Recipe Overview
Why you’ll love it: This BBQ rub is the perfect sweet and savory rub for pork and chicken. It’s easy to make with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry. Don’t grill without it!
How long it takes: 5 minutes
Equipment you’ll need: small bowl or jar with tight-fitting lid
Servings: makes ½ cup
‘Tis the season for BBQ and I could not be happier about it! I’m the proud owner of a Traeger grill and one of my favorite recipes is a pork butt seasoned with this savory sweet BBQ rub. It is such a hit with my friends! (I’ve even heard some people say it is the best pulled pork they had ever had. EVER!) Needless to say, this BBQ rub is a keeper.
DIY BBQ Rub
Not just for pork. Although this rub is absolutely perfect for pulled pork, it’s also great for chicken, ribs (try it on slow cooker ribs or Instant Pot ribs), or basically anything you can get your hands on. If you’re a vegetarian, throw this mixture on portobello mushrooms, grill them, and you’ll be in hog heaven. (Is “hog heaven” a poor choice of words for a vegetarian?)
Make the sauce, too! Don’t forget that you’re gonna want sauce, too. You’ll want to make my homemade BBQ sauce to go along with your smoked or slow cooked meat. It’s kind of like the frosting on cake, don’t you think? The more the better!
Ingredient Notes
This BBQ rub is a really simple sweet and savory mix, and I’m guessing you may already have all the ingredients on hand.
- Dark Brown Sugar: You can use light brown sugar if you’re in a pinch but dark brown has a richer, more molasses-like flavor that is great in this spice rub.
- Kosher Salt and Coarse Black Pepper: Meat always needs salt and pepper!
- Chili Powder: Choose your favorite brand. Chili powder is a blend that adds so much flavor!
- Smoked Paprika: You could use regular paprik, but I’d highly recommend smoked. You’ll be obsessed with the smoked flavor it adds to this mixture.
- Garlic Powder: Garlic powder works better in a rub than fresh garlic and it has a slightly more subtle flavor. And it’s easier!
- Onion Powder: Similar to garlic powder, onion powder is another basic flavor addition that rounds out the rub. Remember, onion powder is NOT the same as onion salt (same for garlic powder). It’s nothing more than dehydrated onion ground into a fine powder, no salt added.
- Ground Mustard: Dry mustard powder is in many barbecue sauce recipes and it’s a great component of this rub, adding another layer of flavor.
- Celery Seed: Like the mustard, celery seed adds another layer of savory flavor that makes this rub completely irresistible. If you’re not familiar with celery seed, it’s actual small brown seeds from the celery plant. I also use it in my coleslaw dressing.
- Cayenne Pepper: Cayenne adds a little bit of heat and complexity to this rub. You could leave it out but it’s a very small amount that doesn’t make this rub spicy at all. On the other hand, if you like things a little spicier, I’d recommend bumping this up a bit to bring more heat to the mixture.
How To Make BBQ Rub
Simply mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl or a jar with a tight-fitting lid. Use immediately or store for future use. It will keep for up to 6 months as long as your spices are fairly fresh.
How To Use BBQ Rub
Use it with any cooking method. Often you use a BBQ rub when you’re cooking meat on the grill or in the smoker. However, a BBQ rub is a blend of seasonings that you can use for any cooking method including roasting in the oven, pan frying, baking, or even air frying. I love it or slow cooker meats or Instant Pot, too.
Use it on all kinds of meats. I often use this blend when I bake or grill salmon (have you tried air fryer salmon yet?). It goes well with pork, of course, but it’s equally at home on baked chicken breasts. Rub it into portobello mushrooms or eggplant planks.
Homemade Seasoning Recipes
BBQ Rub | Easy Homemade BBQ Rub
Ingredients
- ¼ cup dark brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons coarse cracked black pepper (halve this if using a finer grind)
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1 teaspoon celery seeds
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- In a small bowl or jar, mix all ingredients together. Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Makes about ½ cup.
- When ready to use, rub onto desired choice of meat. Use as much or as little as you prefer. I recommend pork or chicken for this spice rub.
Notes
- Make a double batch. If you grill often, it can be a timesaver to have a jar of BBQ rub on hand. It’s easy to double the recipe (click on the 2X button above) and it keeps well.
- Adjust the seasoning. Since it’s DIY, you can change up the BBQ rub to fit your preferences. Cutting back on salt? Use less. Don’t like the heat? Use less black pepper and skip the cayenne.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did You Make This?Share a comment and rating below! I love hearing what you think!
Came back again for the exact mixture for our favorite rub mix. It has a variety of spices to enhance the pork and chicken that we use it for. Subtle notes of peppers are sweetened with the brown sugar. Have used both light and brown sugar based on what we have on hand. I usually double or triple the mixture and keep in a jar. Thanks Rachel for this winner.
Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! I’m glad you like the recipe!
I like the idea of having a homemade spice mix. My wife and I know nothing about BBQs and we would like to make on these recipes on ours. I appreciate the improvised tips for barbecue ribs and I think we need a barbecue rub supplier to help us out on this.
I hope you like this rub!
Hi
Is this rub good for lamb?
I haven’t tried it on lamb but I bet it would be fantastic!
that’s a great mix blend!
Thanks Denise!