Favorite BBQ Rubs/Sauces

[Etexhorn13 3045]

What do y’all use? Outside of the basic salt and pepper for brisket or beef ribs, I like to mix it up when smoking pork/chicken/turkey. I’ve been trying to find the best mix of run/sauce for ribs and pork butt specifically. Tired of making my own vinegar sauce for pork butts. 
 

For pulled pork, I really like Killens BBQ rub, and Franklins tangy/vinegary sauce is just about perfect. For ribs, I love Killer Hogs Hot Rub and then mixing it with a sweeter sauce to balance it all out. Terry Blacks is what I used today. What are y’all using?

[CycleTex87 2967]

Pork I usually start off with salt pepper brown sugar and paprika, then go from there with cumin, dry mustard, red pepper etc. for whatever nuances. Generally sweeter for pork.  

[Etexhorn13 3045]

These are some of my currently favorites for pork or turkey/chicken. The Terry Blacks stuff gives a lot of nice flavor to poultry. 

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[dcbc 14471]

For brisket and beef ribs, I do about 2/3 Pepper to 1/3 salt with a bit of cayenne thrown in there.

For pork ribs, 

1/4 Cup Paprika

1.5 T Ground Black Pepper (or more to taste)

1.5 T Brown Sugar

1 T Coarse Salt (or more to taste)

1.5 tsp Celery Salt (or Nature’s Seasons)

1.5 tsp cayenne pepper

1..5 tsp garlic powder

1.5 tsp dry mustard

1.5 tsp cumin

I follow the Franklin rub for pork shoulder.

[Dutch 4465]

The “Mr Brown” rub from Virtual Weber Bullet works really well on pork shoulder:

- 1/4c course black pepper

- 1/4c turbinado sugar

- 1/4c paprika (I use smoked paprika)

- 2T kosher salt (he calls for table salt, but we all know kosher salt>>> table salt for barbecue)

- 2t mustard powder

- 1t cayenne powder

Rub, wrap tightly in Saran Wrap over night, add a bid more right before throwing it in the smoker. It produces a nice flavorful bark. Of all the rub combos I’ve tried, I like this one best. 

[RollLeft 5044]

salt/pepper

[hornian 5212]

For my sauce, I try to emulate the City Market sauce (from Luling). I have a recipe somewhere but I literally need to dig it up. 
 

Here it is, in my chicken scratch:

[DalTxHornFan 3101]

13 minutes ago, RollLeft said:

salt/pepper

^This, and perhaps some garlic powder with pork or poultry.

[Etexhorn13 3045]

7 minutes ago, hornian said:

For my sauce, I try to emulate the City Market sauce (from Luling). I have a recipe somewhere but I literally need to dig it up. 
 

Here it is, in my chicken scratch:

This is kinda the thing I’m looking for. When it comes to beef, I only use S+P (and maybe some onion powder), it just seems like pork always needs a little something extra. For the mass of a pork shoulder, only seasoning the outside leaves a hell of a lot of meat needing some type of flavor IMO. 
 

I guess I should add I’m smoking on a Kamado, so maybe there’s more smoke flavor on an offset, but it just seems like a pork butt needs something more coming off my smoker. As far as ribs, I use different ribs/sauces just about every other time so I am down to experiment, but that Killer hogs stuff really is delicious. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Etexhorn13

[Hairy Biped 586]

For brisket and other beef I do a dry brine that's 2 parts course kosher salt, 1/2 part onion powder and 1/2 part garlic powder.  I also make a 3 pepper blend with 2 parts course black pepper, 1/2 part red flake pepper and 1/2 chipotle or cayenne pepper(your preference).  When applying, the brine mix goes on first and then the pepper mix, both in equal proportions.  They are applied when the meat is first out of the refrigerator and allowed to set up as the internal temp of the meat climbs to as close to room temp as possible before going on the smoker/grill.

For pork ribs, pork tenderloin and pulled pork I use a rub consisting of 1/4 cup light brown sugar, 1 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp ground cayenne pepper, 1 tsp chili powder, 1 tbsp kosher salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, 1 tsp onion powder and 1/2 tsp ground black pepper.  On the ribs, after smoking 2.5 to 3 hours, depending on the bark, I place them in foil, meat side down, on a bed of brown sugar and a half a stick of butter cut up into 4 or 5 chunks and spread out on the sugar.  Then wrap tight and smoke another 1.5 to 2 hours wrapped, still meat side down.  Then when pretty much done, take them out of the foil and apply a little more of the rub to the meat side and cook them meat side up until the crust reforms.

For chicken I use 2 tablespoons paprika, 1 tablespoon kosher salt, 4 teaspoons dark brown sugar, 1 1/2 teaspoons granulated garlic, 1 teaspoon celery salt, 1 teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon onion powder, 1/2 teaspoons dried thyme, 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano, 1/2 teaspoons mustard powder, 1/2 teaspoon celery seed and 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper.  I usually add one tablespoon of baking powder to help crisp up the skin so it's not rubbery, especially on wings, but you could cook without it too, especially if cooking at 325 or more.

Sorry for the novel.

[CooterBrown 18006]

For my sauce, I try to emulate the City Market sauce (from Luling). I have a recipe somewhere but I literally need to dig it up. 
 
Here it is, in my chicken scratch:

25 cups of brown sugar?

[hornian 5212]

2 minutes ago, CooterBrown said:

25 cups of brown sugar?

There’s a decimal after the 2.  But make it your way and report back. 

[Etexhorn13 3045]

For pork shoulder, does the sugar penetrate the meat at all? Today was the first time I’d actually tried a couple bites before adding some sauce after the shredding, and I realized it needed a good bit more salt and perhaps the vinegar or something else to give it some kick. Sad to say I’ve never actually done that before adding some sauce, but it made me realize that pork butts are too big a piece of meat to just season the outside. 
edit to add: I’m very much a novice in that I’ve only been smoking meat for about 6 months... be gentle. 

Edited March 1, 2021 by Etexhorn13

[Hairy Biped 586]

2 minutes ago, Etexhorn13 said:

For pork shoulder, does the sugar penetrate the meat at all? Today was the first time I’d actually tried a couple bites before adding some sauce after the shredding, and I realized it needed a good bit more salt and perhaps the vinegar or something else to give it some kick. Sad to say I’ve never actually done that before adding some sauce, but it made me realize that pork butts are too big a piece of meat to just season the outside. 

For a big hunk of meat like a pork shoulder or a brisket, go heavy on the rub.  A big piece of meat can take plenty of seasoning and the salt and pepper helps create the bark.  That's why you use course salt and pepper.  With pulled pork I always do a sauce too.  Pork dries out way too fast to not at least have a sauce as an option.  Some people mix the sauce into the shredded meat, but I usually add it as needed on my sandwich or taco or however I'm eating it.

[Rholl 217]

1 hour ago, Etexhorn13 said:

For pork shoulder, does the sugar penetrate the meat at all? Today was the first time I’d actually tried a couple bites before adding some sauce after the shredding, and I realized it needed a good bit more salt and perhaps the vinegar or something else to give it some kick. Sad to say I’ve never actually done that before adding some sauce, but it made me realize that pork butts are too big a piece of meat to just season the outside. 
edit to add: I’m very much a novice in that I’ve only been smoking meat for about 6 months... be gentle. 

try this .... after you get the pork all pulled,  dust the whole thing with whatever rub you used to start with then give it a good stir and let it sit.... also if you arent wrapping or somehow catching all the drippings.... do that and pour it right back into your pulled pork.

[ouflak 60]

This is the only proper one I can get here in the UK - imported from Texas. All of the others are basically a BBQ flavored English Brown sauce (not necessarily bad at all, but not truly BBQ sauce).

[Jerry Callo 8700]

I make a sauce similar to Louis Mueller when I smoke beef ribs.  More of a thin dipping sauce than a barbecue sauce - tends to balance out the fattiness of the ribs.

This is the large recipe that I usually cut in half:

1 qt ketchup

3 qts water

2 onions diced

2 beef bullion cubes 

2 Tbs salt

1/2 c black pepper

Boil for 30-40 minutes to reduce; simmer another 30 minutes or so.  

 

[Dutch 4465]

40 minutes ago, ouflak said:

This is the only proper one I can get here in the UK - imported from Texas. All of the others are basically a BBQ flavored English Brown sauce (not necessarily bad at all, but not truly BBQ sauce).

That's a good one.  I don't always use barbecue sauce.  But when I do, I reach for Stubb's.

[4th&Five 41525]

My go to for ribs lately 

[pearlandhorn 3269]

I'm a fan of all the killer hogs seasonings.  Just found the Hot rub at Bucee's and put it on a pork tenderloin cook last week.  Was absolutely fantastic for pork.

For beef (brisket and ribs and steak), I only use kosher salt and coarse black pepper.  Kirklands/Costco pepper is very good.  Killer hogs makes a brisket rub that I'll put on ribeyes that is 99% salt and coarse pepper.

Edited March 1, 2021 by pearlandhorn

[Hpara759 1778]

put a bit of this on all my pork I do....careful though it has a bite!

[Smax 3800]

I use this on pork ribs

 

 

[After irth 1243]

On 3/1/2021 at 12:42 AM, Etexhorn13 said:

For pork shoulder, does the sugar penetrate the meat at all? Today was the first time I’d actually tried a couple bites before adding some sauce after the shredding, and I realized it needed a good bit more salt and perhaps the vinegar or something else to give it some kick. Sad to say I’ve never actually done that before adding some sauce, but it made me realize that pork butts are too big a piece of meat to just season the outside. 
edit to add: I’m very much a novice in that I’ve only been smoking meat for about 6 months... be gentle. 

I brine my Pork Shoulder in a molasses brine, then add a mustard slather, then a homemade rub. Seasoned throughout every time. 

[Spur08 382]

Oakridge makes some legit rubs for sure. Their carne crosta on steaks is freaking amazing

[cknight 184]

I’m a big fan of Young Bucks brisket rub; gives a great bark. I haven’t tried their pork seasoning though

[Royal With Cheese 3]

Best marinade ever.

 

Sweetwater Spice Company