A breakdown of Castironskillz Rubs

My initial vision started with Castironskillz Crust years ago. I have been making my own steak rub for the past ten years. Call me a purist, but I’ve always just loved a combination of salt, pepper, and garlic. Over the years that SPG blend has transformed through trial and error to the perfect balance of cracked pepper, ground pepper, white pepper, granulated garlic, garlic salt and kosher salt. As a cast iron lover, I set a goal to create a blend that could make the ultimate steak crust at a high temp. That was years ago. When I started to get more into low & slow smoking, I created a version of the original Crust to create the ultimate bark. However I struggled to marry the two to create a hybrid version for the ultimate crust and bark. So I pinned the idea of Castironskillz Crust in the back of my mind, with hopes to figure out the perfect blend when the time was right. Fast forward some years later….

I was working for a grilling subscription company, I worked with over 200 rubs and seasonings during those 3 years. Every month I was trying new rubs and creating recipes for the monthly boxes. I quickly learned what worked, didn't work, what subscribers loved, and what would sell. My job was to create recipes using the rubs and sauces in the box, so that customers would get the most out of the products. I would also create recipes  with the rubs to follow holidays and the grilling season. When making these recipes, I struggled to find rubs that could really meet that criteria, and though I worked with some amazing brands, however some rubs lacked versatility and had way too much sugar or salt. In the 3 years of this work I even struggled to find one good steak rub that would also be a great bark (which further inspired Crust). I struggled finding a spicy seasoning that didn't have too much salt, so that the more I added, the hotter it would get. I struggled to find a citrus seasoning without citric acid that could also  be used on a variety of proteins.  This work was what inspired my rubs, Caliente and Coastal. 

I have worked very hard to develop three solid rubs that are versatile and packed with flavor. My rubs are coming out of Whiskey Bent BBQ in Lakeland Florida, just a stones throw away from me. Chad Ward has been a great mentor to me in the Traeger world/bbq industry and the team at Whiskey Bent is incredible. Before launching my rubs, I spent hours developing, and too many days to count  “in the lab” creating small batches of my rubs and trying them on different proteins until we were happy. Scott and Nicole at Whiskey Bent know how to make some damn good rubs. We tested them out to customers with free samples and I took insight from friends in the industry. A lot of work has gone into making these rubs and I can't wait to provide you all with endless recipes, tips, tools and tricks. I am finally all in on Castironskillz and can't wait to see where it goes. I appreciate your support more than anything, let's grow this Castironskillz community!

FAQ - 

Where can I find your recipes?  

Currently, my Instagram is my main hub for the majority of my recipes. I have a few recipes on shopcastironskillz.com however castironskills.com is coming soon so stay tuned! I proudly work for smokedbbqsource.com, which is a well-known grilling website. You can find a lot of my recipes there!

I’m also a proud ambassador for Snake River Farms, where you can find my recipes as well. 

Do you plan on launching more?

FOR SURE! I have so many ideas, but want to develop them over time and do it right. 

Do you teach classes with your rubs?

I have taught over 50 bbq classes using other brands of rubs, so I definitely plan to start teaching classes with mine! I also plan to do pop ups and demos at my future retailers.

Can I sell your rubs in my store?

Hell yeah. I have a wholesale account where you can buy my rubs for a great price. Just shoot me an email over at rosalie@castironskillz.com so I can get you started. 

Can I buy your rubs in person?

YES! They are available at Whiskey Bent BBQ in Lakeland, as well as Heights Meat Market in Clearwater, Tampa, Brandon and Charleston, SC. 

What’s the future for Castironskillz?

More rubs, recipes, classes, events, relationships, non-profit work. Down the road? A cookbook, and a restaurant in my hometown, if God willing.