Creole Seasoning- Prime Time Emerill

So now that I recommitted I had a really hard time this week picking a recipe. What I need to start doing is picking my recipe over the weekend, prior to my weekly Acme visit, to ensure that I have absolutely everything I need. I was planning to try something Latin for Cinco De Mayo, then was going to try a Corn Jalepeno Cake, but didn't have what I needed and just didn't feel like stopping at the store..... this is how these weeks get away from me, so I sat down on Thursday (OK, not literally, but mentally) and decided that I wasn't getting out of this meal without using a recipe!! We had some honkin big pork chops that I had pulled out of the freezer and I was making some boxed red beans and rice, so I pulled out my trusty Emeril cookbook! I found the Creole Seasoning, which I thought would complement the chops and the rice. Whenever I mix rubs, I try to make extra to have on hand, so I made the full recipe to keep for summer grilling.

I took out the container where I planned to keep the spice and just added each item one after the other. It fit perfectly in the container and looked a little like the sand things that we used to make at the shore or at carnivals. I shook it up and added it to the one side of the pork chop before searing it.

TIP!!! One of the best tips I ever got was from Bobby Flay a few years ago, where he suggests adding rubs to only one side of meat instead of coating both sides. I tried it once and never looked back. This keeps the rub from overwhelming the meat so that you get the flavor of the rub, but still taste the pork/chicken/steak flavor. Brilliant!

We didn't feel like pulling out the grill, so I used my new grill pan that I earned from a recent Acme promotion. I multitasked by reading chapters of my text book while restraining myself from turning the chops over and over again. I seared both sides, turned it down to medium, and the chops were absolutely perfect! The rub was slightly spicy- perfect for me and just at the edge of Shawn's threshold. I found it too be a little bit salty, but am curious if it was from the beans and rice and not the rub.

Creole Seasoning- Prime Time Emeril
2 1/2T paprika
2T salt
2T garlic powder
1T ground black pepper
1T onion powder
1T cayenne
1T dried oregano
1T dried thyme

Combine and store in an airtight container away from light. Use within three months.