Smoked Tea Rub

In this country if you’re serious about backyard grilling and smoking you’ve probably experimented with several different types of wood and you know that each imparts its own subtle flavor complexities to meat and vegetables. In the past 5 years home and professional chefs have also become fascinated with using a variety of smoked salts, peppers, chiles and spices to add sophisticated flavor to their dishes as well. You might be surprised at how amazing the flavor can be when a smoked tea is added to a rub. 

The tea we chose for this rub is Lapsang Souchong. This brash, aromatic, strongly flavored black tea gets its character from real smoke. While most teas go through a natural drying process (i.e. laid out to air dry), Lapsang Souchong is essentially force dried by wood fire. During this “campfire” process its the leaves are withered over pine wood or sometimes cypress wood before pan-firing and rolling. The tea leaves are then expertly stored to allow them to ferment. After fermentation they are fired again. The end result is more smoky than woody.  

Ingredients: sea salt, Lapsang Shouchong tea, demerara sugar, sesame seeds, paprika, garlic, black pepper, fennel, rosemary and marjoram.

Nutritional Information 
Serving Size 1 Teaspoon, Amount Per Serving: Calories 18.1, Fat Cal. 4.5, Total Fat 0.5 (1% DV), Sat. 0.0% DV), Total Carb. 1.5g (1% DV), Dietary Fiber 0.1g (0% DV), Sugars 0.7g, Protein 0.19g (0%DV), Vitamin A (1.0% DV), Vitamin C (0.2% DV), Calcium (0.6% DV), Iron (0.8% DV), Percent Daily Values (DV) are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.