RUBS: Why do you do store-bought rather than home made?

cayenne

cayenne

is one Smokin' Farker
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Hi all,

I'm so happy to be back after many years gone from the forum. I've been reading a LOT...even back threads.

One thing that has struck me, and I don't think I saw it nearly as much back in my old days here....but SO many people are saying they're using this or than store bought spice mix as a rub.

Being that rubs, for the most part as "I" understand them...are pretty simple ingredients....and could very readily be constructed, generally at a MUCH lower price per volume yourself.

I mean, the basic of most all of them...salt and black pepper.

And on top of that, most add maybe things from the list of:
chili powder or a single ground chile
garlic powder or granulated garlic
paprika
sugar in some instances

and maybe a few more things....

What I'm getting at is....it really shouldn't be rocket surgery to play with seasonings a few times and come up with what suits you best.

Me? I did start with a couple store bought decades ago...and tasted them and pretty much figured out what they had.
Over the years, I got lazy and I just do the basic same thing on all my beef and pork:

Black Pepper
Kosher Salt
Granulated Garlic
Chili Powder

And really, that's about it...I don't measure...I buy bulk spices at Costco/Sams and I just sprinkle each on the meat and then rub it around till mixed and sticky on the meat.


Mind you, I'm not even wanting to attempt to bad mouth anyone that buys store bought....especially if you're wanting to taste and figure out what's in there.

But seeing that most of this is so simple, I'm curious why so many seem to regularly use store bought rubs.....

Thoughts? Comments? Is it too early in the morning for a beer....?

;)

Thank you in advance,

cayenne
 
It's about convenience for me. I make my own SPOG and a sugar free rub, but sometimes I just don't want to mess with buying 6 or 7 spices to mix up a big batch of rub for when I cook 1 baby back rib. So I'll buy a premade one that I know I like.
 
For me, a couple of reasons:

1 - I don't have a good enough palette to determine what's inside each commercial rub. My taste buds are basically "yep, that's good!" or "no, I don't like that" or "Hmm, that would taste good with XYZ rub".

2 - I figure that the guys making commercial rubs have gone through a lot more taste-testing process than I have.

3 - I trust them (for the most part), to keep the recipe consistent. There are definitely cases when a recipe changes, and that usually means I need to find a replacement, but those cases are relatively uncommon.
 
I like trying different rubs/seasonings on different meats. I don't use the same rub all the time because I think it would be boring. Every time I go in a store I usually cruise the seasonings to see if there is something new there I might want to try. I'm not about to try to keep a multitude of bulk spices on hand to mix up different things as I go. I do have a large jar labeled simply "rub". It is a combination of all the rubs I have tried and not used all of. They just get dumped in the rub jar and used on butts for pulled pork. Of course, it can never be duplicated. Just part of the fun of cooking meat with fire to me.
 
I have both. What homemade rubs I have are small quantities of standard spices. I also have some commercial rubs from Oakridge on recommendations from the Brethren. I can tell you they're far more complex than just SPOG.
 
I've said the same thing here many times. And trust me, very few even care about it. Personally, I have over 50 spices:
RubRack.jpg

I take a ton of pride in my seasonings and homemade rubs, and regard them as a major part of my cooks. I think it just boils down to passion. You have some who treat every little piece of a cook with passion, and at the other end are the ones who are just following a "trend," buying a cooker and watching YT and taking notes, and copying what they see step by step rather than actually caring. And everything in between those two. No offense to anyone, just how it is, like everything else in this modern, pathetic world. You can have three people make the exact same recipe, one will seem to miss something, one will be OK, and one will be much better than the rest. It's all in the passion.
 
A lot of the spices are used in small quantities so, they tend to add up in terms of expense. Then there is the issue of them going stale before they are all used up.

Sure, a rub or spice blend from someone else is relatively expensive but, when you add up all the lost spices they add up too!
 
I do both, but I can see two advantages to 'commercial' rubs...

1. A ton of research goes into the development of these rubs, so the chance of a successful blend is more likely
2. I tend to buy from smaller companies (Oakridge when they were still around, Plowboys, Simply Marvelous, etc) so I am helping a fellow BBQer with his/her small business.
 
I've checked the ingredients of a lot of commercial rubs, always the same ones...I'm sure in different proportions but how much different can they be?

I use a basic home brewed rub depending on whats in the cabinet, sometimes I add something else depending on what I'm cooking, I'm not looking for a taste sensation from the rub, just accentuate the meat, I like the flavor of the meat, I don't need it covered up, or so blistering spicy hot I can't feel my lips....:grin:
 
That much difference?

I've started reading some of the comments here (Thank you for the response so far)....

And it came to my mind....on a brisket for example, something that is on the cooker, smoking for 9-16+ hours.....

When you've cooked it rested it....and finally sliced into it.

Can you honestly tell the difference between commercial rub #1 and #2....vs say just home done with plain salt and pepper or maybe plus a couple other ingredients?

I would think it would have to take a super taster to taste the difference if you had two or 3 identically cooked large pieces of meat like a brisket....where the only variable was commercial rub #1 vs commercial rub #2 vs just salt and pepper?

Can ya'll taste the difference? Honestly?

If not....it would seem to me that many are spending a lot more money that is needed, since the primary flavor of the end product is meat + wood/smoke....

Anyway, just a thought that occurred to me after posting and then reading some results.

I can't imagine rub #1 that has salt, pepper and maybe ground ancho is going to taste any different in a blind test where rub #2 has salt, pepper, mixed dried chiles plus a touch of cumin.....you know?

cayenne
 
Exactly....I tend to agree that after a long cook the flavor of the rub would be indistinct, but as always YMMV....
I'm sure some folks are super tasters and can probably taste a difference, the rest of us, not so much...

I have no problem with commercial rubs, in fact I will often use just Lawrys for a quick cook....same spices , lol
 
Smoke & Salt is my focus for flavor when smoking during long cooks on my pit. For me, getting the salt content perfect can make or break a brisket or rib cook. I chronically under salted my first 20 briskets I cooked. I went to Texas on a “brisket tour” and realized how much I was under salting. The only way to control that is putting the salt on separately or using the same commercial rub every cook to get the salt amount dialed in. If switching between commercial rubs, it makes it tougher to be consistent with the salt application. For all my cooks now, I layer my salt first then pepper, and other spices one layer at a time.

In my opinion, Meat Church’s rubs are salty, and that’s why I think it’s such a popular rub with good results since it’s hard to under salt with his products. At the end of a long smoke, most people can only predominantly taste the salt and smoke on the finished product (unless there’s hearty and fragrant spices like cinnamon, ginger, oregano, etc.).

For grilling where the spices don’t smoke/cook off, I prefer commercial or all purpose rubs. I have two bags of Oakridge Santa Maria left and I’ve been trying to formulate a replica but haven’t had much luck.
 
Last edited:
cayenne said:
Can you honestly tell the difference between commercial rub #1 and #2....vs say just home done with plain salt and pepper or maybe plus a couple other ingredients?

I would think it would have to take a super taster to taste the difference if you had two or 3 identically cooked large pieces of meat like a brisket....where the only variable was commercial rub #1 vs commercial rub #2 vs just salt and pepper?

Can ya'll taste the difference? Honestly?
Click to expand...
Depends on the rub. As an example, a LOT of people love Oakridge Dominator rib rub, I bought a small packet to try out. Took a bite out of the rib and ended up throwing the whole rack away and ordered pizza. Cinnamon in the rub, to me it was horrendous, sent it to my nephew, he loved it. Lots of people love Simply Marvelous Cherry rub & Spicy Apple rub, two more I don't care for. A lot of other rubs there are small noticeable differences.

I have way too many rubs in my cupboards that I need to get through before I buy more. But there are a few favorites that I make sure I'm never without. For me it's easier to buy something that someone has tested out rather than be buying a whole bunch of spices and trying to mix something up.
 
Use to make my own rubs. Found a couple made by Nantucket Offshore years ago that I really liked until they went OOB. Went back to making my own.

The past couple years have tried a few pre-mixed rubs from Naturiffic, Plowboys Yardbird, and Simply Marvelous Santa Maria. They are all very good, but you have to be careful to not overdue seasoning with them because of the salt in them. When making your own rubs, you control the salt. Not just the amount...the quality also.
 
I do both.
My home made butt and brisket rubs kick @ss. Sometimes I just don't feel like making them.
There's a bunch of Oakridge rubs that I have secreted away that I really like, and frankly don't think I would be able to duplicate.
Some ingredients can be a little tough to find too.
 
When I started out- I liked to "make my own rubs"- and they (mostly) turned out ok. The problem was I did "a little of this and some of that" and never did it scientifically or even measured it every time. So, if I made a good rub, the chances of me duplicating it was iffy at best. The small containers of spices were expensive, took up room in my cabinets and lost their zip before getting used up. I have a couple of commercial rubs- and some SPOG. Ok- that's boring- fine. Maybe when I get tired of the same ole, I will change it up.
 
If I wanted my food to be consistent every single time, day after day, month After months ànd year to year I could do that, on everything every time

2BP1KL
50% coarse Black pepper
25% Kosher salt
25% Lawry's Seasoned Salt

Id also be bored out of my skull. I cook for two, but almost every day. Outside, inside, reheat. But consistency in taste isn't necessarily my main goal. Just good food, different taste is fine
I thoroughly enjoy cooking with different commercial rubs. I've slowed way down in purchasing commercial rubs and using what I have. Which is plenty.

I'm same way with hot sauces, salsas and well "liquid seasonings" too
I've watched several old school Pit masters who season their meats with just smoke, others salt and smoke. I prefer smoked earthy as opposed to sweet and bright. Dim dem dam lights.

Individualism is alive and well in our hobby. I have been experimenting with smoked salts.
 
BackYardRob said:
I've said the same thing here many times. And trust me, very few even care about it. Personally, I have over 50 spices:
View attachment 209475

I take a ton of pride in my seasonings and homemade rubs, and regard them as a major part of my cooks. I think it just boils down to passion. You have some who treat every little piece of a cook with passion, and at the other end are the ones who are just following a "trend," buying a cooker and watching YT and taking notes, and copying what they see step by step rather than actually caring. And everything in between those two. No offense to anyone, just how it is, like everything else in this modern, pathetic world. You can have three people make the exact same recipe, one will seem to miss something, one will be OK, and one will be much better than the rest. It's all in the passion.
Click to expand...

Modern, pathetic world???? Well, aren't you just a little ray of sunshine!
Like The Reverend Billy Ray Collins used to say, "Well now. He don't think too much of hisself, does he?"
 
Been there done that, can’t beat the store bought rubs that I like.

Making my owns rubs so I can beat my chest but not being better than I can buy, is not a hill I’m willing to die on…
 
I’ve gone back to making my own rubs for the most part. Once 14 oz jars of rub crossed the $10 line it just seems like too much to pay for salt, spice and sugar combos.
 
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