Properly seasoning meat makes a huge difference to its flavor. Ribs, for instance, are delicious when cooked properly but can easily become dry and tough when overcooked. The solution is to season them overnight, so the meat absorbs all of the seasoning's flavor before it's cooked.

As the name suggests, the dry rub exclusively consists of dry ingredients. The mixture typically includes six to ten herbs and spices, of equal proportions, all used to make a thin crust over the ribs. Some common spices of choice are celery salt, garlic salt, cayenne pepper, paprika, pepper, and brown sugar.

Liberally coat both sides of the ribs and pat it in. For a basic foolproof homemade rub, try sprinkling sea salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin and coriander on your ribs. You CAN overdo it with the salt and cayenne pepper, but be generous with the others.