Learn the ratios you need to make a great custom dry rub just for your ribs or other grilled masterpieces. Become a grillmaster by serving up the best BBQ at home.
Introduction
Well, I have found more than my wishes when it comes to dry rubs. This is exactly the type of recipe I love. It depends on ratios, and it's flexible. Usable for not only pork but beef and even chicken.
This rub has been around the food sites, but Alton Brown (Good Eats on the Food Network) has made it more popular. It is a relatively easy rub using what you have available.
My Rating
This is a very nice easy rub. And somewhat flexible.
👨🍳The Ratio
The basic idea of this rub is 8 parts sugar to 3 parts salt to 2 parts (the 1:1) of various other spices with no more than half being a single thing.
That last part can be a little tricky. Those "1"s can be divided. The first "1" may be all chili powder but the second "1" may be thyme, coriander, and cumin with each being one-third of that part.
The sugar should generally be a dark sugar usually brown sugar. I eliminate the sugar completely for chicken or other things cooked at more than 325° since sugar burns at 350°.
The salt should be Kosher or another coarse salt. I prefer to use Dimond Crystal salt. You can use other salts. Here are the ratios for substitution. 1 teaspoon table salt = 1 ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
The other spices can be many things.
I usually use chili powder for the first "1". But you could do half with chili powder and the other half something else.
For the second "1", I like to divide it into half or thirds. This allows you to get the custom tastes you want.
Suggested spices: onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, thyme, coriander, cumin, oregano, rosemary, sage.
What to choose: Use the spice you love, but one suggestion is if you have a BBQ sauce that you plan to use, the major spice component of that should be in the rub.
♨️Uses
Due to the sugar content, this is a low and slow cooking rub. For pork butt, ribs or brisket. If you cook at even a medium grill, anything from 350 ° or more, you need to eliminate the sugar.
❄️Storage
The sugar dominates the discussion here, also. The sugar retains moisture and will affect the storage. Well sealed for a few months is probably the limit store in an airtight container.
I don't suggest freezing unless you have dried the sugar before mixing.
📖BBQ Recipes
Memphis Barbecue Sauce - A Wonderful Thing
30 Minute BBQ Boneless Pork Ribs
Oven Pulled Pork from Pork Butt
📖Recipe
8:3:1:1 Dry Rub
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 3 tablespoons kosher salt - Diamond Crystal
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Mix well.
- Store in an airtight container.
My Private Notes
Recipe Notes
Pro Tips
- Excellent as written for pork butt, ribs, and brisket.
- Sugar burns at 350°, so eliminate the sugar if you are cooking above that like chicken.
- The salt is kosher salt or another coarse salt. I suggest Diamond Crystal Kosher salt. You can use others. 1 teaspoon table salt = 1 ¼ teaspoon Morton kosher salt = 2 teaspoons Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- I frequently cut the salt in half.
- I usually use chili powder for the full first “1” but you can divide that and use another spice.
- The second “1” is usually divided into 2 or 3 parts.
- Choices for the other spices: onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, white pepper, cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, chili powder, thyme, coriander, cumin, oregano, rosemary, sage.
- If you are using a sauce with the meat, matching the spice profile of the sauce is a pro move.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for only a few months.
To adjust the recipe size:
You may adjust the number of servings in this recipe card under servings. This does the math for the ingredients for you. BUT it does NOT adjust the text of the instructions. So you need to do that yourself.
Nutrition Estimate
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Editor's Note: Originally published July 21, 2010. Updated with expanded options, refreshed photos, and a table of contents to help navigation.
Brent Watkins
Interesting article. I have a couple questions and you've at least started to answer one of them. In your suggestion, you say that if you have a BBQ sauce that you plan to use, the major spice component of that should be in the rub. This must be part of the 1:1 portion of the rub. How much of that spice component should make up your rub?
If making your own BBQ sauce, how are the ingredients and flavors suppose to relate to each other between the sauce and the rub? The sauce and rub would be for pork for now. I think I saw the rub provides the savory component and the sauce makes up the sweet profile. I'm really interested in how you build a bbq sauce based on what the rub is made up of. Can you give me some insight please?
Dan Mikesell AKA DrDan
Hi Brent,
Welcome to the blog.
The sauce and the rub will not match exactly but you want them to complement, not fight. An example would be this rub like I usually make it (in the recipe card) would fight with a Carolina sauce - no chili powder, etc. A sauce that will match fairly closely would be my Memphis BBQ which I linked in the post. The ingredient can be adjusted in either if you want but both have sugar, chili powder, onion, and garlic. A good match generally. Of course, there is ketchup and some vinegar in the sauce and a few other things.
You probably don't want "matchy-matchy" but some common main tastes are important.
Sauces are generally more complicated than this rub. Check the Marlows rub on this site (from Marlows of Memphis). It is more paprika and I would adjust the rib if I was using it with my Memphis sauce. But I don't make that rub much and I tend to use a KC sauce that is more paprika (not homemade) but still with some chili powder so it can go both ways. But the Memphis sauce is a very nice contrast to the Marlow rub.
These are really fine points but fun to adjust a bit and see how it goes.
Hope that helps some.
Dan
Karen
Excellent rub! I used on grilled chicken drumsticks with the sugar halved, then used on boneless ribs with full sugar. Finished with your Memphis sauce. :)