The Spoon

Pitmaster’s Dry Rub

Every barbequer has secrets that they are reluctant to let out. I’m no exception and I understand how insane one can get trying to figure out what the “best” of any approach can be.

GeeGuy had asked me what my “secret” rub recipe was in an email over the weekend. Unfortunately I was out of town and couldn’t get him a recipe. And no that I’m going to let the cat out of the bag either, but when I started smoking ribs I was looking for a “Memphis style” end product. So here is the recipe for the dry rub I began with.

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon ground basil
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 tablespoon red pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper

The red pepper was a little too much for what I was looking for so I reduced it to 1 teaspoon. Also, I didn’t like the basil so I eliminated that all together. Still, the rub wasn’t quite what I was looking for so I experimented with brown sugar and eventually added just 1 tablespoon of dark brown sugar – more than that and the ribs caramelized too much in the smoking process. Since then I’ve added two additional ingredients that, unless you’re helping me smoke some ribs (and I invite you all to that task) I’m going to withhold. Thus, my base recipe is this:

Ingredients:

• 3 tablespoons good Hungarian paprika
• 1 tablespoon kosher salt
  
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 1/2 tablespoon dry mustard
• 1 teaspoon red pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon dark brown sugar

The above recipe is good for about two racks of back ribs or one rack of spare ribs. I use it often enough that I make a 5X batch every time I make it. If I’m making brisket I use the same recipe and add 1 tbs of chili powder and 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cumin. But you’ll have to fiddle with it to taste (try a dash of freshly ground nutmeg.)

I still am looking to get a rub for pork shoulder that doesn’t conflict with a vinegar based sauce for pulled pork. Anyone out there have any ideas?

Posted in Pork, Recipes, Smoked Food | 3 Comments »