Juancho's BBQ: Juancho's BBQ Dry Rubs

Join Juancho on his backyard BBQ adventures and discover a safe, sure and easy way to barbecue with optimum results - It's relaxing, it's fun, and it's absolutely delicious!!!

Dry rub, your Granny already used it to season the meat. In its basic form, a dry rub is the combination of salt and pepper that millions of cooks rub in their meat every day.

Of course, certain cuts of meat should be kept natural. No need to change the beautiful taste of a good steak by adding herbs and spices. Just some freshly ground seasalt and black pepper, that's it. (OK, we make an exception for Korean Ribeye…)

However, not all cuts of meat are created equal. Not all meat is tender and juicy like a Black Angus fillet steak. Fortunately, the less tender and less juicy cuts of meat can be very tasty, and they are less expensive, or at least tend to be. And here's where opportunities lure. Opportunities to achieve something extraordinary.

It is very satisfying to take a relatively simple and cheap cut of meat and turn it into a mouthwatering experience. You can do it. On the barbecue. Not by grilling over a hot fire, but by letting it cook slowly near a slow and smoky fire, while you improve taste and tenderness by adding herbs and spices, and some tricks.

One way to improve the taste of meat, or to give it just the extra bit of taste that you like best, is by rubbing a mix of dry herbs and spices onto the meat. This can be done just before you put the meat on the grill.

You can include any combination of herbs and spices in your rub, as long as they come in a dry powder or granulated form. The trick is to find the right combination of flavours while keeping the salt content just right.

Here are a few of our favourite dry rubs:

Juanita's BBQ Rub USA #1

Surprise friend and foe with a true American taste. We have been using this rub once or twice a month for two years now, and it is an absolute winner, especially on chicken or pork. My wife Juanita developed this rub using a recipe from one of Steven Raichlen's wonderful barbecue cookbooks as a starting point.
Save time and make an extra large quantity because you will want to use it again soon!

4 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
4 Tablespoons Sweet Paprika Powder
4 Tablespoons Seasalt (no iodine)
3 Tablespoons Coarsly Ground Black Pepper
1 Teaspoon Cayenne Pepper
2 Teaspoons Garlic Powder
2 Teaspoons Onion Powder

Put all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and mix thoroughly. Break any lumps of brown sugar using the back of a spoon.

Use about 1½ to 2 tablespoons of rub for every 2 pounds (±1 kilo) of meat.

The above will yield about 1 cup of dry rub. Put the remaining rub, if any, in an airtight jar or zip-lock bag. Stored in a cool and dark place it will keep for months.

Juancho's BBQ Easy Rib Rub
This easy rub will do magic on your pork spare ribs. It was inspired by the recipe for "Falls County Easy Pork Ribs" in the Legends of Texas Barbecue Cookbook by Robb Walsh. I adjusted the original recipe by bringing down the salt content, and on request of my kids I made it sweeter.

8 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
3 Tablespoons Seasalt (no iodine)
4 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons Coarsly Ground Black Pepper

Put all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and mix thoroughly. Break any lumps of brown sugar using the back of a spoon.

Use about 1½ to 2 tablespoons of rub for every 2 pounds (±1 kilo) of meat.

The above will yield about 1½ cup of dry rub. Put the remaining rub, if any, in an airtight jar or zip-lock bag. Stored in a cool and dark place it will keep for months.

Juancho's BBQ Mustard Rub
Barbecue is more art than science. And a really relaxing way to get through your week-end. While your kettle grill stands there smoking for a couple of hours you have plenty of time to have a drink and to chew over your sins.

It was during such considerations that I realized that I love pork with mustard. The resulting mix has become one of the family's favourites, we use it on all kinds of meat.

8 Tablespoons Brown Sugar (firmly packed)
3 Tablespoons Seasalt (no iodine)
4 Tablespoons Garlic Powder
4 Tablespoons Coarsly Ground Black Pepper
4 Tablespoons Ground Mustard Seed

Put all ingredients in a non-reactive bowl and mix thoroughly. Break any lumps of brown sugar using the back of a spoon.

Use about 2 to 3 tablespoons of rub for every 2 pounds (±1 kilo) of pork ribs or chicken, more on thicker cuts like a Boston butt or pork shoulder.

The above will yield about 1½ cup of dry rub. Put the remaining rub, if any, in an airtight jar or zip-lock bag. Stored in a cool and dark place it will keep for months.

Keep smokin' - More to come...

Thanks for reading, leave a comment.