5 Best Dry Rub Recipes: Making Your Own Secret Ingredient (2024)

FAQs

How long does homemade dry rub last? ›

A homemade dry rub mixture should be stored in an airtight container away from heat and light. It should remain fresh and flavorful for up to six months if stored properly.

Most dry rub recipes include salt, pepper, sugar, paprika, and a mixture of other aromatics and spices such as garlic powder, oregano, chili powder, or cumin. Some rub recipes utilize different ingredients like ground coffee, mustard, cayenne, or cinnamon.

A dry rub can be rubbed directly into the meat and massaged until it sticks to the surface. We recommend patting your cut of meat dry using paper towels. From there, you can season directly onto the meat or apply a small amount of oil over the surface before coating generously in the dry rub.

A rub is any combination of spices, salt and sugar used to season meat prior to cooking. Unlike seasonings, rubs are almost never added after cooking. There are dozens of different rubs, from barbecue rubs and chili powder to jerk seasoning, sate, and curries.

As we stated earlier, most dry rubs contain salt, which has a dehydrating effect, so prolonging the seasoning may work against you if you keep it on too long.

Finally, keep in mind that making your own BBQ rubs is not only cost-effective and customisable, but it's also healthier than buying store-bought rubs that may contain additives and preservatives. So, next time you plan a barbecue, give these homemade BBQ rubs a try and take your grilling to the next level.

Before cooking, use your fingers to wipe off excess dry rub and remember not to add any additional salt, either directly or in salty additions such as soy sauce or canned broth, unless it's labeled low sodium. After the meat has finished cooking, let it rest.

Brown sugar, white sugar, and honey are all common sweeteners in the pitmaster's arsenal. They're great in a pork rub or on chicken to accelerate the browning of the skin.

Kosher flake salt. This is my go-to salt, and I love it in rubs because the coarse flake stands out so I can see how much I'm actually adding to my meat. It also has a great, clean flavor.

If you have added salt to the rub, the salt will work its magic while the surface of the meat dries out making for crispier skin or a better bark when smoking. Do not wrap your dry rubbed food in plastic wrap, it will create and trap moisture turning everything into a wet rub.

Do you use olive oil before dry rub? ›

Olive oil helps the dry rub adhere to the meat so it's less likely to fall off while you're cooking it. Put a coin-sized amount of olive oil on the chicken and spread it evenly across the sides of the chicken. Only use a small amount of olive oil, or else the dry rub will run off the meat and you'll lose the flavor.

A dry rub is actually pretty self-explanatory. It's a blend of various spices and seasonings that can be rubbed onto the raw meat shortly before it's cooked. Rubs have a singular purpose, and that's to give the meat flavor. It can actually form a crust on the meat as it is cooking and seal in the juiciness of the meat.

Salt has a greater impact on flavor than any other ingredient. Learn to use it well, and food will taste good. Salt's relationship to flavor is multidimensional: It has its own particular taste, and it both balances and enhances the flavor of other ingredients.

There are four basic types of seasoning ingredients: • Salt • Pepper ⚫ Sugar and light-flavored sweeteners • Acids When you season a food, you add just enough of one or more of these ingredients to change the food's basic taste, but not enough to add a whole new taste.

Most store-bought BBQ rubs come with an expiration or "best by" date. While this serves as a general guideline, it's important to note that these dates are often more about optimal flavor rather than safety. Many rubs can technically be used long after the date on the packaging, but the taste may not be up to par.

A look inside your BBQ rubs and steak seasoning

Meat rubs that are primarily herb based tend to last around 6-9 months after you open the container.

Yep, two years is probably the duty life if most bottled seasonings, of ANYTHING not just rubs, I don't buy more than 6 months worth of pretty much any spice or herb. They simply lose their flavor, not entirely but, they just fade.