The Secrets to Great Dry Rub Recipes

The "Cookin' Cousins" believe that a barbecue dry rub is one of the six secrets to a great barbecue!

Dry rubs are generally used when "barbecuing" vs. "grilling". Barbecuing is the traditional method of roasting meat over a low temperature heat source, with hardwood smoke. Grilling uses high, smokeless heat, and renders sugar-based dry rubs ineffective! It burns. Period.

We barbecue using the indirect cooking method to attain that incredible smoked, moist, cooked to perfection result that alludes so many! The heat is kept low and the meat is cooked slow. Patience pays big dividends!

Do you want a rub with nothing more than a couple of spices, or a grand mixture of complimentary flavors? We like to keep it simple, and share these proven rub recipes, to ensure your backyard barbecue notoriety!

Wet or dry rub? We prefer a dry rub, as there is less mess. If you want the rub to stick better to a dryer meat, just use any good ol' inexpensive table mustard, slathered liberally on the meat, then sprinkle plenty of dry rub all over the meat. The mustard does not impart a flavor (as it cooks out) and leaves a nice, tasty coating.

1. You want fresh spices and herbs. Buy the freshest, best quality spices you can find. There is a huge difference between the old, been-in-the-cupboard-way-to-long, "buck-a-bottle" spices, and the better, fresh stuff (one important difference between a "tenderfoot", and top competitors).

   For example, and for award winning results, we like to use fresh ground, dry chili pods vs. "chili powder" for many of our special recipes, however, fresh chili powder works very well.

   You can review our "6 Secrets for Smoking Meat" in detail at our "The 6 Secrets" page.

2. You want to grind your own spices? Why not? You can't get any fresher than that, and hey, it's your reputation! Use a high quality electric spice grinder like the Kuhn Rikon model, or the Kyocera ceramic mill for faster preparation. A mortar and pestle like our favorite indestructible Granite version, for great grinding or crushing control . We prefer to "coarse" grind spices, as this imparts more flavor during cooking.

3. You can use a proven ratio of ingredients, at first anyway. Dry rub recipes, used by top competitors, often start with two basic ingredients, sugar and salt.

   You then add spices at a ratio known as the 8:3:1:1 rub. It works! Like this:

   • 8 tablespoons light brown sugar tightly packed
   • 3 tablespoons kosher salt
   • 1 tablespoon chili powder
   • 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
   • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
   • 1/2 teaspoon thyme (crushed)
   • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
   etc.

   Regardless of the spices you choose to use, just maintain this ratio! We use little or no sugar in our poultry rub recipes, but that's our taste.

4. You should use darker sugars like turbinado (sugar-in-the-raw), light muscovado, dark muscovado, or high quality brown sugar. Kosher salt is much preferred for the best dry rub recipes. These are both chef's secrets, and top BBQ competitor's edge!

5. A rub should be absorbed for the best results, and this does not mean you need to be rub it into the meat. Rubs are applied liberally to moist, thawed meat (preferably under the skin of fowl) for at least a couple of hours. You have maximum effect if you apply the rub 24 hours before hitting the fire. This allows the rub's ingredients to mix with the meat's natural juices, effectively marinading without the muss!

6. Wrap the meat in plastic wrap, or your favorite, non-reactive container, and put it back into the refrigerator; pull meat out about an hour prior to cooking (room temperature). No sense in wasting fuel!

You can add or subtract spices/herbs to your liking, and if you stay with just the "competitor's ratio" for rubs, you'll always have a winner! For more fun, experiment with adding one or more of the following:

• Cumin
• Oregano
• Thyme
• Coriander
• Peppercorns (you'll get superior results with Tellicherry Pepper, Muntok White, or a wonderful mix!)
• Rosemary
• Sage

Sometimes when time is a factor, or we feel just a little lazy, we'll use nothing more than lemon pepper as a rub for our birds. It's great!

And please remember, for great dry rub recipes that will "knock their socks off", use the highest quality, freshest ingredients!

Here are some of our favorites, gleaned from a collection of recipes written on scraps of paper, passed down from goodness knows whom, and years of backyard research.

Great Tried-and-True Rubs:

NOTE: Do not let the simplicity of these dry rubs fool you. They are classic recipes that work wonders, and you can adjust the ingredients (as the "pros" do) to make it "yours".

Easy Dry Rub Recipe For Ribs

Excellent Pork Rub Recipe For All Of Your Barbecue Pork

Easy Chicken Rub Loaded With Flavor

Our Signature Dry Rub Recipes:

Savory Turkey Rub

Bob's Magic Dust for Beef

Brisket Rubs Texas-Style

Bob's Killer Pork Dry Rub

Rick's Dry Rub for Ribs

Tony's Chicken Rub

There are many dry rub recipes, and we love ours, But we are always looking for new, original recipes, from our visitors, to share with our on-line BBQ community.

When accepted, we'll build your own page on this site!

So, do you have a...

RUB RECIPE THAT YOU LOVE?
WRITE ABOUT IT HERE!

Got an original rub recipe that drives them nuts? Rave on and share it with us all!

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