Here is my home-made rub for brisket, chicken, and pork; on the grill for barbecue or in the smoker. You can always by a mix, but it's easy and delicious to experiment with your own using a few simple tips..
Almost all barbecue rubs are based on the BBQ Holy Trinity of salt, pepper, and paprika. Salt is king, because it effectively brines the meat, helping to keep it moist during the "low and slow" cooking. Of course, it also maximizes the flavor of typically large chunks of meat. Paprika is the other big boy, which contributes a bit to the beautiful bark color of a well-smoked brisket, ribs, or pork shoulder.
Purchased rubs tend to be expensive for what you're getting. While you shouldn't fix anything that isn't broken, if you're curious to try a scratch rub, or even tweak your own, then let's do this!
A reused spice container is how I keep my rub. It's large enough that I mix a batch with 1 part = 1/2 cup. If you want to try a smaller amount at a time, keep in mind 16 Tbsp go into 1 cup, or 4 into a 1/4 cup.
Ingredients
1 part kosher salt
1 part smoked paprika
1/2 part ground black pepper
1/4 part onion powder
1/4 part garlic powder
1/2 part oregano
1-2 parts brown sugar
Directions
Combine ingredients through oregano in a mixing bowl and mix thoroughly with a wisk.
Add the brown sugar and mix thoroughly.
Store in an air tight container.
Variations
I enjoy the herb hint to the rub, and the oregano is a fairly traditional option. However, depending on what theme I'm anticipating, I will sometimes replace the oregano with rosemary or Herbes de Provence. If those herb choices seem really odd, let me explain...
In summer 2006, I was in Munich for IT work. Germany was hosting the World Cup and so there I was in a biergarten watching a soccer match with 400 of my closest new friends, needing some food to balance the beer by the liter coursing through my veins. I opted for some BBQ ribs, and while I knew Germans are expert at cooking schwein (i.e. pork), I was totally expecting a bastardization of BBQ. It was deliciously smoked, with a tangy BBQ sauce, but was totally different because of the infused rosemary. And that's how this Texan learned a thing about BBQ in the summer playground of Germany.
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