Gift for Guys: BBQ Spice Rub and Basket

A barbecue rub is a blend of seasonings applied to the surface of the meat before cooking. Most rub recipes have dozens of ingredients, but this one uses Chesapeake Bay-style spice blend as its foundation, taking advantage of its depth of flavor and limiting the number of things you have to buy. Simply measure the ingredients into the jar in the amounts shown in the slide. Shake vigorously until uniformly distributed.

There are two ways you can go with the spice blend. Chipotle powder is ground smoked jalapeno peppers. "Pimenton" or smoked paprika is ground smoked sweet red peppers. The touch of smoked pepper in the rub gives your meal a hint of smoky flavor, even when you can't get out to the grill. The chipotle powder will add a little kick of heat, too. If that doesn't excite you, the pimenton brings the smokiness without the heat.

Fold a 5 1/2-inch square of printed material twice. Use pinking shears to cut an arc from corner to corner. Unfold the material and you'll have a perfect (or nearly so) circle. Place that over the lid and under the ring of the canning jar.

Instead of lining the bucket with tissue paper, like most gift baskets, use a colorful heavy duty kitchen towel. You get the color and fill of tissue, but your griller gets something to use instead of something to throw in the landfill.

You can add as many or as few grilling gadgets as you want. Some ideas for items that will thrill your griller include long handled tools, an apron, a high temperature silicone oven mitt, an instant read thermometer and a long reach lighter. Fill out the bucket with a few of your griller's favorite beverages.