If you’re new to low and slow barbecue, I suggest starting with this basic pork rub.
This rub recipe has all the key ingredients for a perfectly flavored pulled pork and is also great on ribs. This recipe makes enough rub for one 4-pound roast or 2 racks of baby back ribs. We also use this rub on chops!
Basic pork rub ingredients
- Dark brown sugar
- Coarse salt: kosher or sea salt
- Chili Powder
- Mustard powder (sub with horseradish powder, though it will increase the overall spiciness of the basic pork rub)
- Black pepper (16-mesh)
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
How to make a basic pork rub
- Whisk together rub ingredients in a small bowl.
- Brown sugar and mustard powder tend to clump, so be aware when combining the rub.
- For a finer dust rub, place all the ingredients into a spice grinder or food processor and pulse the mixture until it reaches desired consistency.
Using a the rub
- Apply the mixture evenly to to ribs or pork roast—cook as directed.
- Discard any rub that has come into contact with raw meat.
- Double or triple basic pork rub recipe to have on hand. Store in a glass jar or airtight container in the cupboard for up to 6 months. Check on it periodically to ensure the brown sugar hasn’t dried up. Give it a good stir, seal the container, and place it back in the cupboard.
Try this rub on these delicious recipes!
Looking for more ideas? See my list of the best BBQ Pork Rib Rubs or my list of the Best Rubs for Pulled Pork.
Basic Pork Rub
If you're new to low and slow barbecue, I suggest starting off with this rub. It has all the key ingredients for a perfectly flavored pulled pork. It's also great on ribs. This recipe makes enough rub for 1 pork roast or 2 large racks of ribs.
Print PinServings: 1 Cup
Calories: 294kcal
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon chili powder mild
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
Instructions
- Combine ingredients in a bowl. Brown sugar and mustard powder tend to clump, so be aware of that when combining the rub. Apply mixture all over the pork roast making sure that it is well coated. Cook pork as directed.
- Discard any rub that has come into contact with raw meat.
- Double or triple the recipe to have on hand. Store in a glass jar or airtight container in the cupboard for up to 6 months. Check in on it periodically to make sure the brown sugar hasn't dried out. If not, give it a good stir, seal container, and place back in the cupboard.
Notes
Photo by: Sabrina Baksh
Nutrition
Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 66g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 10616mg | Potassium: 392mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 55g | Vitamin A: 2396IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 125mg | Iron: 3mg
Apply your Rub Right
Apply your spice rubs like a professional with a spice shaker (aka Dredge). This one from Winware has a heavy build, is machine washable, and holds plenty of spice rub. Plus it costs about $7. Just make sure you don’t use this to store your rubs. It isn’t airtight.
