Bill's Dry Rub Recipe

Are you about to cook a nice big chunk of meat and you want to add some zing to the flavor?  Try a rub... that will do the trick.  Here is the recipe for the rub that I throw together when I want a really tasty slab of good meat.

Bill's Dry Rib Rub Recipe
Ingredients
5 tablespoons paprika  (the darker the paprika the better the flavor... avoid cheap generic paprika unless you plan on using a LOT of it.)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon cumin (This gives it the smokey flavor.)
1 tablespoon garlic powder (Don't worry about your breath... everybody will have garlic breath and won't notice yours... lol.)
1 tablespoon onion powder
2 tablespoons brown sugar (light or dark... I usually use light.)
2 tablespoons kosher salt (I use sea salt... much better flavor than regular table salt.)
1 teaspoon powdered cayenne pepper (more of less according to your taste)
1 teaspoon finely ground black pepper
1 teaspoon white pepper (optional... you can substitute this for black pepper... actually it is immature black pepper... milder and much more tasty.)

Don't worry about going strictly by the ingredients. Basically a dry rub is spiced-up paprika (as is chili powder) and all of our tastes are different.  If you are going to use the rub on light meat like chicken or turkey then you may want to add some oregano, parsley, chives, basil, and/or allspice.  Of course these ingredients will have to be ground into a powder.  Just fly by the seat of your pants... you really can't mess up a rub.  Taste it as you go and you will have a feel for what it needs.
Combine ingredients and store in an airtight container and shake well.  Be sure to grind any ingredients that are not already powdered.  It probably wouldn't be a bad idea to grind all of the rub after you get all of the ingredients mixed.  I use a cheap blade spice grinder... works great and really helps the flavor to penetrate the meat.  Don't use your good coffee grinder.  The coffee flavor won't hurt the rub but I doubt you will want your fresh ground coffee to taste like BBQ.
Sprinkle the Rub on the meat before you put in on the grill or in the oven.  This Rub uses sugar so remember not to cook the meat too hot or the sugar will burn.  This Rub is similar to a Memphis Rub but lacks the mustard powder that most Memphis Rubs contain.  You can also use a BBQ sauce with this rub but I would recommend adding the BBQ sauce toward the end of the cooking so that it, too, won't burn.  Adding BBQ sauce early in the cooking stage is a common mistake among folks who only BBQ on rare occasions.
Note: You can baste your meat in the refrigerator overnight by mixing some rub with some beer and maybe some apple vinegar. Some folks even use Coke in their basting mixture, but I use beer... any brand will do.  If you plan on basting, make a separate helping of the rub to use in the baste and hold out the salt because a salty baste will remove moisture from the meat.  The alcohol will evaporate quickly as soon as you remove the meat from the bag and the barley, oats, and hops in the beer will add a wonderful flavor to the rub that will keep all of your guests wondering what that delicious flavor is.  Just tell them it is your "Secret Ingredient."  Beer also is known to help tenderize meat that is basted overnight.  Cheap wine is another option to use in basting.  If you prefer not to baste and you really don't like to use the rub dry you can make a thin paste using the beer (or wine) and the rub.  Just don't let the kids see you doing this... lol.
I hope all of this helps and I really hope I haven't confused you with the extra information.  My brain works(?) in very mysterious ways.  Enjoy...