Good Grilling With Dry Rub Recipes

We’ve discussed a variety of ways to cook meat, including the reverse sear method, and the advantages of using cookware like cast iron, even on the grill, to get that delectable crust on the exterior of your meat. Now it’s time to talk about what ought to make up that crust. In this post, we’ll cover dry rubs: what goes into a dry rub, how you use it, and why you should apply a dry rub to nearly every piece of meat you put on the grill.

What Is a Dry Rub?

A dry rub is simple: It’s a combination of  spices, herbs, and seasonings. Apply it to your meat by sprinkling it on and patting it down. You don’t actually need to rub it into the meat, but be sure all surfaces are covered. While most recipes make a fairly large quantity of dry rub, you won’t use it all unless you’re grilling a side of beef or multiple whole chickens.

Dry rubs are ideal for  pork and chicken, which don’t have as much distinct flavor as cuts of beef. However, you can also use a dry rub with milder flavors for fish, and a simple combination of sugar, salt, and pepper for beef. Depending on the cut of beef you’re grilling, you may prefer to enjoy the natural flavor of the meat, or amp it up with a dry rub.

Dry Rub vs. Marinade

You may be wondering why you’d use a dry rub when you could marinate your meat instead. The choice between a marinade and a rub depends on whether you are cooking with dry heat or wet heat. We discussed the differences in a previous post about cooking different  cuts of beef.

To recap, wet heat is used for tougher cuts of beef. That’s also when a marinade comes in handy, as it’s intended to help tenderize the meat before cooking. Cuts that are suited for dry heat are more tender. They’re perfect for a dry rub. The same is true for  pork. Pork shoulder is tougher than pork tenderloin. Therefore, it’s better to use a dry rub on pork tenderloin and grill it, while pork shoulder can be marinated and braised. Likewise, if you’re grilling chicken breast, use a dry rub. A marinade will turn it to mush.

Remember that when you want a good sear on the exterior of your meat, you want to eliminate as much moisture as possible. A marinade  adds moisture in addition to flavor; the moisture will inhibit the formation of that sought-after crust. A dry rub promotes the caramelization you want, along with adding flavor.

Elements of a Dry Rub

Since a dry rub is about both flavor and texture, you shouldn’t be surprised to learn that key elements of a rub don’t just include herbs and spices. In fact, sugar makes up a big part of a dry rub.  Bon Appetit notes that when you start with sugar and salt, you can add nearly anything else you want to a rub.

However, if you’re going to get creative, we advise following the roadmap laid out by Serious Eats. It will help make sure you’ve got all the components to incorporate a range of flavors, while keeping you from adding a dash of everything in your spice cabinet.

As noted earlier,  salt and sugar are the foundation of a dry rub. You can try various kinds of sugar -- white, brown, turbinado, muscovado -- but make sure they are dry. Don’t use honey or molasses in a dry rub. Likewise, experiment with different salts, like garlic salt, seasoned salt, celery salt, or dozens of others.

Dry rubs also typically include pepper. Go for ground black pepper if you aren’t sure about the  level of heat you want. Otherwise, you can get creative with chile powder, chipotle powder, or even a dash of cayenne.

Finally,  Serious Eats calls for a transition spice and a signature spice. We like how they explain each of these additions to make them part of a formula, which keeps creative cooks on track.

The  transition spice “blends together” the base of the rub -- the salt, sugar, and pepper. It’s more distinct than the low-key flavors of the base. Serious Eats suggests spices like garlic or onion powder, cumin, curry, paprika, or mustard powder. We would add a caveat regarding paprika, which is often used to add color, but not much flavor. If you’re building a rub with paprika as a transition spice, try smoked paprika, which has a deep distinct flavor that will complement your base well.

The  signature spice is your secret ingredient. It’s usually present in smaller amounts, and it might be a spice that’s a bit unusual or unexpected. Serious Eats proposes thyme or celery seed. You might also try rosemary, coriander, or fennel.

As you combine ingredients for your custom dry rub, remember this guidance from  Spices Inc.: You’ll need about a tablespoon of rub per pound of meat. If you have extra rub left over, seal it in a jar to use next time you grill. Keep a record of what ingredients you used and in what quantities, so that you can tweak your recipe or replicate it, depending on how delicious it turns out to be.

Dry Rub Recipes

If you’re not quite ready to start experimenting with your own dry rubs, we found three highly-recommended recipes to share. The first is from Brooklyn chef Joe Carroll via Food & Wine, and it comes from his book Feeding the Fire. According to  Food & Wine, this rub is the only one Carroll uses. Naturally, it calls for dark brown sugar and kosher salt and ground black pepper. But there’s also a hefty dose of ground espresso beans, plus some garlic powder, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne. We’re intrigued!

The next one is from the opposite end of the grilling spectrum. It’s the creation of  Meathead Goldwyn, Memphis barbecue expert. His Memphis Dust dry rub recipe is legendary. Surprisingly enough, there’s no salt in it, but we’re not going to question him. Instead, combine dark brown sugar, white sugar, paprika (not smoked), ground black pepper, garlic powder, ginger powder, onion powder, and ground rosemary to make this rub, and then pat it onto a slab of ribs.

We especially appreciate how Meathead explains the  reason for sugar in his recipe, and breaks down just how much sugar you’ll be eating if you consume half a rack of ribs. One teaspoon, that’s all. Most of us put more sugar than that into a cup of coffee. He recommends reducing or eliminating barbecue sauce if you’re concerned about sugar intake, which is right on target. As the saying goes, we smell what Meathead’s cooking.

Finally, we found a dry rub recipe that’s especially for pork and chicken. Check out this combination from  Hey Grill, Hey. It’s got dark brown sugar, sea salt, black pepper, smoked paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, mustard powder, and cayenne. Pat it onto chicken breasts or thighs, or coat a pork tenderloin with it. We bet you’ll be amazed by the flavor and texture it adds.