Experience the perfect balance of sweet and smoky as Chef Tom shows you how to make his All Purpose Barbecue Rub! This seasoning will take your grilling to the next level with its blend of salt, pepper, savory and smoky flavors. Perfect on beef, pork and chicken, it'll make your summer barbecue the hit of the season!
WHAT YOU'LL LOVE
- Combining both hickory smoked flaked salt and plain kosher salt gives the rub two different salt textures and one layer of smoky flavor without over-salting from a single source
- Using two different sugars, brown sugar and maple smoked turbinado, layers plain sweetness with a smoky-maple note rather than relying on one sugar type alone
- Balancing ground mustard and cayenne against the sweeter ingredients keeps the rub from tasting one-dimensionally sweet, adding tang and a touch of heat
- Building the rub as a simple dry mix with no cooking step means it's ready to use immediately and keeps well for future cooks, rather than needing to be made fresh each time
All Purpose Barbecue Rub
Tom Jackson
Rated 5.0 stars by 1 users
Category
Condiment
Cuisine
American
Servings
10
Prep Time
10 minutes
Calories
48
This week on Tips & Techniques, Chef Tom takes us back to barbecue basics with this All Purpose Barbecue Rub. This seasoning is on the sweeter side, with just the right amount of salt, pepper, savory and smoky flavors. Perfect on your favorite barbecue foods, from chicken to pork to beef!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
-
1/4 cup Noble Saltworks Maple Smoked Turbinado Sugar
-
2 tbsp Noble Saltworks Hickory Smoked Flaked Salt
-
1 tbsp Jacobsen Salt Co. Kosher Sea Salt
- 4 tsp fresh ground black pepper
- 4 tsp smoked paprika
- 4 tsp onion powder
- 4 tsp garlic powder
- 2 tsp ground mustard
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
Directions
- Combine all ingredients and mix well.
- Use to season your favorite barbecue meats. Works well on chicken, pork or beef.
Recipe Note
Recipe FAQ
Why use both hickory smoked flaked salt and plain kosher salt instead of one salt alone?
Combining the two gives the rub a smoky note from the flaked salt while the kosher salt fills in the base seasoning, rather than relying on a single salt to carry both jobs.
Why include two different sugars, brown sugar and maple smoked turbinado, instead of just one?
Brown sugar brings straightforward sweetness, while the smoked turbinado adds a maple-smoke note on top of that, layering more complexity than a single sugar would provide.
Why add ground mustard and cayenne pepper to a rub that's mostly sweet ingredients?
These two ingredients cut through the sugar with tang and a touch of heat, keeping the rub from tasting one-dimensionally sweet on its own.
Why is this rub just combined and mixed, with no cooking step?
As a dry spice blend, there's nothing here that needs heat to develop — the rub is ready to use as soon as it's mixed, and it stores well for future use since it isn't perishable the way a wet sauce would be.
How indoor-friendly is this recipe?
5 out of 5 — this is a dry mix made entirely in a bowl; nothing about it requires a grill, smoker, or any heat source at all.
Recipe Highlights
Dual-salt blend: Combines smoky flavor with a plain seasoning base.
Double-sugar sweetness: Layers plain and smoky-maple notes together.
Mustard-cayenne balance: Keeps the rub from tasting one-dimensionally sweet.
No-cook simplicity: Ready immediately and stores well for later use.
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Nutrition
Nutrition
- Nutrition Serving Size
- 0.79 oz
- per serving
- Calories
- 48
- Carbs
- 11 grams
- Protein
- grams
- Fat
- grams
- Sodium
- 2096 milligrams
