This is my standard BBQ rub recipe that I use when making anything pork related that requires a rub. With all my rubs, I like to pre-portion them based on what I’m making.
I’ll use a small jelly jar with holes poked into the lid for a couple of racks of ribs. I’ll typically use 2 on a butt or shoulder. For whole hog, I scale this recipe up to about a half-gallon sized batch. That pre-planning helps me be consistent in the amount of rub I’m using for a particular cut. It also prevents any cross-contamination or having rub left over in a vessel that has raw pork bacteria on it. This method allows me to use what’s in the jar, then thrown that in the dishwasher for a refill later.
You can use any binder you like before the BBQ rub, or simply rub this on raw. I prefer mustard or mayo. Neither choice imparts too much additional flavor into the meat, but both are great for holding the rub in place. Mustard complements this rub in the flavor, while mayo adds some fat, but also tends to provide slightly more moisture. 95% of the binder flavor goes away through the smoke, the rub, and sauce you choose to finish with.
Eastern NC BBQ Rub
Equipment
- 3 Small Jelly Jars
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar
- 1/4 cup Paprika
- 1/4 cup Kosher or Sea Salt
- 2 tbsp. Chipotle Pepper (powdered)
- 1 tbsp. Cayenne Pepper (powdered)
- 1 tbsp. Black Pepper
- 1 tbsp. Onion (powdered)
Instructions
The Rub Ingredients and Portioning
- Mix all ingredients in a bowl until they are well blended and you have a homogenous color throughout the mixture. Be selective with the Cayenne. If you like less spice, you can remove this completely.1 1/2 cups Brown Sugar, 1/4 cup Paprika, 1/4 cup Kosher or Sea Salt, 2 tbsp. Chipotle Pepper (powdered), 1 tbsp. Cayenne Pepper (powdered), 1 tbsp. Black Pepper, 1 tbsp. Onion (powdered)
- Pour into three small jelly jars for one-time portions.
- Seal the jars you are not using with standard jelly jar lids and rings.
- Take one jelly jar lid and poke 10-15 small nail holes in the lid for easy sprinkling.
- Label the remaining jars with today's date. These keep well for up to 6 months.
Preparing the BBQ Rub Application (12-36 hours before smoking)
- Lay out several layers of plastic wrap on your work surface. I lay out 3 rows of wrap on the counter about 3 feet long that overlap about 6 inches each row.
- Place your meat about 1/3 of the way over to the left or right side of your plastic wrap canvas that you just created.
Adding the Binder
- First, coat your meat with your binder of choice. (I normally use a slim coating of either yellow mustard or lite mayonnaise.)
Adding the BBQ Rub to the Meat
- Sprinkle the rub across your meat evenly, and gently pat the rub into the binder to make sure it sticks. Use an entire jelly jar for ribs, and at least one, if not two for a shoulder or butt.
- Flip the meat on all sides so that every “nook and cranny” is evenly coated with your rub.
- Whether you’re a “fat on top” smoker or a “fat on bottom” smoker, I always put any extra rub remaining on the top of my meat. This allows the rub to stay on the meat longer and have more surface contact with the meat throughout the smoke.
Cleanup and Flavor Absorption of the Rub
- Once all your rub is in place and you’ve patted it all down securely, take the short side of your plastic wrap layers and pull it over the meat. It won’t go all the way, but it will start the process and give you a clean surface to roll from.
- Place your hands under the plastic wrap and just roll or fold the meat over to the remaining plastic wrap. Bring in all the sides of the wrap until you have a tight bundle around your meat, binder, and rub. It’s 100% okay if the binder and rub end up on the plastic wrap.
- Place your meat in a bowl or tray at the bottom of your refrigerator for up to 36 hours before smoking. The rub will pull some of the inner moisture to the outside during this process. That moisture will also come through the plastic wrap, so make sure you place this in a vessel that can keep your fridge clean if there is some leakage.