hold the initial of one of our children, the wings are for our angel baby, and the pearl because I love pearls. So simple and dainty, so thoughtful and perfect.
He’s really good at finding just the right gift. Which is great…but oh, the pressure to reciprocate when Father’s Day rolls around! And he’s kind of an awesome husband and father – patient and loving, goofy and childish when he can be, and serious and stern when he has to be – certainly worthy of some thought and energy from me and the kids.
About this time last year, I found myself desperately scrambling to find the perfect gift. Something unique, something personal, and something that he would enjoy. I was coming up dry. And then it hit me. What if Ellery and I made him some dry rub!? He was (and still is) really into smoking meat and loves perfecting his craft.
So, literally the day before Father’s Day, I looked up a few spice rub recipes, grabbed some supplies and Ellery, and headed off to a nearby Amish store that sells bulk spices. We purchased the spices and herbs we needed and then spent an hour or so outside at a picnic bench, measuring and mixing while sucking on old fashioned candy sticks. It was such a fun memory for me. I so wish I had a picture or two from that day, but sadly, my phone was not with me to document. ?
After we mixed a big batch of rib rub, I asked her what we should name it. She thought for a moment…then her eyes lit up and she resolutely declared it, “Meat on the Bone Rub”. Perfect!!
The Meat on the Bone Rub present was such a hit (one that we have all reaped the delicious benefits of) that we decided to do a repeat, this time including Half Pint. And this time, I was sure to document the sweetness!
The Supplies. If you’re doing this with kids, baby wipes are a must. One touch to the eyes after handling those spices will put a major damper on your rub-making! Half Pint was all business – she knew she’d been called up to the big leagues and took her new role ever so seriously.
We finished off our rub making party with a sweaty selfie!
We are excited for the man of our house to open all of his special presents next Sunday, but especially his second batch of homemade seasoning!
- 6 tbsp salt
- 3 tbsp cayenne pepper
- 3 tbsp white pepper
- 3 tbsp black pepper
- 6 tbsp dry mustard
- 6 tbsp onion powder
- 6 tbsp garlic powder
- 6 tbsp brown sugar
- 3 tbsp Old Bay seasoning
- 3 tsp ground ginger
- 3 tsp ground cumin
- Combine all ingredients.
- Store in an airtight container.
- Rub liberally on the outside of large pieces of meat (e.g., pork shoulder or whole chicken).
- Rub lightly on pork chops or smaller cuts of chicken.
- The brown sugar in this rub will caramelize during the smoking process to create the most delicious "bark" on the meat surface!
