Texas BBQ Rub

The perfect mix of salty, sweet, spicy, and bitter come together in this Texas BBQ rub.

A few weeks ago, a friend asked me to teach her how to make BBQ ribs. We took an afternoon trip to the grocery store where I gave her a lesson in how to choose the right type of ribs. Then we went back to my kitchen and I showed her how to make this Texas BBQ rub from scratch. The idea of rubbing the meat before cooking it was new to her, but after she got a taste, I think she’ll be making this dry spice rub over and over.  

For the uninitiated, a dry rub is a mix of spices and seasonings that applies flavor directly to the meat. It’s used in much the same way as a marinade, but tends to be favored in situations where the meat needs to be cooked longer since a dry rub won’t burn. They also do a better job of sealing in the natural juices and flavor of the meat. In my opinion, dry rubs pack a lot more punch than marinades because they don’t cook off. You get bursts of flavor in every bite. In fact, with the exception of my fajitas, I almost exclusively use dry rubs of some sort whenever I cook beef, poultry, lamb, or pork.  

I also love spice rubs because they’re simple to throw together, easy to experiment with, and can usually come together with a few ingredients from your spice cabinet. They’re also a lot cheaper than marinades and so much easier to apply. You just rub them right on and you’re ready to go. 

I put this recipe together after many different tweaks, and I feel like it has just the right balance of salt, sweet, and bitter. You can choose to add in the spice of the cayenne pepper, or leave it out if your family doesn’t like heat.  Try it out and let me know what you think! 

Texas BBQ Rub

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• Author: Stephanie Powers
• Prep Time: 5
• Total Time: 5

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Description

The perfect mix of salty, sweet, spicy, and bitter come together in this Texas BBQ dry rub.

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Ingredients

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• 1/3 C brown sugar
• 2 Tablespoons Lawry’s Seasoned salt (or make your own)
• 2 Tablespoons garlic powder
• 2 Tablespoons onion powder
• 2 Tablespoons smoked paprika
• 2 Tablespoons chili powder
• 1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper
• 2 Tablespoons cayenne pepper (optional-leave out if you don’t like heat)

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Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients in a glass jar or bowl. Yields approximately 1 cup of rub.
2. To use: Use one to two tablespoons of dry rub for each pound of meat. Rub onto beef, poultry, lamb, or pork and either cook immediately or wrap meat tightly in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you’re ready to cook.

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Notes

• Store any remaining rub in a sealed container in a cool, dry place. The flavor will fade over time, so it should be used within 3-4 months for best results.
• Vegan: This should be vegan.
• Gluten-Free: This should be gluten free, but check each spice container carefully.

 What’s in your favorite spice rub?  Have you used a dry rub before?