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Here’s the best BBQ rib rub for making stellar ribs, whether on the grill or in the oven. It’s the perfect mix of sweet, savory, salty, smoky, and spicy.
Why we love this recipe
Keeping a batch of this fabulous rib rub on hand makes a show-stopping meal all that much closer to reality. It’s:
- Beautifully balanced, with savory, salty, spicy, smoky, and sweet notes
- Calibrated to infuse the meat with just the right amount of seasoning while encouraging a gorgeous crust to form
- Made with common pantry ingredients and ready in five minutes
- Easy to keep a batch on hand for six months at a time
Although I had ribs in mind when developing this recipe, you can also use it freely on other cuts of pork and chicken.
What you’ll need
Here’s a glance at the ingredients you’ll need to make this recipe.
- Brown sugar plays multiple roles. It adds a sweet element to the flavor profile and also helps the ribs to form a gorgeous crust while staying tender inside.
- We use two kind of paprika: regular and smoked. The combination is unbeatable, so be sure to use both in the proportion indicated.
- The amount of cayenne and black pepper in the recipe results in a gentle, nuanced heat. If you like your ribs very spicy, you can add more of each.
How to make it
Here’s what you’ll do to make a great batch of rib rub. You can see the steps in action in the video that accompanies this post, and get all the details in the recipe card below.
- Place all ingredients in to a mixing bowl.
- Mix well with a fork, ensuring all ingredients are well distributed and no large lumps remain.
- At this point, you can use the rub right away or place it into an airtight container and store for up to 6 months.
- To use, sprinkle over the surface of ribs and pat to adhere.
Expert tips and FAQs
Sprinkle it liberally over a rack of ribs before cooking and pat gently to adhere. You can cook the ribs right away, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or leave them for up to 24 hours tightly covered in the fridge before cooking.
This is a great next-level question. For thicker cuts of meat, it pays to salt separately and liberally in advance (i.e. dry brine) to give the salt a chance to penetrate the meat. In that case, you could use exclude the salt from the rub (but keep the celery salt). For ribs, I don’t find it makes a bit of difference, especially when cooked low and slow. It’s easier and more efficient to mix everything together.
Absolutely. You can multiply the recipe to whatever extent you like. It will keep very well in an airtight container at room temperature for six months for you to use as needed. If it clumps up a bit due to the brown sugar, simply press out the lumps with a fork.
More BBQ favorites
- Chicken legs and thighs
- Instant Pot pulled chicken sandwiches
- Mac & cheese (Instant Pot or baked)
- Coleslaw or kohlrabi remoulade
- Potato salad
- Cornbread muffins
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Best BBQ Rib Rub
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons (36 grams) light brown sugar
- 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt
- 1 ½ teaspoons paprika
- 1 ½ teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ½ teaspoon ground mustard
- ¼ teaspoon ground cayenne
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Place all ingredients in to a mixing bowl.
- Mix well with a fork, ensuring all ingredients are well distributed and no large lumps remain.
- At this point, you can use the rub right away or place it into an airtight container and store for up to 6 months.
- To use, sprinkle over the surface of ribs and pat to adhere.
Notes
- To use, sprinkle it liberally over a rack of ribs before cooking and pat gently to adhere. You can cook the ribs right away, let them sit at room temperature for 30 minutes, or leave them for up to 24 hours tightly covered in the fridge before cooking.
- Whether to include salt in a dry rub is a great next-level question. For thicker cuts of meat, it pays to salt separately and liberally in advance (i.e. dry brine) to give the salt a chance to penetrate the meat. In that case, you could use exclude the salt from the rub (but keep the celery salt). For ribs, I don’t find it makes a bit of difference, especially when cooked low and slow. It’s easier and more efficient to mix everything together.
- Rub will keep well in an airtight container at room temperature for six months. If it clumps up a bit due to the brown sugar, simply press out the lumps with a fork before using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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