That's the philosophy in our home and the inspiration for our family line of meat rubs and sauce. You see, in our house, grilling and barbecuing aren't just methods to cook a meal but are activities all their own. An entire summer day can be devoted to slow-cooking racks of ribs or smoking a brisket.

That's been the tradition in our family for four generations. Grandparents and great-grandparents got us going and we've taken it to another level. Combine my 20-plus years working in catering and commercial kitchens with my husband's willingness to spend each evening over the past 35-plus years tending whatever meat we were cooking on the grill. (We're one of those snobbish, charcoal-loving households, but we realize not everyone is so picky. No worries—our rubs work no matter your grilling preference.)

Living in Southern California, our home was surrounded with gorgeous fruit and nut trees, so it seemed natural to use wood smoke to affect the flavor of a roast or to experiment with meat rubbed with new and different combinations of spices and herbs. Soon smoking roasts, ribs, and whole birds became a lifestyle. Holidays became a wonderful reason to smoke large piece of meat, pork, or turkey to try out new rubs or sauce flavors and to share and enjoy with family and friends.

Now in semi-retirement, we have the time to turn our hobby into something that everyone can enjoy. We've traded our sunny So Cal life for the four seasons of the Virginia Range of Nevada where these items are handmade and packaged. We hope you love cooking with them as much as we've loved developing them.

Enjoy!