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Home » Grilling » BBQ Rub Recipe

Published: October 25, 2018 Last Modified: March 11, 2019 By Sara 78 Comments

BBQ Rub Recipe

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BBQ Rub Recipe | Homemade Spice Rub | Easy Spice Rub #spices #bbq #grilling #smoking #dinneratthezoo

This all purpose BBQ rub is a blend of barbecue spices that pairs perfectly with chicken, pork and beef. It’s great for grilled, roasted or smoked meats and you can even use it on vegetables and potatoes.

Barbecue spice rub is my to-go seasoning blend for meats, especially when it comes to grilling and smoking. I make a big batch and it lasts for months. You can even package up your spice blend and give it as gifts to the foodies in your life!

BBQ Rub Recipe | Homemade Spice Rub | Easy Spice Rub #spices #bbq #grilling #smoking #dinneratthezoo BBQ Rub Recipe | Homemade Spice Rub | Easy Spice Rub #spices #bbq #grilling #smoking #dinneratthezoo

A jar of BBQ rub made with brown sugar and a variety of spices.

I do a lot of grilling and smoking during the warmer months, and I decided it was high time I create an all purpose BBQ rub to season my meat. This spice rub is a little sweet, a little smoky, and loaded with aromatic spices to create a seasoning blend that can be used in so many ways.

How do you make BBQ Rub?

This recipe literally takes about 3 minutes to put together. The rub is a blend of brown sugar, regular paprika, smoked paprika, dry mustard, salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder. Stir everything together and you’re ready to get grilling.

 

A blend of brown sugar and spices to make BBQ rub.

This barbecue rub will keep for months if stored in a cool, dry place, so make a double or triple batch and you’ll have enough to get you through the spring and summer.

The ingredients for BBQ rub all mixed together in a bowl.

How do you use a BBQ rub?

I use this barbecue rub on so many different foods including

  • chicken thighs
  • steaks
  • chicken wings
  • burgers
  • pork tenderloin
  • chicken breasts
  • pork chops
  • roasted potatoes
  • roasted cauliflower
  • tofu

The only thing to keep in mind is that this rub does contain sugar, which means you want to take caution to make sure the sugar doesn’t burn if you’re grilling over high heat or broiling your meat.

BBQ rub on chicken thighs ready to be smoked or grilled.

BBQ Rub Variations

  • Spicy BBQ Rub: Add cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper flakes, or ground chipotle pepper to the mix.
  • Garlic Lovers Rub: Double the amount of garlic in the recipe.
  • Mexican Rub: Add 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1 teaspoon ground coriander to the mix.

Since this BBQ rub is shelf stable, it also makes a great gift for someone who loves to cook! Simply package the rub in small jars and add a homemade gift tag.

Smoked chicken thighs made with BBQ rub.

I use this BBQ rub at least once a week, it’s my favorite way to add a little zest to ordinary foods. This is also my go-to rub for smoking meat, simply rub your meat with the spices, smoke until a thermometer registers as done, and brush on a little BBQ sauce. You’re sure to get rave reviews!

More great grilling recipes

  • BBQ Pork Chops
  • Steak Kabobs
  • Jerk Shrimp Kabobs
  • Grilled Chicken Kabobs
  • Grilled Marinated Salmon
A jar of BBQ rub made with brown sugar and a variety of spices.
Print Pin
5 from 43 votes

BBQ Rub Recipe

This all purpose BBQ rub is a blend of spices that pairs perfectly with chicken, pork and beef. It's great for grilled, roasted or smoked meats and you can even use it on vegetables and potatoes.
Course Seasoning
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 1 minute
Total Time 6 minutes
Servings 12
Calories 53kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar
  • 2 tablespoons paprika
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 teaspoon mustard powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions

  • Mix all of the ingredients together. Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
  • Spice rub keeps for up to 3 months when stored in a cool, dry place.

Nutrition

Calories: 53kcal | Carbohydrates: 12g | Sodium: 388mg | Potassium: 138mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 2300IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 23mg | Iron: 1.2mg
Tried this Recipe? Tag me Today!Mention @DinnerAtTheZoo or tag #dinneratthezoo!
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    Comments

    1. Brian says

      December 24, 2022 at 12:13 pm

      can I inject the brine into the turkey while smoking it?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        December 26, 2022 at 11:12 am

        I’ve never tried this, but I’d be concerned that it would cool down the turkey as it cooked and make the cook time much longer.

        Reply
    2. kathleen hagberg says

      December 10, 2022 at 11:01 am

      5 stars
      i love your recipes . more often than not i end up using them. kutddos

      Reply
    3. Leon says

      September 13, 2022 at 9:48 am

      I typically only stock smoked paprika. If I only used smoked paprika for both, would it be too overpowering? Is the use of regular paprika needed to balance the flavor? If so, do you use a sweet paprika in combination with the smoked paprika?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        September 13, 2022 at 11:39 am

        I think it could be too smoky if you use all smoked paprika, and it is a sweet paprika I use.

        Reply
    4. Tim Boone says

      July 30, 2022 at 10:14 am

      5 stars
      This BBQ Rub is great!! (As is the recipe for smoked pork chops!!) Only suggestion is I use a combination of Hungarian Paprika And Hungarian Hot Paprika and skip the Cayenne.

      Thanks

      Reply
    5. Darleen VanHall says

      July 6, 2022 at 9:40 am

      5 stars
      This rub is excellent!!! I am low carb so I use Swerve brown sugar in place of the brown sugar. So good!!!

      Reply
    6. Susan says

      July 2, 2022 at 5:42 am

      Wonderful rub … made a brisket on the smoker and it was perfectly seasoned. Today we’re doing a smoked pork shoulder for pulled pork so I’m sure it’ll be just as good

      Reply
    7. ArtR says

      January 4, 2022 at 4:19 pm

      I am interested in this so that I don’t used bottled bbq sauce. I need to limit sugar in my diet. Is it OK to leave out the brown sugar?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        January 6, 2022 at 10:11 am

        I have not tested it this way so I can’t say for sure. I do think you’d need to use some brown sugar to make it taste right, but you probably could reduce the brown sugar by 1/3 and still be ok.

        Reply
      • Lisa says

        February 14, 2022 at 7:34 pm

        I made it for Super Bowl and didn’t use bbq sauce. Everyone loves the wings I made best so I’d say yea:)

        Reply
        • Tim Boone says

          July 30, 2022 at 10:11 am

          You might want to try G. Hughes Sugar Free BBQ sauces… look on Amazon. They are really great tasting!!

          Reply
    8. Debbie says

      September 29, 2021 at 8:53 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic rub! My chicken was never better

      Reply
    9. BonusMom12 says

      September 3, 2021 at 5:11 am

      5 stars
      I found this recipe a year or 2 ago and it has become my go-to for baby back ribs and Boston butt rub. The flavor turns out amazingly!!!

      Reply
    10. Barry L Schmidt says

      August 28, 2021 at 5:34 pm

      Hi, Barry here. Making your whole chicken tomorrow, should I rinse the brine off before cooking or just pat it dry?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        August 28, 2021 at 6:59 pm

        I just pat it dry!

        Reply
    11. Naomi says

      July 17, 2021 at 9:38 am

      Red Cayenne o regular?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        July 18, 2021 at 6:56 pm

        Regular!

        Reply
    12. Lynn Vernor says

      July 14, 2021 at 2:02 pm

      I liked the rub but have one question. Should I put olive oil on my meat before putting the rub on?

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sara says

        July 16, 2021 at 9:14 pm

        I typically don’t put olive oil on unless it’s a very lean meat such as chicken breast.

        Reply
    13. Britany Kelley says

      April 28, 2021 at 10:24 am

      5 stars
      Seems to be pretty good I am going to make it and try it. What if I don’t have brown sugar can I use regular sugar? Will it taste the same.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        April 28, 2021 at 11:25 am

        I would really recommend using brown sugar as the flavor won’t be right with white sugar!

        Reply
    14. Steve says

      February 7, 2021 at 2:34 pm

      5 stars
      **For best flavor: Make ahead**
      Amazing rub! One thing I noticed: I made the rub and put immediately on some wings and baked. It was good and I enjoyed it. (ie. good, but nothing to writing home about). I had leftover rub which I had stored in the fridge (not sure why I did this as none of the ingredients needed it), so a couple days later, I made more wings again…and this time, they were amazing. I’m not sure what happened…but the flavors in the rub seemed to meld together and I enjoyed the output the second time much more. The first time, I felt like I could taste the individual flavors (cyan, brown sugar, etc), but the second time, it was one smooth, amazing taste. I’m going to make a bunch now and store for whenever I want to do this next, I can only imagine it will be even better after a longer period of time.

      Reply
    15. Jo says

      February 6, 2021 at 5:23 pm

      How much of the ground chipotle pepper should I add to the mix to make it spicy?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 6, 2021 at 7:25 pm

        I’d add 1/2 teaspoon, or more if you like it really spicy!

        Reply
    16. Sherry says

      December 12, 2020 at 11:48 am

      Thank you for sharing! I used on pork ribs and they were excellent.

      Reply
    17. Tom says

      December 1, 2020 at 3:57 pm

      5 stars
      Fantastic dry rub! Thanks for posting it! Today I am rubbing down chicken drumsticks with it and refrigerating them overnight before roasting them low and slow atop a bed of onions with some smashed garlic. Looks like a good time here! I’ll bookmark your site for new ideas!. Cheers!

      Reply
    18. Beth S. Iowa says

      October 19, 2020 at 9:49 am

      5 stars
      I used this rub for boston butt and beef brisket. It is the perfect blend of spices! Thank you!!

      Reply
    19. Deanna says

      October 16, 2020 at 2:03 am

      Hi

      I posted this on your FB page but it seems my post has been removed.

      Id like to make this rub but can not source kosher salt, can you suggest a substitution?

      Thanks

      Reply
      • Sara says

        October 16, 2020 at 8:02 pm

        You would use 3/4 of the amount of table salt! I’m sorry your post on Facebook got lost I’ll look into that!

        Reply
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