One of my favourite things to do is go through people’s food pantries and educate them on the foods and the ingredients within the foods found in their pantry.
The first “people” I started doing this with was my parents. Thank you, Mom and Dad, for allowing me to raid and dissect your pantry and all of its contents.
One food item that people are most often shocked to learn about is their spices. Have you ever looked at the ingredient list on the bottle of your store bought spice blends? You might be surprised about what you read!
Many store bought spice blends will contain ingredients you would never put on your food willingly such as MSG, hydrogenated and partially hydrogenated oils, and sugar.
MSG is a dangerous excitotoxin that has the potential to contribute to inflammation, migraines, and cell damage. Sadly, even bottles labeled “No MSG” can still contain MSG in hidden forms such as: hydrolyzed protein, sodium caseinate, yeast extract, textured protein and autolyzed yeast, malt extract, natural flavoring, bouillon, seasoning, spices, soy protein isolate and whey protein concentrate. Some of these ingredients also contain gluten, which is a no-go for those who have Celiac disease or are gluten sensitive.
In addition to some not-so-health-promoting ingredients, the ingredients within store bought spice blends are also often sprayed with toxic chemicals, are irradiated, and contain GMOs. Unfortunately, virtually all spice blends sold in the United States are sterilized with hazardous chemicals that are banned in Europe! (1)
If you’re reading this article, you’re likely quite health conscious and do your best to take care of your health. I could even assume you do your best to avoid trans fats and GMOs, which is why taking a look at your pantry or spice cabinet is often a good idea to make sure there are no funky ingredients lurking.
I don’t share this information to scare you, but rather to educate you and help you feel empowered with your health and future decisions.
Since bringing this information to my parents’ attention a couple of years ago, they’ve been buying their own single spices and herbs to create their own spice blends. This makes me a very happy daughter!
This weekend my Dad smoked a brisket on his Traeger and it was my job to create a spice blend for it! In this past we’ve done this same procedure, but the spice blend always seemed just a bit too spicy and took away from the meat. I am happy to say that this weekend I perfected my brisket spice rub and want to share it with all of you! I hope you enjoy it as much as we did! I’ve been eating brisket all week.
And I’m not going to complain about that!
- 5 tbsp + 1 tsp chilli powder
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp smoked paprika
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp sea salt (finely ground)
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tbsp + 2 tsp onion powder
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp cayenne
- 14 grinds of black peppercorns
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together
- Use as a dry rub on brisket or as a seasoning on any other meat you cook!
- Store in an air tight container for later use
If you’re interested in purchasing your own high quality, organic spices, herbs, and spice blends, check out my friends over at Primal Palate! They offer a line of the highest quality organic spices that I would recommend for you!
