A fantastic homemade dry rub that’s great on Pork and Chicken
This homemade dry rub builds upon our our basic rub and adds more complexity and flavors to really provide a wow factor to your next BBQ pork recipe.
How to Make a Homemade Dry Rub
We’ve posted pretty extensively on dry rubs before (see here, here, and here). One of our favorites is our Homemade Basic Dry Rub.
If you’re new to making dry rubs, I suggest you start there, then come here for this, more advanced, recipe.
In that post we lay out the fundamentals of a good simple dry rub. If you want the basics, check out that post as it details the components of a great dry rub and how you can develop your own flavors, and why those work the way they do.
In that article we emphasize the components of a good dry rub for pork. Now EVERY single BBQ pro, chef, home cook, writer, grill master, pit master, you name it… will have their own take on a good dry rub. What it comes down to is finding a flavor profile that works for YOU.
What Ingredients are in a Dry Rub?
For us it’s a 1:1 ratio of Sugar to Everything Else.
What do I mean by that?
- We take one part sugar (in this case use one cup to keep it simple).
- Then take part (one cup) and fill it with the other spices.
Here’s a quick recap of what I mean and an explanation of other spices we use?
To summarize our previous article on dry rubs we always keep the three S’s in mind: Sweet, Savory, Spice (aka heat)
- Sweet: what we start with. Brown sugar (dark brown or light brown), cane or turbinado. This will help to create a caramelized crusty exterior (bark). To balance the sugar, this is where the savory comes in.
- Savory: things like salt, onion powder, garlic powder, dry mustard, chili powder (which is simply a blend of dried chilies), cumin, paprika, celery salt, and more.
- Spice: cayenne pepper, red chili flakes, or dried chipotle. Add these slowly (like 1 teaspoon or tablespoon at a time).
Don’t be nervous about adding spice! This will help balance the sugar (I promise!).
Our Basic Dry Rub recipe is quite simple (there’s only 4 ingredients in it). If you’re ready to do something with a little more flavor and punch we’ve got this one for you.
Ultimate Dry Rub for Pork and Chicken
I call it the ultimate because it’s truly the rub we use on most pork dishes. Though it works great for chicken too (as long as you’re cooking your chicken low and slow. Note that sugar will start to burn when you cook at a high temperature).
Recipe for Homemade Dry Rub
This recipe builds upon our Basic Dry Rub and adds more complexity and bold flavors to really provide a wow factor to your next BBQ pork recipe.
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup kosher salt (we use Diamond Crystal kosher salt)
- 4 tablespoons smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
- 1/2 tablespoon cumin
- 1/2 tablespoon onion powder
- 1/2 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
-
Combine all ingredients together in a bowl. Transfer to an air tight serving container (like a mason jar or other dry rub container). Will keep for up to a year if sealed tight and kept in a cool place.
This yields about 2 1/2 cups. I know that's not the perfect 1:1 ratio. That ratio is meant to be a starting point. You start with that, then add to adjust flavors to your personal preferences. We love savory flavors, so go a little heavier on that S.
Make a large batch of this and you've got it ready to go all summer long.
A Note About Salt
We get feedback across the board about salt. Salt is a very subjective taste. Also, the salt in your pantry matters when making dry rubs. We use Diamond Crystal or Jacobsen kosher salt. We do not use iodized table salt. Salt will be different weights, even among kosher variety. So no two salt companies will measure the same. You have permission to adjust based upon the type of salt you have, and we encourage kosher salt.
Pro Tip – You cannot remove salt, so go light on the salt portions first then add based upon your taste. If you added too much, the best offset to salt is sugar.
How to store homemade Dry Rub
This will yield just over 2 cups of dry rub. Keep this stored in an air tight container in the pantry and use throughout the summer on your favorite pork recipes.
Try this Ultimate Homemade Dry Rub on:
- Pork Belly Burnt Ends
- Smoked Ribs
- Smoked Pork Butt (and Pulled Pork Sandwiches)
- Grilled Chicken with Blackberry BBQ Sauce
- … and more.
If you like this recipe we’d truly appreciate it if you would give this recipe a star review! And if you share any of your pics on Instagram use the hashtag #vindulge. We LOVE to see it when you cook our recipes.
This sounds super simple for grilling novices like me! Love that the ratio makes it easy to customize the rub!
Tried this on some smoked pork belly burnt end and it was delicious! I did however find it to be a bit on the salty side so I would recommend cutting the salt content down if that’s not your thing.
We definitely recommend tasting dry rubs and adjusting flavors to your preference before applying them to your meat. Everyone has different tastes and preferences towards salty flavors or not. So it’s always best to go with your preferences and adjust accordingly 🙂
Would recommend adding more brown sugar to cut the salty. Most store bought rubs are too salty for my liking and just mix them equal parts rub to brown sugar and some i do 1 part rub to 2 parts sugar
Agreed. The salt was brutal… I did do a small taste but it really came out and took over in the smoker. kinda wrecked dinner. 🙁
I have a lot left over. I like the flavour so I’ll make a new batch and omit the salt and mix with the first batch. Live and learn.
Leslie, thanks for sharing your feedback and we certainly appreciate there is a large variance in salt preferences. Even what types of salt you use (iodized, table, kosher) can change how salty it can be. Hopefully as others make this, they can adjust to their preference.
Yelp me too. After the fact I found most recipes call for two tablespoons of salt.
Jack, we definitely appreciate the feedback and why we focused so much on calling out the salt ratio in the post as well.
really great rub!!!
Thanks so much!
Used on baked chicken breast. Soaked in water for 15-20 min with kosher salt, seasoned bottom. Spread butter on breasts and seasoned top. Baked at 375 for 22-25 min. Let rest covered and was super tender. The pre cook brine did it and this seasoning is the flavor i have been looking for!!!!! Smells almost like a chili seasoning but tastes much better than it smells!
LOL awesome Andrew, thanks for the feedback!!
I’m a newbie to Traeger Grilling and Pork is my favorite so far. This rub looks fab and I can’t wait to try it.
Thanks for sharing.
Thanks Scott! And hopefully you can modify and experiment with your own rubs too!
Great rub – thank you for the recipe. I brined a whole chicken overnight and then used this rub and smoked it for 5 hours. It was GREAT! My husband said it was the best chicken he’s had! I adjusted the recipe a bit by reducing the salt to about half to start, tasted it, and then added another tablespoon. Looking forward to trying it on pork! Excellent flavors!
Awesome! Thanks so much for the feedback!!
I followed the recipe to the letter! It was GREAT on my pork chops. I marinated the chops with the rub for about 2 hrs and broiled them in the oven. My husband loved it! I wish I could post a picture of my chops.
Love it! Thanks for sharing! You’ll have to do them again and tag us in the photo!!!