Texas Pulled Pork Rub

This Texas Pulled Pork Rub will amp up the flavor of smoked pork roasts. Make up a large batch and store it in your cupboard!

Sure, Texas is famous for its Brisket, but they have so much more going on in terms of barbecue. This Texas Style Pulled Pork Rub is the perfect balance of sweet and heat. This recipe makes enough for one pork shoulder. Remember to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in this recipe to suit your taste buds.

Ingredients:

• Brown sugar
• Paprika
• Smoked paprika (see note below)
• Chili powder
• Salt and black pepper
• Granulated onion (or onion powder)
• Mexican oregano (see note below)
• Granulated garlic
• Celery salt
• Cayenne pepper

Steps to Make Texas Pulled Pork Rub:

• Combine all pulled pork rub ingredients in a medium bowl. 
• To use: Transfer rub to a large metal shaker, and apply rub evenly to pork shoulder. You can coat the pork shoulder with mustard before using the rub—cook roast as directed.
• If making rub ahead of time, store it in an airtight container in the cupboard for up 6 months after preparation.
• Increase amounts called for in the recipe if cooking multiple pork roasts.

Notes on Spices:

1. Oregano: Most of us use oregano in our Italian or Greek-inspired dishes, but Mexican oregano is an entirely different herb. The Mediterranean variation that we are familiar with has a distinctly minty flavor, while Mexican oregano has more citrusy notes. Sure, you can substitute the former for the latter, but I’m not sure how it would work the other way around. So, to make a long story short. If you do not have Mexican oregano for this rub, use Mediterranean oregano instead.
2. Paprika: This Texas pulled pork rub recipe calls for two types of paprika: smoked and regular. Smoked paprika has a robust flavor that can overpower meats, particularly smoked meats. Combining the two helps balance the flavor. However, if you are partial to smoked paprika, you can increase the amount called for in the rub. 

Texas Pulled Pork Rub

Yes, Texas is famous for its Brisket, but there is so much more going on in terms of barbecue. This Texas Pulled Pork Rub is the perfect balance of sweet and heat. This recipe is the right amount for one pork roast. Remember to adjust the amount of cayenne pepper in this recipe to suit your taste buds.

Photo by: Sabrina Baksh

5 from 3 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Rubs

Cuisine: American BBQ

Keyword: pulled pork, pulled pork rub

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Total Time: 5 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/3 cup brown sugar
• 3 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons black pepper
• 1 tablespoon salt
• 2 teaspoons granulated onion
• 2 teaspoons Mexican oregano
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 1 teaspoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon celery salt
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper more as desired

Instructions

• Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl. To use: gently sprinkle rub onto roast making sure all surfaces are coated. What stick is all you'll need. Cook roast as directed.
• If making rub ahead of time, simply store in an airtight container in the cupboard for up 6 months after preparation. Increase amounts called for in recipe if cooking multiple roasts.

Notes

Things to think about with this recipe:

Oregano: Most of us use oregano in our Italian or Greek-inspired dishes, but Mexican oregano is an entirely different herb. First of all, the Mediterranean counterpart we are all familiar with has a distinctly minty flavor, while Mexican oregano has an almost citrus element. Sure, you can substitute the former for the latter, but I’m not sure how it would work the other way around. So, to make a long story short. If you do not have Mexican oregano for this rub, simply use Mediterranean oregano instead.

Not the Pulled Pork Rub you were looking for? Try looking at my list of the Best Pulled Pork Rub Recipes!