A fantastic homemade dry rub that’s great on Pork and Chicken
This recipe builds upon our Basic Dry Rub and adds more complexity and flavors to really provide a wow factor to your next BBQ pork recipe.
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.
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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.
For us that’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.
How to Make a Homemade Dry Rub
What are these 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 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.
I call it the Ultimate Dry Rub for Pork
I call it that 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. Sugar will start to burn when you cook at a high temperature).
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
- 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.
This will yield just over 2 cups of dry rub. Keep this stored in an air tight container 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.
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This sounds super simple for grilling novices like me! Love that the ratio makes it easy to customize the rub!