What are you looking for in a BBQ rub.

This ought to be an interesting thread!
I don't build a recipe much. I started out my BBQ world making a rub that was equal parts salt, black pepper, paprika, brown sugar. I read this concoction somewhere and went with it. It worked good. Not the most flavorful though. To me, it doesn't have to be complicated just flavorful. Peppers and chilies are one of my favorite things. I got a BBQ rub made by a local restaurant and was told there were 5 different types of pepper in it. It was good too. To me, the pepper/chili you can include in a rub is what really makes it stand up. All of the other things have to be balanced in there too though.

I look for something different. I read all the ingredients and they all have the usual ingredients but I look for that one item that will make it pop and bring that new flavor

What are you looking for in a BBQ rub?

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Balance of the seasoning itself, pleasant flavor, some signature spices (which generally are not obvious at first taste) that create a subtle back-flavor, and overall balance of the seasoning when combined with the meat.

The first thing I look for in a seasoning formulation, whether it be in a dry rub, a sausage recipe, a topping, or to some degree a sauce.... is a balance in the ratio between salt and pepper. Too salty of a seasoning kills the deal for me. Next, I try and visualize if sugar is necessary for the application. Then I determine how well the seasoning uses a regional flavor footprint that is pleasant.... for example a southwestern BBQ rub for chicken verses an Italian seasoning footprint for sausage, verses an herbal footprint for a prime rib. Lastly I like one or two signature seasonings that tie a formulation together. Obviously the ratios are extremely important because the same main ingredients are common to many rubs. Here are some examples of how I might choose a seasoning:

Beef - I like salt, pepper, garlic, onion.... then maybe paprika, or chile powder... then some Worcestershire powder, and or a hint of heat.

Pork - I like salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, but also like white pepper, mustard powder and maybe a hint of rosemary (for a crown roast) or some spice if it's a sausage.

Grilled fish - I usually opt for something savory, herbal or even citrus (like lemon pepper or lemon slices), unless I'm going for a blackened or jerk style of profile.

Well, I don't like very much sweet on my Q. I prefer the savory and some heat. I love hot, hot on some foods but not on BBQ. Just enough for a little bit. I think that they should be fairly simple. To me the meat and the smoke have to be at the forefront of any Q. IMO

sarth67 said:

The heat profile also includes the location of where you feel the burn in your mouth. Here is a list of some of the most popular chiles and where to warn your mouth to be on the lookout for the burn!

• The Habanero – back of throat
• Ghost Pepper – back of throat
• Sunburst – mid-palate, moves to tongue and lips
• Poblano – side of tongue
• Tabasco – lips and tongue
• Jalapeno – tip of tongue, front of mouth
• Aji – tip of tongue
• Paprika – mid-palate
• Cayenne – front and middle of mouth
• Bird Pepper – dissipates on tongue and mouth, lingers on lips
• Rocoto – whole mouth, lips, mid-palate, throat
• Sataka – tip of tongue, front of mouth
• Trinidad Scorpion – back of throat

From https://www.maddog357.com/mouth-feel-burn/

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Was thinking supplementing rubs presently have. Sunburst and Bird Pepper have never had and sound interesting (like Cayenne). Some Thai and Indian foods have that subtle to hot mouth awaking that grows after the food is consumed. Wish I knew what spices cause that sensation.

I'm sure this will be somewhat controversial, but the one item that I disregard is any comments about MSG being / not being included. In fact, I've started to use a little Accent in my home rubs.

Apart from that, I really like Meat Church's Honey Hog, and I've been trying to replicate the flavor profile with Honey Powder. I'm a big fan of Cumin, so tend to be heavy-handed on Cumin for the sake of my own palate. I'm also heavy handed on the Paprika to get the beautiful color it provides.

Really interesting thread, cant wait to see the variety of responses.

I really notice that the quality and freshness of the spices used makes a huge difference. Any spice that can be purchased whole and fresh ground makes a big difference.

Good quality whole black pepper fresh ground (i remeber some Aaron Franklin video where he pre grinds and screens his pepper some number of days or hours before it goes on the meat)

For pre ground spices I find freshness is very important especially for paprika and chili powder.

My typical all purpose blend is
4:3:2:1:1
4 parts kosher salt
3 parts ground black pepper
2 parts sugar (various ratios of brown/white/raw/other sweetner)
1 part ground chillies (paprika/ancho/jalapeno)
1 part other (this is a mix of garlic/onion/etc)

I then often combine that rub with a flavor profile that fits the meat. More sugar and mustard powder for pork. More pepper for beef. More garlic and paprika for chicken.

Note - I don't do comps so I am not really.going for a consistent flavor profile

sarth67 said:

It could be
Szechuan Peppercorn

Szechuan peppercorns contain the molecule hydroxy-alpha-sanshool. Like capsaicin in chili peppers, it interacts with nerve cell receptors in your lips and mouth. (Researchers pinpointed the Meissner receptors.) It excites the touch sensors and the confusing sensation feels like numbness. The chemical triggers the receptors, causing them to fire a message to your brain that the area is being touched. With enough stimulation, it feels like the area has gone numb.


In most Indian foods

or most Anglo-Indian food (familiar to Americans and British) is in the form of "curries" which use a slow-cooked dairy base (butter, milk, and/or cheese), and are spiced with dried ground or whole chile peppers. As a result, when you first taste them the fat conceals the capsicum from your tongue, gradually revealing it as your saliva breaks it down. Hence the "slow burn". (I've tried to find a medical reference for this to link, but have not been able to yet).
So interaction with the fats covering the burn for a little bit

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Thank you so much. Will definitely try mixing this in with Cheyenne and then later perhaps some galic to existing rubs as enhancing to my taste.

Did google and this link provides some additional information about the Szechuan Peppercorn:
https://www.thespruceeats.com/szechuan-peppercorn-info-694248

I prefer more savory rubs typically. Pretty much all my long cook bbq now I mainly just use salt and pepper honestly.

I do use some sweeter rubs occasionally for chicken or pork but then I think the salt, sweet and heat should be balanced.

I feel like balance is the most important thing when building a rub recipe. I think some commercial rubs that I've tried and didn't like were too powerful with either salt or sweet.

Give Oak Ridge a try


Habinario Death Dust.


https://www.oakridgebbq.com/about-us/oakridge-bbq-competition-rubs-spices/

I don't make my own rubs. There are lots of killer commercial rubs to choose from.

My taste - I like savory, with a mix of spices that complements the meat and leaves me guessing as to what they are. :-D

The tired old saw flavor profile - "sweet, with a little back end heat" doesn't work for me. I don't like "sweet" in any of my meats. I save that for dessert.

Wide open world of tastes..................

Savoury for me too.
I mainly make my own rubs. I generally omit the salt. I salt seperately so I can use a lot of spice mixture if it's for me and a bit less strong for (most) other people.
Almost all will have chili's and garlic in it. Rest varies according to my mood

I started out with applying different things like Salt Pepper and Garlic Powder at the grill, then other tastes.
One day it hit me like a done hamburger on a bare foot off the grill, Mix them and shake once and get all that goodness at once.
So born was my signature "rub".

Flash forward and I still use the same stuff with a few refinements.
I like granulated Garlic and Onion. To me, it's like tiny flavor packets that pop open in the chew. Seems my crowd likes it too.

Something else I like to do is to mix my S-P-O-G, then grind them in a Mortor and Pestle into a consistent powder, and put that into a shaker or old seasoning bottle for use.
Seems to give the standard taste that wakes meat up in the mouth, without too much visual of the ingredients.
I like to use that particularly when I Sous Vide a chunk of Pork Loin.

For my ribs my group likes my Baby Back Ribs, with my "rub" mixed with Sweet Baby Rays, and I paint on thin layers that cook into the ribs.

But think about each flavor you like, then measure and blend to your personal taste. You can control each aspect of your own Signature Rub.
Personally, I tend to reduce the salt. But salt wakes up flavor. Maybe it expands the taste buds? All I know is if something seems to be missing, a touch of salt wakes it up.
Anything that adds heat needs to be about 1/2 the measurement of the standards. (1 tsp each of S-P-O-G, 1/2 tsp of heat. Adjust to taste from there) Several of mine are tea-tottlers about heat.