10-ingredient Burger Spice Mix

A fussy eater that I am, I’ve never found the right spice mix for my burgers. Having worked with spices and herbs over time, I’ve finally zeroed down on one that appeals to my senses. What’s better is that this recipe can be tweaked to suit different taste buds. As long as love the taste, who cares about fractions and permutations and combinations!

This recipe can be adapted to create a diabetic friendly and diet friendly version. The pure herb mix can also be used as a rub for pork and beef steaks.

10-ingredient Burger Spice Mix

makes 75 grams

Ingredients

• 1/4 cupbrown sugar (those cooking for diabetics and healthy eaters can avoid the sugar and make a pure herb mix)
• 2 tablespoons sea salt
• 4 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 tablespoons freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
• 1 1/2 teaspoons dried rosemary
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme

Method

1. Blend all the ingredients together and store in an air-tight bottle in a dry space.

Barbecue Sauce

Onions Sauted in Barbecue Sauce

This is one of my favourite sauces. Add it to a grilled chicken salad, fry onions in it for a sandwich or top it on chips or stuffed tacos…it lends flavour to any entree.

If you are looking to jazz up this sauce a wee bit more, feel free to add some whisky or rum to it, giving yourself enough time to burn the alcohol off during the cooking process.

If you use dark brown sugar, you will get a darker shade of sauce.

If you use whole grain mustard, the sauce will be denser, but you can use English Mustard too. The best way to make a sauce is to keep tasting it, and making your notes as you add ingredients. Once you find the right proportions to tickle your tastebuds, your recipe and variations with help you achieve the same product, time after time.

Ingredients

• 1 cup yellow mustard
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3/4 cup cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon white pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons butter

Method

1. Cook all the ingredients together for 10 minutes.
2. To add flavor you could add 50 ml whisky or dark rum of your choice and cook further for 10 minutes.