Wajos Magic Dust Rub. Nearly half Hungarian paprika, raw cane sugar, and chipotle – the smoky-sweet rub for spare ribs and pulled pork.

Wajos Magic Dust Rub is a seasoning blend of 48.8 percent Hungarian paprika, raw cane sugar, sea salt, garlic, spices, pepper, chipotle chili, and smoked paprika, 70 g from Dohr on the Moselle. Not an herb rub, not a pre-made marinade, not a fiery chili, but a dry seasoning for rubbing that turns into a crust on the grill. Vegan.

Magic Dust Rub by Wajos is the counterpart to the One For All Rub: onion, garlic, and garden herbs there; paprika, smoke, and sweetness here. If you place both tins next to each other, you have covered the two directions a barbecue evening needs – the herby one for chicken and lamb, the smoky-sweet one for everything pork. Magic Dust is the tin that goes on the pork neck on Sunday at twelve, which is then supposed to be on the table as pulled pork at six. And the one that makes spare ribs look like the ones in the picture at the end.

Paprika-sweet, smoky, with a chipotle heat that stays in the background

The mixture is deep red, nearly half of it is Hungarian paprika – mild, sweetish, and colorful. Raw cane sugar is the second ingredient and caramelizes on the grill into a dark, sticky crust. Behind that are sea salt, garlic, pepper, and the smoke: chipotles are smoked chilies, and there is also smoked paprika. The heat is noticeable, but it remains in the background; children can eat the ribs too. Honestly, it includes this: 46 grams of sugar and 17 grams of salt per 100 grams of mixture – a rub is a seasoning for rubbing and is used sparingly accordingly. For those who want it really spicy, Magic Dust is not suitable; the Piri Piri Rub is the better choice.

On spare ribs, pulled pork, chicken wings, and sweet potatoes

Pat ribs and pork neck dry, rub with a little oil, and generously massage in the rub – two tablespoons per kilo. Let it marinate overnight in the fridge, then cook slowly at low heat: for pulled pork at 110 to 120 degrees Celsius in the oven or smoker, for ribs for two to three hours at 140 degrees. Chicken wings and pork belly handle it just as well; in the pan, use it on potato cubes or sweet potato wedges with oil and a spoonful of rub. Stirred into cream cheese, it makes a smoky dip for vegetables. The rub is not suitable for high, direct heat over a long period – the sugar burns and becomes bitter before the meat is cooked. It is too dominant for fish.

Our tip: Pulled pork with Magic Dust, mixed with barbecue sauce with hickory smoked salt after shredding, on buns with coleslaw – our recipe for birthdays with many guests.

Blended on the Moselle instead of in Texas

Rubs come from the USA, this one from Dohr near Cochem on the Moselle, where Wajos produces the majority of its roughly 900 items and tests them in its own lab. The company carries the initials of Walter Josef Oster, the founder of a winemaking family in Ediger-Eller who opened a liqueur manufactory in the 1980s. Peter Oster and Ulf Schwichtenberg built the Wajos brand from this – with over 80 employees, their own stores, and spice blends created in-house.

The rub for long barbecue days and for the grill fan who already has everything

Magic Dust is the tin for anyone who has time on the weekend and prefers to cook meat slowly rather than sear it quickly. As a gift, it belongs with a barbecue sauce or the One For All Rub as a duo set; you can find the entire barbecue range on our Wajos page. 70 grams is enough for two to three kilos of meat; stored in a dry, dark place, the mixture lasts a long time. It is not suitable for those who need to cook low-salt or low-sugar – both are high on the ingredient list here.

Paprika, smoke, and raw cane sugar in one tin – the rub from the Moselle for ribs you eat with your fingers.