Unleash the Flavors of Summer with This Spicy BBQ Dry Rub

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Get ready to taste the flavors of summer with this zesty and bold Spicy BBQ Dry Rub recipe. With just the right amount of heat and a medley of seasonings, this rub will bring a burst of flavor to your grilled dishes, leaving your taste buds craving more

If you haven’t made your own rubs or spice blends, you really should.  They’re so easy!  They taste better and are healthier than the pre-made blends.  They’re great for all sorts of recipes including air fryer bone in pork chops. Take taco seasoning, for instance.  It is LOADED with salt.  Did you know that?  L.O.A.D.E.D!!  When I make my own, I cut the salt by almost 2/3 for a more spicy and tasty seasoning.  I don’t know about you, but all that salt makes me taste just that; the salt.  I don’t taste the subtleness of the cumin or the paprika.  Or even the onion!  Just…salt.  Ew.

You can customize your blends FOR YOUR palate!  If you want more spice, add more cayenne.  Add more rosemary and thyme for a turkey rub recipe.  Want a more smokey flavor?  Add more smoked paprika or even try some ground chipotle powder.  That’s yummy!  If you want a more caramelized flavor, then add more sugar like this spicy sweet rib rub!!  It’s just that easy.  A well-crafted dry rub can transform ordinary meats into mouth-watering masterpieces.

 

History of Barbecue Dry Rubs

Barbecue dry rubs have a rich history.  The earliest of evidence dates back to India as early as 2600 BCE. People around the world have long used spice blends. They used them to preserve meat and cure meat.  After the invention of the refrigerator these spices blends became a popular way to flavor of meat.

In the American South dry rubs became an integral part of barbecue cuisine. Especially in places like Texas, the Carolinas, Tennessee, and Kansas City.  These rubs travelled with Eastern European immigrants.  They used locally available spices and herbs to make their rubs.  They created unique regional flavors they passed down from generation to generation.

 

Benefits of a Dry Rub

Using a dry rub offers several advantages.  First, it is a great way to flavor the meat.  They create a crust on the meat that locks in juices.  They also add a burst of flavor with every bite.  The crust the rub makes also adds a contrast in textures between the crispy outside and the tender inside.  Finally, they are convenient and versatile.  They’re convenient because you don’t need to rest the meat.  However, letting some ribs sit in the fridge for a few hours with a rub on it does make for a delicious rack of ribs.  And versatile because you can use a variety of herbs and spices on a variety of meats.

Dry Rub vs Wet Rub vs Marinade vs Brine: What’s the Difference?

Every barbecue grill master has their own opinion about the best way to prepare their meat.  Dry rubs add flavor without adding moisture.  They’re versatile allowing for creative flavor combinations.  You can apply them right before cooking to make a nice crispy crust to your meat.

A wet rub is basically a dry rub with oils to make it a thick paste.  You can spread a wet rub onto the meat before cooking.  They work best when you apply the wet rub to the meat an hour or so before cooking the meat.  A marinade has more liquid to it.  It usually combines oil and vinegar, citrus juice, or other acid to help tenderize the meat.  Sometimes the marinade has dairy like yogurt or milk to help break down the meat proteins.  This makes for a more tender cooked meat.  They almost always have herbs like this garlic and herb marinade.

A brin is a saltwater solution used like a marinade, but for a longer period of time.  It has way more salt than a marinade but also has herbs and spices to add flavor to the meat.  Typically, people brine poultry and pork, but you can brine any meat before cooking it.

 

What ingredients go into a dry rub?

You can make a rub out of pretty much any herb and spice combination.  However, there are a few elements that should be included in dry rubs.  First, salt, pepper, and brown sugar.  They are the base of any rub, marinade, or brine.  Salt and peppers because you should put that on everything to bring out the flavor of your ingredients and sugar because it aids in caramelization which creates that crust. 

I also think garlic, onion, cumin, and chile powder are required elements of a dry rub.  Garlic powder adds a savory flavor and onion powder adds an earthy sweetness.  Cumin adds a warm, smoky flavor.  To elevate the smokiness I add smoked paprika or ground chipotle peppers.  To bring out the heat, you can increase the cayenne or add more chili powder.  Try some jalapeno powder or chipotle powder for a different layer of heat.  Finally, don’t forget the herbs.  Oregano, basil, rosemary, parsley, chives, cilantro and thyme are all rub worthy herbs.

 

How to Use a Dry Rub on Steaks, Ribs, Burgers, and Chicken

To ensure a delicious crust and tender meat, it’s important to apply the rub correctly to the meat you’re cooking.  For steaks, make sure to generously coat both sides with the rub.  Press it firmly into the meat and let it sit for a few minutes before cooking.  For burgers and other ground meats, I add the rub to the mince before making the patties.  As a double layer of flavor, I also sprinkle some of the rub on the patty before grilling like I did with my mole burger.

Ribs and chicken are similar in that they benefit from letting the rub rest for 30 minutes before grilling.  For ribs, make sure that the back membrane is removed.  If it’s not, then peel the membrane off the back of the ribs because it toughens as it cooks.  Once removed, apply the rub all over making sure to get the sides and the ends.  Chicken needs to be dry before coating it in the rub.  You might think the moisture will help the rub stick, but it changes the rub making it more like marinade and it doesn’t form that delicious crust.  Dry the chicken off with a paper towel before coating it in the rub.

 

Customizing Your Dry Rub Recipe

Creating your own dry rub allows for personalization and experimentation.  For example, I LOVE the flavor of cumin in my rub, but my husband isn’t a huge fan of it.  He would cut the amount in half or even omit it entirely.  And he would up the heat by increasing the cayenne, but my mouth can’t take all that heat. 

Adjust the ingredients for a theme like Tuscan.  Include rosemary, thyme, basil, parsley, and crushed red pepper.  For Greek, include oregano, thyme, marjoram, basil, paprika, and dry lemon peel.  For a Jamaican twist, add sweet spices like allspice, nutmeg, and cinnamon and up the cayenne.  A curry rub would include cardamom, turmeric, fennel, coriander, and cumin.  Experimenting with flavor can allow you to travel from your kitchen and taste different cuisines.

Try some regional flavors for your rub recipe.  Kansas City, Texas, North Carolina, Memphis, and Virginia all have brown sugar, pepper, salt, paprika, and garlic.  Memphis has white and brown sugar in theirs while some prefer kosher salt over table salt.  North Carolina uses white pepper instead of black to add a little warmth to their rub.  Texas and North Carolina don’t usually have cayenne in their rubs, but the others do.  Virginia doesn’t have onion powder but includes celery seed.  Chili powder shows up in Kansas City and Texas while North Carolina has mustard powder in theirs.  Finally, Texas is the only I see that includes cumin.

You can play with the texture of your rub by changing out the ground onion and garlic for the granulated version.  Try crushing your cumin seed with a mortar and pestle instead of using ground.  While it’s not a one for one trade, you can swap kosher salt for table salt using a 2:1 ratio; 2 of kosher salt = 1 table salt.  Finally, try a coarser ground black pepper or use demerara or turbinado sugars instead of brown.

As with all my recipes, this is just a basis for you to build recipes that work for you and your family.  This rub recipe makes a little more than 1 1/3 cup.  Feel free to double it and store it in a mason jar like I do during the summer months.  It’s my go to rub for most of my grilling.  Plus, you can use it as a base and add herbs and spices as needed instead of making a whole batch of say curry rub or Jamaican rub. 

Delicious Barbecue Recipes

• BBQ Chicken Flatbread from Crazy For Couponing
• Country Style Ribs with Coffee BBQ Sauce from That Recipe
• Grilled Lamb Lollipops from Creative Cynchronicity
• Spicy BBQ Dry Rub from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

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