T-Pain collaborates with Atlanta chef for must-try wing dry rubs

T-Pain’s latest money-making venture has him teaming up with James Beard Award-winning Atlanta Chef Meherwan Irani.

You may recognize Chef Irani’s name, as he offered cooking lessons to Ludacris on Atlanta rapper Ludacris’ Discovery Plus special “Luda Can’t Cook.” This time around, the chef is teaming up with Grammy Award-winning rapper, producer and entrepreneur T-Pain for three tasty rubs under Irani’s spice company, Spicewalla. The duo made the announcement and shared a behind-the-scenes look at their collection via Instagram.

Sweet, sticky and garlicky — simply put, it’s money. Brown sugar and honey keep this rub balanced with fragrant garlic and a hint of cayenne. It’s great on wings, but it’s also delicious on grilled salmon or roasted sweet potatoes.

The Juice

“I was surprised at how involved he was. We gave him a heads-up on what we were going for, and he loved the direction we were going in,” Irani said. “He did a lot of tastings with us, gave us some feedback, or incorporated feedback directly. For example, the Straight Fire needed to be hotter, so we upped the amount of cayenne in it. He felt like The Juice needed to be a little less spicy. He had some very specific feedback, and everything was approved by him in multiple taste tests.”

If you’re looking to get your hands on the wing rub trio, you can grab them online or at both Spicewalla locations in Ponce City Market and Grove Arcade in Asheville, North Carolina; they’ll run you $29.99.