Spice Up Your Barbecue Recipes with 3 Tea Rubs

Whether you have the convenience of an outdoor grill or a ribbed cast-iron pan for indoors, nothing tastes more like summer than deliciously grilled foods. Add an edge of interest with crushed loose leaf teas, and you elevate a summertime staple to something special.

Yes, you can certainly grill chicken, steaks, or beef with a delicious rub, but think tofu or seitan, salmon or trout, hearty cruciferous veggies or mushrooms, fingerling or red-skinned potatoes or corn-on-the-cob. And, don’t forget dessert! Tea rubs are fabulous on pineapple slices or halved stone fruits like peaches or nectarines or try it on mangoes and papayas.

What Teas are Best for Rubs?

All teas can be used, just take care to match hearty teas like black Ceylons, Keemuns, or Assams with hearty foods like lamb, duck, beef steaks or burgers, pork loin or ribs, or chicken thighs. Greens like Sencha or Dragonwell greens, or rooibos, with mild fish or seafood like shrimp or lobster. Fruity herbals also make delicious rubs for fruits.

Fresh fruits go well with Darjeelings or scented greens like jasmine, or a lemon scented rooibos. Veggies like mushrooms, squashes, or Brussels sprouts can use a more assertive tea, like Ceylons or Assams. Let your palate be your guide to make sure the taste of the food item comes through and the tea rub is an enhancer.

Although prepared rubs with tea are available, a rub you make yourself is fresher and can be tailored to your taste. In general, 2 teaspoons of rub per pound of animal or plant-based protein, and about ½ to 1 teaspoon per piece of fruit or vegetable, or more, according to their size. Be generous in coating the food. In this style of cooking, more is more! And, best of all, properly stored rubs can last throughout the grilling season.

Adding molasses or sugar (or both) can soften the bite of the spices used, and do double duty by coagulating the rub and making it easier to both spread and stick to the food being grilled. Olive oil is also a way to spread the rub more easily so it saturates the food. Add salt according to your taste.

Overnight or Just Before Grilling?

For meats or plant-based protein, consider rub meats and leave in the fridge overnight for best absorption and flavor. First, pierce the protein all over then lightly salt the protein, followed by a coating with the rub. Place the protein in baggies and seal tightly. Place in fridge for eight hours or the day before. When you’re ready to cook, remove from the fridge and allow to come to room temperature, about 20 minutes or longer. Grill over a medium-high flame for 2 to 4 minutes on each side depending on thickness. Let rest before serving. Not grilling? Consider baking or smoking, or heating on a griddle or cast-iron pan over medium heat. Additional sauces are optional.

3 Tea Rub Recipes

The following rub recipes are suitable for 1½ pounds of vegetables, proteins or fruit. Leftover rubs last for months when stored in jars with tight-fitting lids. Store in a cool dry cupboard or store in baggies and freeze them. They’ll last up to three months.

Tea bag dust or fannings can be used or, if tea has large leaves or spices are substantial in size, grind coarsely in a spice or coffee grinder before applying to the food. Spices and teas can also be crushed in a mortar and pestle. No grinder or mortar bowl? Sprinkle tea leaves and spices between two layers of parchment paper or waxed paper and pound move a rolling pin over them until the desired consistency is reached.

1. Basic Black Tea Rub for Proteins

• 4 tbsp your favorite black tea
• 1 tbsp brown sugar
• ½ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp freshly ground black pepper

Place all into a spice grinder and pulverize. This is perfect for any animal proteins or use with hearty cruciferous vegetables. Coat the selected foods with a little olive oil then dip food into the rub. Pan sear, bake, or grill.

Need a perky spice to amp up the flavor? We have a beautifully-curated selection to do just that on Selefina!

2. Basic Green Tea Rub for Fruits

• 4 tbsp Sencha or Jasmine green tea
• 1 tbsp granulated Demerara sugar
• pinch of salt

3. Tea Rub for Hearty Vegetables

• 4 tbsp green rooibos or Assam tea leaves
• 1 tsp ground mustard seeds, lightly toasted
• 1 tsp sweet paprika
• 1 tsp coriander seeds, lightly toasted
• S&P to taste, generally ¼ to1 // 2 tsp each

Mix all ingredients thoroughly in a small bowl, crushing lightly as needed to become a powder or place in a spice grinder and pulverize to a powder. Dip the veggies into olive oil on both sides before thoroughly coating with the rub. Excellent with sliced eggplant, zucchini or summer squash and also delicious with thick slabs of tofu, cauliflower, or broccoli.

NOTE: Feel free to experiment! Some palates crave red pepper flakes or pungent Hungarian paprika, fresh finely diced garlic or shallots, or any number of fragrant spices from thyme to mint. If you would roast or bake your food choice with certain spices, use those same spices in your tea rubs.