Welcome to the second edition of the Barbecue Secrets podcast, a show celebrating the many pleasures of outdoor cooking. In this edition:

2:26 An interview with Craig "Meathead" Goldwyn of amazingribs.com
Answers to listener questions about ribs (7:18) and rubs (12:37)
15:36 Barbecue Secret of the week: raise that table!

Show notes:

Guest interview: Craig Goldwyn, rib afficionado. For information about Craig, including lots of tips and recipes, visit www.amazingribs.com. Craig also posted a special page for us with instructions on how to cook the greatest ribs ever, www.amazingribs.com/recipes/greatest_ribs_ever.html.
Listener questions:

Gary Tobin's wants to know why his ribs turned black, and Jeff of Light My Fire BBQ has a question and a great tip.
This week's recipe:

Classic Barbecue Rub (a.k.a. Bob's Rub) (from Barbecue Secrets, Whitecap Books)

Makes about three cups (750 mL)

We call this Bob's Rub, and it's what we use in competition. Bob Lyon, the granddaddy of barbecue in the Pacific Northwest, shared this at a barbecue workshop that first introduced me to the joys of real barbecue and prompted me to become a barbecue competitor. It follows a rule of thumb that's worth remembering: a third, a third, a third. Which means one-third sugar, one-third seasoned salts, and one-third dry herbs and spices.

Ingredients:

1 cup white granulated sugar
1/4 cup celery salt
1/4 cup garlic salt
1/4 cup onion salt
1/4 cup seasoning salt (I like Lourey's)
1/3 cup chili powder
(Use a commercial blend, or if you want an edge, try a combo of real ground chiles like ancho, poblano, New Mexico or guahilla.)
1/3 cup black pepper
1/3 cup paprika


To this basic rub add as much heat as you want using cayenne pepper, hot paprika or ground chipotles. Then add two or three signature spices to suit whatever you're cooking or your personal taste, like powdered thyme, oregano, cumin, sage, powdered ginger, etc. Add only 1 - 3 tsp. of each signature seasoning so as not to overpower the rub.
Rockin' Ronnie Shewchuk is the author of Barbecue Secrets: Unbeatable Recipes, Tips & Tricks from a Barbecue Champion, published by Whitecap Books. Find him, and more recipes, at www.ronshewchuk.com.