Bärlauch-Rub (wild garlic dry rub)
A dry spice rub built on wild garlic dried low and slow in the oven rather than in direct sun or a hot oven, which preserves its green colour and pungency instead of bleaching it pale and flavourless. Grinding the fully dried leaves to a fine powder before combining with the other spices is what lets the rub cling evenly to whatever it's used on, rather than sitting in coarse flakes.
Prep10 min
Cook90 min
Rest20 min
Servings4
Christoph's wild garlic rub, the leaves dried low and slow so the colour and pungency survive the drying process.
Ingredients
Units
Temperature
Servings
Rub
- 40 g fresh wild garlic leaves rounded
- 30 g coarse salt rounded
- 15 g sweet paprika rounded
- 10 g freshly ground black pepper rounded
- 10 g onion powder rounded
Dietary labels are a guide, not a guarantee. If you have an allergy, read the ingredients yourself.
Method
- Preheat the oven to 50°C, or its lowest setting. Spread the wild garlic leaves in a single layer on a lined baking sheet.
- Dry in the oven for about 90 minutes, checking every 20 minutes, until the leaves are completely dry and crumble to powder between your fingers. Let cool completely.
- Grind the dried leaves to a fine powder in a spice grinder or with a mortar and pestle.
- Combine the wild garlic powder with the salt, paprika, pepper and onion powder. Mix thoroughly.
- Store in an airtight jar.
Notes
- Dry the leaves low and slow, not in direct sun or a hot oven. High heat bleaches the leaves pale and drives off much of the pungent aroma; a low oven preserves both the green colour and the flavour that makes this rub worth making.
- Check frequently near the end of drying. Wild garlic leaves are thin and can go from dry to scorched quickly once most of the moisture is gone.
- Grind fully to a fine powder before combining with the other spices. Coarse flakes don’t distribute evenly and clump rather than coating what they’re rubbed onto.
- It keeps for 2 to 3 months in an airtight jar, away from light, though the wild garlic aroma fades gradually over time.
Ingredient substitutions
- Sweet paprika can be smoked paprika for a different, smokier character.
- This rub works well on roasted vegetables, tofu, or grilled mushrooms, not just meat.
- A pinch of chili flakes adds heat if you want it spicier.
From Christoph Mayer