Chicken Thighs in a Skillet with Lawry's Seasoning

Taking a certain risk that some of my readers may disagree....Sometimes you just do not have time to fire up the grill or smoker and prepare a proper bbq meal.

We were watching football recently and I had a craving for grilled chicken thighs, but I didn't want to step away from the game long enough to prepare them bbq-style. I headed to the kitchen pantry and looked for some sort of seasoning to use and found some Lawry's Perfect Blend Seasoning and Rub Chicken & Poultry staring back at me.

I seasoned six boneless and skinless chicken thighs with the Lawry's seasoning and let them marinade in the refrigerator for 3 hours. If you like your chicken thighs a little more on the salty side, you can marinade longer. If you like less salt, you might want to marinade for less time, or add less spice rub from the get go.

I added some olive oil to a large skillet and then cooked the thighs on medium-high heat for about 15 - 20 minutes turning occasionally. I covered the skillet with a lid. When I cook chicken like this, it seems to help speed up the cooking process. I cooked them to 175 degrees internal temperature.

It's not real bbq, but it's a quick alternative that doesn't taste half bad.

Kansas City Style BBQ Rub Seasoning

I am cooking four pork butts today for a work event later in the week.  While at Sam's Club picking up the meat last night I realized that my favorite bbq rub is currently M.I.A. after our recent relocation to Michigan. The movers do a good job, but sometimes I wonder how certain things turn up in certain boxes.

On the way to the check outs I stopped by the spice aisle to pick up some of the key ingredients to make a bbq rub from scratch. I decided to save money buying stuff I already have and picked up two bottles of Kansas City Style BBQ Rub Seasoning with the famous Weber trademark label instead. (The rub is actually bottled by ACH Food Companies in Memphis, TN). Sam's had the 10 oz. bottle for $4.00. One bottle was enough to season three pork butts.

The rub has all the traditional ingredients you would expect to see in a quality bbq seasoning including turbinado sugar, salt, chili pepper, dehydrated onion, dehydrated garlic, paprika, red pepper, spices, spice extracts, and silicon dioxide (an anti-caking agent). One additional ingredient surprised me - soy.  I did a double take on the ingredients list, but it's there.

Apparently soy lecithin is a popular dietary supplement, but the most probable reason it's showing up this bbq rub is it's other common use in commercial food applications as an emulsifying agent.

BBQ Rub Secret

Do you have a favorite bbq rub? Are you wishing that it had a little more salt flavor or wish it was a little sweeter?

Instead of buying more rub, tweak the rub you've been using by adding a little more salt, more sugar, or a little of both.

I started out my bbq hobby with Head Country All Purpose Seasoning. It's a basic bbq rub that has been used in bbq competitions with much success. In fact, I predict it's the basic formula that many, many bbq teams are using for their brisket rub. It's a little tame for my tastes, but that's easily cured by adding some white pepper, a little more cayenne, or fresh ground pepper to the mix.

For bbq spare ribs, try equal parts Head Country and brown sugar. If you don't get the results you hoped for add more or less sugar and try it again.

If you'd like to buy some of my personal brisket rub, visit TheBBQGuy.com. You won't be dissapointed.