In my opinion the rub for barbecue is the foundational ingredient for good barbecue, whether it is going on ribs, chicken, pork or beef. While sauce can be important, my opinion is that sauce should complement the meat, not ‘BE’ the flavor.
There are several core ingredients to most good rubs and then there are several spices that are common to make your rub unique, yet still retain barbecue flavor.
CORE SPICES
Paprika – By volume, this is probably the most used spice to provide a base for barbecue rubs. Paprika comes from sweet red peppers that are dried and powdered. Most paprika comes from Hungary but more often today you can find paprika from Spain. Typically, if there is a choice, I prefer ‘sweet Hungarian paprika’. Paprika helps give barbecue its beautiful red color.
Chili Powder – Often chili powder is a spice mix primarily made from chili peppers (red, cayenne, ancho and chipotle). Some mixes will include other spices such as black pepper, mace, coriander, turmeric and others.
Salt – We all know salt right? Just be careful because you can easily add too much salt to a rub. Especially when used with smaller cuts such as ribs or chicken. Also, be careful with rubs that are high in salt content if you plan to let the rub cover the meat for long periods of time. High salt rubs can turn the meat ‘hammy’ if allowed to blend with the meat too long. I prefer to use kosher salt with my rubs, but you may need to run it through a spice grinder if your other ingredients are finely ground.
Sugar/Brown Sugar – Another staple like salt. Brown sugar is often a large percentage of the bulk of rib rubs, but is common in many all-purpose rubs. The amount of sugar will depend on how sweet you want your meat. It may be necessary to dry out brown sugar to avoid clumping if you are planning to store the rub for some time. Also, be careful with rubs high in sugar because it can easily burn.
Garlic Powder, Onion Powder, Black Pepper – Must be mentioned, but no explanation necessary.
SECONDARY SPICES
The following spices are all considered acceptable for a barbecue rub and often commercial rubs will include some or all of these spices.
Cumin – This spice is a bit more obscure than the rest of the common ingredients found in barbecue rubs, but one that I use in all of mine. Cumin is in the parsley family and has a great aroma. If you have eaten Indian or Persian food, you have had an abundance of this spice. This is a core spice for many Mexican and in nearly all Tex-Mex dishes. I love this spice and often have to hold back to keep from putting too much in my rubs. A little known fact is that cumin is the 2nd most used spice in the world (to black pepper).
Coriander – This is another great spice that has an identity crisis. Most of the world refers to it as coriander, but in America it is called cilantro, yet, it is also referred to as Mexican parsley, as well as Chinese parsley. Whatever you want to call it, add it to your barbecue rub. But, make sure to use ground (dried) coriander. Cilantro leaves have their purpose, but its sweet, citrus like taste of the leaves is better left for other dishes. This is another spice often used in Asian, Indian and Mexican dishes.
Cayenne Pepper – Another basic spice that most of us are familiar with. Go easy with this one unless you like your rub with some kick. Too much kick is possible even for those who dig very spicy rubs. I made the mistake of using fresh ground cayenne for the first time at a barbecue competition…and the judges must have thought it was a hot buffalo wing eating contest. I enjoyed the ribs, but the judges scored me VERY low on taste.
MIXING
Basically, mix your ingredients together and put on your favorite cut of meat and cook to your pleasure. A few hints. Keep in mind that ribs have a small surface area, so a little rub goes a long way. Just the opposite effect with an eight pound Boston butt or 12 pound beef brisket. With the bigger cuts, more rub is better. Also,sweeter rubs seem to do better with ribs and chicken and less sweet for bigger cuts (they cook longer and could burn with high sugar content).
Some cooks will use what is called a mustard slather. They will literally slather yellow mustard on the meat and then apply the rub. The mustard slather tends to bind the rub to the meat so that it will not fall off. I have tried it with mustard and without and cannot tell any appreciable difference.
So, there goes making your own rub. Below, I have referenced a good basic rub that you can experiment with. Also, there is one called BRITU (Best Ribs in the Universe). This is a recipe that has a great story with it. It was first published on the BBQ Forum online at www.thebbqforum.com and you can get the background on this award winning rub.
COMMERCIAL RUBS
There are some OUTSTANDING commercial rubs on the market that could save you the pain of making your own. I am making no money by dropping these names, but here are a few of my favorites. Bad Byron’s Butt Rub, Billy Bones, Lotta Bull and Texas Rib Rangers. Now where to find them? You could search the web, but I will drop another non-paid ad. There is a website that I have used often because they literally carry several hundred rubs and sauces and everything else barbecue. The website is HawgeyesBBQ. Great prices and great selection, but shipping can be a killer. I advise buying several different ones so the shipping is spread over a bunch of bottles. There are also several ‘packages’ that are mixes of top rubs and sauces.
— Kevin Moore
Kevin Moore is a barbecue hobbyist and has competed in several competitions in recent years. Kevin is the editor/publisher of Southern Cigar Lifestyle magazine and resides in Hoover, AL with his wife and three children. Kevin enjoys full bodied cigars such as La Flor Dominicana Double Ligero’s as well as Camacho and Perdomo cigars.
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