Chef Michael Olson's Spice Rubbed Pork Loin
The Niagara Chef shared a secret ingredient spice run to punch up the flavour of your BBQ!
By Erin Henderson
The May long weekend has passed, summer is in reaching distance, and BBQ season is in full gear.
In celebration of the budding warm weather and outdoor dining, we thought we'd dust off the archives for an oldie, but definitely a tasty goodie. Chef Michael Olson's spice rub grilled pork loin.
During lockdown, The Wine Sisters, like many homebound bodies in search of connection, hosted weekly Instagram Lives with various wine, food, and lifestyle experts. We were fortunate enough to have Canadian Chef Michael Olson on the "show" twice sharing his amazing recipes from his cookbook, Living High Off the Hog: Over 100 Recipes and Techniques to Cook Pork Perfectly
In one appearance, he made a super easy, super flexible spice rub, that he humbly says is really just a ratio and less of a recipe (don't all Chefs dismiss their magic as something anyone can do?) Chef Olson added the rub to pork loin but he says it pumps up the flavour of anything from veggies and salmon to chicken and beef. (If you would like to see the Niagara Chef in action, you can watch the segment on our IGTV channel.)
Chef Michael Olson's Spice Rubbed Pork Loin
Chef Michael Olson says the only rule of the spice rub recipe is that the sugar-to-salt ratio must always be 2:1, but other than that, you can add (or subtract) whatever you would like. “What’s cool about this if you have some turmeric, or some mustard powder, or a pinch of cinnamon that you wanted to use up – boom, it goes in there!”
And the Chef’s secret hack to ensuring the spice stays stuck to the meat, and not falling through the grill? Regular yellow mustard. “It may surprise you because it’s so simple.” Michael laughs. “This is the glue that holds the rub on. I use this stuff kind of like a flavour base but….This will prevent any wasting of any barbecue spice.”
Chef Michael Olson’s Spice Rub
Because this rub uses only dried spices and no fresh or wet ingredients, it will last in a sealed container indefinitely.
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 1 ½ Tbsp salt
- 4 ½ Tbsp paprika
- 1 Tbsp cumin
- 1 Tbsp coriander seed
- (Cayenne or crushed red chili flakes to taste – optional)
How You Make It:
- Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix. Store in a sealed container.
*Note: When ready to use, only remove the amount you need for cooking into another bowl to avoid cross contamination.
Spice Rubbed Pork Loin
Courtesy of Chef Michael Olson from his cookbook, Living High Off the Hog: Over 100 Recipes and Techniques to Cook Pork Perfectly.
Serves: 3
Chef Level: Easy
Ingredients
- 1 lb fresh Ontario pork loin, butterflied
- Yellow mustard
- Approx 2 heaping spoonfuls of spice rub
How You Make It:
- Heat the barbecue to 350°F degrees.
- With a pastry brush, spread yellow mustard on both sides of the butterflied pork (this will help the spice rub adhere, while also adding flavour of its own.)
- Generously sprinkle spice rub on both sides of pork.
- Place the pork on the hot grill and cook for about 3 minutes per side.
- Slice and serve with grilled asparagus, zucchini, or mushrooms – whatever is in season.
Wine Pairing:
If you watch the entire Instagram Live, you will see Michael paired a fruit Gamay from Niagara winemaker (and TWS Instagram regular, Thomas Bachelder.) I offered a few other options from Pinot Noir to Riesling.
For me, I like a Riesling, especially when serving this pork in the summer. It's cool, refreshing, and has a tandy bite that perks up the rich pork and compliments the fragrant spices. If you've gone a bit heavy on your heat, Riesling also has a beautiful way of tempering the fire.
