Buying vs Making Rubs

[sbramm]

commercial rub that i modify just a bit works for me. used to make my own but don't bother any more.

either way, enjoy and cook!

 

[Grillard]

I guess I'm the odd man out. I only keep SPOG and a Greek mix I make up on hand. Otherwise, I usually mix just enough for what I'm cooking at the moment. I keep notes on any changes I make, and have ended up with what we like. As for the expense of the ingredients, we use mostly the same herbs and spices, sugar, salt, and pepper whatever we are cooking, inside or out. We run out of something to be replaced just about every shopping trip, so things stay fresh. I can see using commercial rubs if you cook a lot of meat and you like the flavor, but we like the flavor of fresh ingredients enough that any additional cost is not noticed.

You're not alone. I keep so many herbs and spices on hand that making my own rubs helps me keep them rotated. Most spices go to hell after a few months.

I basically keep mike's magic dust, SPOG, and a rib rub on hand -- they all get used up quickly enough.

 

[Right on Q]

Although the dry rub seasoning has been around for many years.........

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Holy moly that was a long post. I don't know the last time I saw a nearly 1900 word post :shock:

So IamMadMan do you or don't you like commercial rubs?:caked:

Seriously though, making rubs is fun sometimes but to get consistently rounded flavors commercial rubs are best. Yes some are salt bombs but those can be easily avoided by using recommendations from this forum.

 

[rikun]

Both.

Buying rubs that first get imported to Europe is pretty darn expensive, so commercial rubs are almost always solely for comps.

We use our own at comps too, usually combined with some commercial rub or rubs.

There are a few commercial rubs that taste really good and I couldn't duplicate the same taste at home.

For example some of the Simply Marvelous rubs have dehydrated apple and peach, ingredients like that are really hard to find.

 

[IamMadMan]

Holy moly that was a long post. I don't know the last time I saw a nearly 1900 word post :shock:

So IamMadMan do you or don't you like commercial rubs?:caked:

Seriously though, making rubs is fun sometimes but to get consistently rounded flavors commercial rubs are best. Yes some are salt bombs but those can be easily avoided by using recommendations from this forum.

I now buy all of my rubs, after years of trying to reach the apex of rubs, I gave up. Yes, anyone can make a rub, but making balanced rubs with multi-layers of flavor at home is not an easy task. You will even find that many pit masters use commercially prepared rubs in competitions.

The commercial rub is already made, tested, tried, and proven to be a winner.

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[landarc]

I do both, and it matters on time, but, also what flavors I want to hit. I have some favorite run companies, and keep some of each on hand. About the only time I don't use any commercial rub is if I am going a beef chuck or brisket with the aim being a simple flavor.

 

[Rounder]

I got started in this hobby about 3 years ago and I was making my own from recipes in books. I'm kinda lazy and found it much easier to buy rubs and they are as good or better than anything I've made. A local bbq shop has a huge selection of rubs and I can sample them before I buy.

I buy Bovine Bold and Sweet Money rub on Amazon in 5 lb bags. Sweet Money rub is our default on shrimp scampi, which we seem to make about once a week. The bulk bags are about half the cost of buying 12 ounces at a time.

 

[PaulstheRibList]

Keep an open mind and don't be afraid to try something new once in a while. Think of it as treasure hunting, maybe you'll find something good or maybe you won't, but you'll never know unless you try.

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IamMadMan, thank you for sharing your thoughts and your experience! What a treasure trove of wisdom.

For my first 3 years in smoking meat, I used exactly the same rubs, all from Meathead at Amazing ribs. As I ramped up my game, I quickly ran into some trouble, such as the inability to get Hungarian Sweet Paprika consistently at the store. So, I started buying from Penzeys.com, because they have a rep for being top quality. My thinking is that if I kept my recipe the same, then the increases in quality of the outcome was from my meat choices, or from my technique. My technique, read FIRE MANAGEMENT as primary in those, got better and better and better.

In the last year or so, I've messed more with changing the rubs and experimenting with rubs.

I've found it near impossible to compare one cook to the next on small changes. So, when I want to know how something compares, we do a side-by-side cook, document the changes, and do blind taste tests.

For example, I made my Rib rub with the ingredients from Penzeys, from Sams, and from the discount wholesaler. We smoked the sets of ribs on the Jambo, and invited the friends over. The results were consistent to a person. Quality won out.

But I'm growing tired of mixing large batches of rubs, as IamMadMan pointed out. Now we're doing more testing with different rubs, similar side-by-side blind taste tests. It's fun!

Thanks again for the sharing!

 

[Durangutan]

I like making and tweaking my own and stick to simple recipes and avoid any that call for excessive or exotic ingredients. I'm finding that SPOG with a little paprika or chili powder, cayenne and anything else that floats your boat works pretty well. I let the smoke do the heavy lifting.

 

[Badjak]

I make my own.
I like very spicy food and with most commercial rubs it becomes way too salt (and anyway, the choice we have here is very limited).
And, I like to know what I eat!

I have a lot of spices and most of them whole.
I just thrown what I need in my coffee grinder and go ahead.
I dry my own chili's, dry some of them use them the same way.

I have to say that I am a bigger fan of marinades and pastes than dry rubs.....

 

[Pocchampion]

Both.

Buying rubs exposes new flavor combos and ideas I try on my own from time to time. I think Oakridge does an outstanding job of this for me. I would have never tried a Santa Maria rub had it not come in my sampler pack from them. For me, beef was always SPG and that it.

I buy rubs for the same reason I come to this forum. New ideas and experiences.

 

[greenmountainsmoke]

So onto the next issue: which one to buy? If you had to have just ONE rub for most cooks, which one would it be? (I know this is a tough question, but I would love to try one that lots of you use, and there seems to be hundreds of options out there so I have no idea where to start)

Thanks in advance!

 

[Pocchampion]

Go get the Oakridge Sampler pack. It's nice to try most of their line up to see which you like. I have even given the sampler pack as gifts.

 

[Right on Q]

Any BPS or Simply Marvelous rub (Seriously they are all great)
Plowboys Yardbird or Bovine Bold
Smokin Guns Hot (not actually very hot)
Killer Hogs "The BBQ Rub"
Any Oakridge rub
Eat Barbecue "Zero to Hero" & "The Most Powerful Stuff"
Kosmos Q "Killer Bee" & "Dirty Bird"
Butchers Honey Rub
SuckleBusters Rubs

That should get you started

 

[Steve S]

I havent come across a commercial rub that I can get locally that tastes better than what I can make in my kitchen with a handful of ingredients. I may order some online at some point, but for the home bbq I do for friends and family, the rubs I use are just fine.

 

[qnbiker]

Make my rubs, make my sauces. Don't pretend to think mine are better than commercial, but my friends, family, and people I cater for (hobby; I'm certainly not a professional) always see to like it.

 

[finzlft]

I started out with a mixture from Diners, Drive-ins and Dives. From there I tweaked the ingredients and quantities to make my own custom rub. I guess I just prefer it that way (although sometimes I cheat and buy pre seasoned ribs for the convenience factor)

 

[6_Myles]

I'm a fan of Bad Byron's Butt Rub...available in 7lb tubs on amazon

 

[IamMadMan]

So onto the next issue: which one to buy? If you had to have just ONE rub for most cooks, which one would it be? (I know this is a tough question, but I would love to try one that lots of you use, and there seems to be hundreds of options out there so I have no idea where to start)

Thanks in advance!

Rubs can too subjective to our own individual tastes. I am sure that five different tasters could sample the same product at the same time and give you five completely different reviews. Regional and ethnic tastes are the greatest variables in our own personal likes and dislikes. There are also so many different rubs to choose from, much like choosing a wine, many styles, many regions, and many twists just to tweak and please our palate. It also depends on how you apply the rub, some of us like to dredge the meat for a heavy rub, others will sparsely sprinkle the rub on the meat.

Keep in mind that just because someone likes or dislikes a rub doesn't mean you'll have the same like or dislike of the rub. I dislike one well known rub because in my opinion; it is salty beyond belief, but I also prefer a heavy coating of rub on my meat to make a thick flavorful bark. You invest all your time into prepping and cooking the meat, why cheap out with a little bit of rub?

Go get the Oakridge Sampler pack. It's nice to try most of their line up to see which you like. I have even given the sampler pack as gifts.

^ +1 ... I would agree, Oakridge gives you a great sampling of their rubs for basically just the cost of shipping.


For those who do not wish to order a large amount of rub to try, OakRidge sells sample packets that offer you a chance to try a variety of rubs for less than the cost of a single rub.
https://www.oakridgebbq.com/product-tag/sample/


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[bam]

I also agree trying oakridge sampler. Many complain about salt in rubs with oakridge I always add salt.