Homemade BBQ Rub
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When you’re making dinner, having a BBQ rub that’s ready to use will shave off some of your prep time. Plus, you’ll feel better knowing exactly what’s in your seasoning blend. This recipe is sugar free and has no hidden chemicals!
Why This Recipe is a Favorite
Get your grilling recipes ready, because it only takes two minutes to make this fabulous BBQ seasoning blend! It’s such an easy way to add flavor to barbecue favorites like grilled chicken, steak, hamburgers, and grilled pork kabobs.
One big benefit is that you control the ingredients in the spice rub! A lot of premade seasonings include additives like cornstarch, sugar, and maltodextrin, and they aren’t even necessary!
Probably the best thing about this homemade BBQ rub is that once it’s in your pantry, it will stay fresh for about 12 months.
Happy Kitchen Secrets
I make homemade spice blends a lot, and it really is simple. I have just one important tip for you.
- To prevent the BBQ dry rub from clumping, be sure to store it in a cool, dry area of your kitchen. Too much humidity will cause the spices to stick together in the container.
Ingredients
How to Make the BBQ Rub
Making homemade seasonings is easy!
- Measure the individual spices into a bowl or mason jar.
- Stir the seasonings together, then use a funnel to transfer the BBQ rub into a spice jar.
- Or, cover the mason jar with its lid and shake it up!
How to Use a Dry Rub
- To use as a rub, start by simply patting the meat dry with some paper towels.
- Sprinkle the seasoning liberally onto all sides of the meat, rubbing/massaging it so every bit of it is coated.
- For best results, let it sit for 5 minutes or so and you’ll see the meat start to glisten and “sweat”. Then, it’s ready to grill or cook however you want!
How to Store It
Transfer the spice mix to an airtight container or Ziploc bag. Store it at room temperature. I like to keep my spices in small mason jars, labeled with the date I made it and readily accessible in my pantry.
Recipes with BBQ Seasoning
This BBQ seasoning is very versatile and has the perfect blend of spices. You can add a bit to almost anything with BBQ flavor or BBQ sauce that could use a little extra oomph, like meat rubs for chicken, pork, beef, and vegetables. If you’d serve it at your next barbecue, you can use this spice rub!
Chicken: It’s delicious with chicken, especially. Use it in BBQ chicken drumsticks or BBQ chicken lettuce wraps or even sprinkle it over chicken thighs, chicken wings, chicken breasts and more!
Pork: You can rub it onto pork chops or pork shoulders.
Beef: BBQ rub is also a great seasoning for meatloaf or even beef brisket.
I like to season my meat with the blend before cooking it on the grill or in the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
FAQ
For the best flavor, use your homemade BBQ rub within a year, unless the expiration on any of the individual spices comes before that.
I typically use mine up quickly, since this recipe only yields about 2 servings. *To easily multiply the recipe below, tap the serving size and use the slider bar below!
After you make it, please leave a comment and star rating below to let me know how it went!
Homemade BBQ Rub
Ingredients
- 1½ teaspoons chili powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper optional, depending on how spicy you want it
- ¼ teaspoon swerve or ⅛ teaspoon stevia, optional
Instructions
- Measure each ingredient and add to a small dish. Use a spoon to mix together well, until fully combined.
- Transfer the mixture to an airtight container or mason jar with a lid. Store in a cool, dry space until you're ready to use it.
I made this! I replaced teaspoons with tablespoons, doubled the amounts and added a wee amount of Cumin and Turmeric. It was awesome, correction, it IS awesome.