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    Home » Recipes » Spice Blends + Seasonings

    3-Minute Easy Homemade BBQ Spice Rub (Best Barbecue Dry Rub)

    Modified: Apr 17, 2023 by Kelly Leding · This post may contain affiliate links · Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review

    This all-purpose BBQ seasoning recipe adds a smoky southern barbecue flavor to everything from grilled chicken, to pork ribs, turkey, shrimp, tofu, and even vegetables. We love this house blend because you can add it to just about anything whether you're smoking, roasting, pan-searing, or grilling. And it's a great gift to give your friends. 

    bbq spices in a shallow bowl and you can see the individual spices (before being mixed together)

    What Spices are in BBQ Seasoning?

    BBQ Dry rub spice is a smoky spice blend made of a combination of dried spices, herbs and sometimes sugar. It often includes cumin, sweet paprika, smoked paprika, hot paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, ground mustard, and even cayenne and chili seasoning for a little extra kick. Making it. yourself at home means you get to customize it just the way you like it. 

    homemade BBQ seasoning mixed together in a bowl
    pork ribs covered in homemade BBQ spice rub

    Why We Love This BBQ Spice Rub Recipe

    • It's a perfect blend for adding BBQ flavor to any meat or vegetables
    • Makes enough for several meals and less expensive than store-bought versions
    • Uses basic pantry spices you probably already have on hand
    • It takes 3 minutes to make 
    BBQ grilled chicken cooking on a grill pan

    How Do you Make Homemade Barbecue Seasoning?

    Making homemade BBQ dry rub is as easy as mixing a few spices together and storing them in an airtight container. You can double or triple the amount to get you through spring and summer (or fall and winter if you enjoy the taste of summer when it's freezing outside). 

    The Best Homemade BBQ Rub Ingredients 

    For this BBQ seasoning recipe, I wanted to provide measurements for a ½ recipe and a full recipe in order to give you more options. This way, you can make a  ½ recipe first without using up so much of your dried spices. Then if you love it as much as we do, you make the full recipe (*find those measurements in the recipe card notes). 

    • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika (14g)
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (12g)
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder (2g)
    • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (3g)
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (2g)
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground (2g)
    • ½ teaspoon cumin (1g)
    • ½ teaspoon ground mustard (1.5g)
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    homemade potato chips in a bowl in the sun

     

    Delicious Ways to Use this Homemade BBQ Spice Blend

    Now that you've decided to make this super easy BBQ rub, here are a few delicious ways to use it. 

    • to season Veggie Beyond Burgers
    • to spice up Twice-fried French Fries
    • to season Pan-Seared Purple Cauliflower Sesame Steaks
    • to season Pan-Seared Zucchini
    • to season Pan-Seared Sweet Carrots
    • to spice up Pan-Seared Asparagus
    • to make Homemade BBQ Potato Chips
    • to make BBQ grilled chicken (recipe coming this week)
    homemade BBQ seasoning mixed together in a glass Weck jar topdown view

    Let's get started!

    Print

    📖 Recipe

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    bbq spices in a shallow bowl and you can see the individual spices (before being mixed together)

    Homemade BBQ Spice Rub (Memphis-Style Barbecue Rub)


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    • Author: Kelly
    • Total Time: 3 minutes
    • Yield: 6 Tablespoons
    • Diet: Vegan
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    Description

    This all-purpose BBQ seasoning recipe adds a smoky barbecue flavor to everything from grilled chicken, to pork ribs, turkey, shrimp, tofu, and even vegetables. We love this house blend because you can add it to just about anything whether you're smoking, roasting, pan-searing, or grilling. And it's a great gift to give your friends. 


    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoons smoked paprika (14g)
    • 1 tablespoon brown sugar (12g)
    • 2 teaspoons onion powder (2g)
    • 1 teaspoon sweet paprika (3g)
    • 1 teaspoon garlic powder (2g)
    • 1 teaspoon black pepper, freshly ground (2g)
    • ½ teaspoon cumin (1g)
    • ½ teaspoon ground mustard (1.5g)

    Instructions

    1. Make the BBQ dry rub seasoning. Combine all the spices and stir well. Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.  Enjoy!

    Notes

    • Make a spicy bbq rub by adding up to 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper. 
    • I don't add any salt to my blend because it allows me to use the rub with more versatility, however, if you do want to add salt to your BBQ blend, add 1 tablespoon (12g) to the ½ recipe and add 2 tablespoons (24g) to the full (aka double recipe) recipe measurements below. 

     BBQ RUB RECIPE MEASUREMENTS FOR DOUBLE RECIPE

    • 4 tablespoons smoked paprika (28g)
    • 2 tablespoons brown sugar (24g)
    • 1 tablespoon + 1 teaspoon onion powder (4g)
    • 2 teaspoons sweet paprika (6g)
    • 2 teaspoons garlic powder (4g)
    • 2 teaspoons black pepper, freshly ground (4g)
    • 1 teaspoon cumin (2g)
    • 1 teaspoon ground mustard (3g)
    • Prep Time: 3 minutes
    • Category: Spice Blends
    • Method: Mix & Stir
    • Cuisine: Southern

    Nutrition

    • Serving Size: 1 teaspoon

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    About Kelly Leding

    Global recipes from a NYC private chef and Chengdu cooking school founder, now living & cooking in Italy. Authentic Italian, Chinese, and Southern cuisine!

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    Hi, I'm Kelly! A private chef helping busy families cook and enjoy tastier, healthier meals at home. Born and raised in Arkansas, I've lived and worked in NYC, Sichuan China, and now Northeast Italy. Each of these places impacts the diverse way we cook, live, and celebrate life. You'll find a bit of everything here whether you're new to cooking, or you've made it all. If you love to eat, you're in the right place!

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