I started making my own rub and love it. I've shared it with friends who always ask for more. It works well on just about everything I have put it on.
To make my own rub I scoured the web for recipes and discovered there are about as many recipes as there are BBQ people. I found a basic rub recipe that used salt, brown sugar, paprika and black pepper then altered with other spices to what I thought tasted good.
A couple things I learned when making rubs:
- Start small - Make enough for one cook. About a cup at most
- Take notes - Write down what you do so you can replicate it if you like it. I made a kickin' rub once but have no idea what was in it.
- Dry brown sugar - Yes dry it out. To dry brown sugar spread it out on a pan and turn your oven to the lowest setting. Put the pan with the sugar in it for about 30 minutes. Stir it at least once while it is drying. You will probably have to break up some lumps once it is dry. Drying the brown sugar will keep the rub from clumping up.
- Mix or grind your rub - I have a Tupperware Quick Chef that I use to mix and chop all the ingredients together. This helps me get an even mix. I also sift the brown sugar to make sure that there are no lumps I missed.
- Store in an airtight jar - spices tend to loose there flavor when they are stored in light open places. I store my rub in a canning jar in our pantry. But honestly it is usually gone before it would loose it's flavor.
Here is a good basic rub recipe to help you get started making your own.
1/4 cup Kosher salt, coarse
1/4 cup dark brown sugar
1/4 cup paprika
2 Tbsp. black pepper, coarse
Try adding other spices or changing some of the ratios. I use a 2:1 brown sugar to salt ratio along with a few other spices. Enjoy and make some good Q.
