Mulling Spices —rsquo; What It Means to Give Away the Recipe and Keep the Fire

The build-out has started. Construction crews began demolition on Monday — tearing out the old sandwich shop interior, stripping the walls to studs, opening the ceiling for new ductwork. I stood in the building on Monday morning before the crews arrived and looked at the empty shell and thought: in nine months, this room will smell like brisket. In nine months, Roberto will stand at a counter right there. In nine months, the sign will go up. RIVERA'S. Just show up.

The demolition is loud and dusty and violent in the way that creation sometimes requires destruction. The old counters are gone. The old booths are gone. The old kitchen equipment — a sandwich press, a deli slicer, a cold table — is hauled away. The bones of the building are exposed: concrete block walls, a solid roof structure, good plumbing runs. The architect says the building has "good bones." I agree. The building has the kind of bones that can hold a smoker and a fire and the weight of a dream.

At the station, my Battalion Chief duties continue. The cooking program has reached twenty-four stations — two from the goal of all twenty-six. Chief Martinez says the final two will come online by June. The program I started with scrambled eggs will be department-wide before Rivera's opens. The timing feels intentional, even though it is coincidental. The firefighter who taught his crew to cook is opening a restaurant. The restaurant that was born in a firehouse kitchen is becoming a building. Everything connects.

I entered the Arizona Spring BBQ Championship — my last competition before the restaurant opens. Not the last competition of my life — I will always compete. But the last one as a man whose only kitchen is his backyard. The next competition will be entered as the owner of Rivera's. The title changes. The fire does not.

Made my April column: competition BBQ. The story of the parking lots, the midnight starts, the 99-point brisket, Sofia's notebook. The recipe: the competition rib rub — the ancho-cocoa blend, published for the first time. The secret is out. The rub that has won me two first-place rib finishes is now available to anyone with a magazine subscription and a spice cabinet. I am not worried about giving away the secret. The rub is not the secret. The fire is the secret. The patience is the secret. The hands that apply the rub are the secret. You can have the recipe. You cannot have the thirty years of standing at a grill that taught me how to use it.

Publishing the rib rub in the magazine felt like handing someone a map to a place they’ve never been — the map is real, but it doesn’t tell you what the air smells like at 2 a.m. when the fire finally settles right. A spice blend is just a starting point: layered, aromatic, something you have to sit with and learn. This mulling spice recipe reminded me of that truth — how combining the right elements is only step one, and what you do with heat and time and patience is the rest of the story.

Mulling Spices

Prep Time: 10 minutes | Cook Time: 0 minutes | Total Time: 10 minutes | Servings: 8 (enough for 8 batches of mulled cider or wine)

Ingredients

• 4 cinnamon sticks, broken into pieces
• 2 tablespoons whole cloves
• 2 tablespoons whole allspice berries
• 1 tablespoon dried orange peel
• 1 tablespoon dried lemon peel
• 1 teaspoon whole black peppercorns
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated or ground nutmeg
• 6 cardamom pods, lightly crushed
• 2 star anise pods
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional, for warmth)

Instructions

1. Break and prep spices. Break cinnamon sticks into smaller pieces. Lightly crush cardamom pods with the flat of a knife to open them just enough to release their oils without splitting them entirely.
2. Combine. In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients — cinnamon pieces, cloves, allspice, orange peel, lemon peel, peppercorns, nutmeg, cardamom, star anise, and ginger if using. Stir to distribute evenly.
3. Divide into portions. Divide the blend into eight equal portions (approximately 1 heaping tablespoon each). Place each portion in a small muslin bag, cheesecloth square tied with twine, or store together in an airtight jar.
4. Store. Keep in a sealed glass jar away from heat and direct light. The blend holds full potency for up to 6 months.
5. To use. Add one portion to 4 cups of apple cider or red wine in a saucepan. Simmer over low heat for 20—25 minutes. Do not boil. Strain and serve warm.

Nutrition (per serving)

Calories: 12 | Protein: 0g | Fat: 0g | Carbs: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Sodium: 2mg