Unlike most BBQ ribs you’ll come across that are dripping in sauce, this recipe shows you how to whip up the absolute best dry(!) rib rub and the only one you’ll ever need for beautifully smoking and dressing your ribs with nothing more than a spice blend in the future.
This specific rib rub is excellent as its highly versatile and customizable based on your taste.
So, without further ado, let’s get into making the rub.
TastyBBQing’s Rib Rub Recipe
Cuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Very Easy3
Cups15
minutes15
minutesIngredients
2 teaspoons rosemary powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons ginger powder
1/4 cup garlic powder
1/2 cup ground or smoked paprika (smoked will give a bit more of a ‘bite’ and be more aromatic, though this won’t make a big difference once cooked)
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
Method
- Meat Preparation. It’s a good idea to prepare the ribs the night before, sprinkling roughly 1/2 teaspoon of kosher salt per pound of pork. Let it cure in a bowl covered by saran wrap in the fridge for up to 12 hours if you have the time to do so. Ideally, you want the salt to curate, and the meat to rest for 4 hours as a minimum.
- Mix Ingredients. Thoroughly mix ingredients in a large mixing bowl. Work through the clumps with a fork or fingers (and there will be clumps, mainly at the fault of the brown sugar).Repeat this process until the rub is smooth throughout.
- Rubbing the Pork. For most cuts of meat, lightly wet the pork’s surface with water and cover with roughly 2 tablespoons of our rib rub per center cut slab, adjusting as required for slightly smaller or bigger cuts.
This may sound like a lot of rub, but you’ve got to keep in mind that we’re not going to be saucing the ribs in this recipe as this gives the absolute best flavor for pork ribs. If you still choose to sauce it, use only as much of the rub as necessary to color the slab.
It is of great importance to prevent cross-contamination between the raw pork and the dry rub. A great way to do this is to measure the amount required using a clean spoon and pouring this into a small bowl, then sealing the rib rub we made in a jar or bottle.You are then free to use the rub you pre-measured as you like, even using your hands if you prefer doing so.
P.S.
- While the ingredients of this recipe are mostly subjective and taste-based, I would suggest not changing the amount of white sugar used in this recipe (as tempting as this may be for our diets). The white sugar is of great value to the overall texture of the crust (also known as bark) of the cooked ribs.
Conclusion
And you’re done! This rib rub recipe is the perfect way to sumptuously dress & spice your pork ribs without slathering them in BBQ sauce, providing you with both the healthiest AND tastiest method of making pork ribs, all of which can be done with common ingredients you’ll already have at home.
