Butt Rub, Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce, and Other Delights to Tempt Teenagers

By Laura Christianson
Guest columnist

Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce™. 

As soon as my teenage son (who puts BBQ sauce on EVERYTHING) spotted that on our recent trip to Rich’s, he announced, “Mom, we gotta buy that.”

And we did. The 18 oz. bottle (only $4.99) is touted to...

“...Give your BBQ a kick with the 23 flavors of Dr. Pepper combined with the slow-simmered, sweet and spicy seasonings… perfect for basting, marinating, or dipping.”

I’m not a Dr. Pepper fan, so I was more enamored with the Dr. Pepper BBQ Sauce and the 7-Up Citrus Marinade.

And neither of us could resist Pappy’s Sauce for Sissies: 

“Good for Babies, Brats, and Bikers.”

The one that caught my son’s imagination was Bad Byron’s Butt Rub BBQ Seasoning® (try saying that three times, fast!).

“Butt Rub!” exclaimed my son, Ben, soon to be a culinary arts student at Edmonds Community College. “What is THAT?”

“Well… er… um,” I replied, quickly hefting the 24 oz container (it comes in 4.5 ounces, too) and checking out the label.

Apparently, Butt Rub originated as a seasoning or “dry rub” to barbeque meats.   But its “inventor,” Byron Chism, soon discovered it was good on many other things:

"A little Butt Rub® makes everything better.”

According to the ButtRub.com website,

“With less than half the salt content of most commercially available seasoning salts, about half the heat of the commercial cajun seasonings and a wonderful balance of salt, pepper, onion, garlic, paprika (for color) and chipotle (smoked sweet red ripened jalapeños), Butt Rub® enhances everything in the kitchen!”

So we’re thinking, “This Butt Rub could be good on salmon.” And since we grill a lot of salmon during the summer, we’re always looking for creative ways to season it.

Fortunately, we found a recipe on ButtRub.com for Butt Rub® Roasted Salmon:

Butt Rub® Roasted Salmon
(Contribution John Jacob, Santa Rosa Beach FL)

Ingredients:

• Fresh Salmon fillet with skin removed
• Butt Rub® Seasoning
• Molasses
• Crushed garlic cloves
• Balsamic Vinegar

Directions:

Apply a liberal coating of Butt Rub® on both sides.  Let it sit while you prepare the glaze.

Molasses Glaze: 

• In a sauce pan combine molasses, a couple of cloves of crushed garlic and balsamic vinegar to taste.  Be careful not to overpower with the vinegar.  Also if you have a strong molasses, you can add a small amount of good (grade B) maple syrup. 
• Let this mixture simmer for a few minutes.
• In a 450-475° oven, roast the salmon fillet on a sheet pan with the molasses mixture on top for about 10-15 minutes.

We’re going to tweak this recipe just a tad, and instead of roasting it in the boring old oven, we’re heading outside to grill it on a brand new Sawtooth Pellet Grill. 

This grill, new at Rich’s this season and currently on special for $999, has a monstrous cooking surface (670+ square inches). Definitely large enough to fit an extra large salmon fillet. Or two. Plus, it’s “made with pride” in Boise Idaho, so we can feel good about buying American.

Ben and I spotted 20 lb. bags of flavored BBQ pellets near the Sawtooth grill, in delectable flavors such as cherry, oak, alder, mesquite, pecan, hickory, and apple.

Here’s a recipe for Cedar Plank Salmon from the Sawtooth Pellet Grills website:

Cedar Plank Salmon

Ingredients:

• 2 Salmon Fillets

Sauce:

• 6 Tables Spoons Dijon Mustard
• 6 Tablespoons Brown Sugar

Spices

• Fresh Ground Pepper
• Salt

Grill Hardware

• 1 Cedar Plank 6” x 14”

Preparations

• Soak cedar plank in salted water for 2 hours, then drain.
• Remove skin from salmon fillet. Remove any remaining bones. Rinse the salmon under cold running water and pat dry with paper towels.
• Generously season the salmon with salt and pepper on both sides. Lay the salmon (on what was skin-side down) on the cedar plank.
• Carefully spread the mustard over the top and sides.
• Place the brown sugar in a bowl and crumble between your fingers, then sprinkle over the mustard.

Cooking Instructions

• Set grill for medium-high.
• Place the cedar plank in the center of the grill
• Close the grill until cooked through, around 20 to 30 minutes.
• The internal temperature should read 135 degrees F.

Serving:

• Transfer the salmon and plank to a platter

Coming Next

In my next post, I’ll continue “Ben and Mom’s Amazing BBQ Adventure” as we explore the grilling accessories department at Rich’s.

Visit Rich's

As Ben and I discovered, Rich's has a huge selection of sauces, rubs, and spices, plus more grilling pellets and charcoal flavors than you can imagine. Stock up at any of Rich's five Puget Sound showrooms in Lynnwood, Bellevue, Tacoma, Southcenter, and Silverdale.

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