Level up your grilling game with this Texas dry rub recipe! This fantastic blend of spices will bring out the best in all kinds of meats, making them flavorful and irresistible. Perfect for everything from brisket to ribs, and even veggies, this dry rub is a must-have for any BBQ lover.
Smoky, spicy, sweet, and salty - this brings the "Hot Dang!" to your next cook out.
Table of Contents
- Great results
- 🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- 🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
- 📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- 🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- 🥫 Leftover love: how to store Texas dry rub
- How do you apply dry rub to meat?
- Marye's Tip o' the day
- 💭 Insider tips: things to know
- 🥩 Dad's Grilling Secret Formula
- 👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
- What is a wet rub?
- 📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
- 🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
- 🍽️ No waste: creative ways to use Texas dry rub
- 📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
- 📖 Recipe
- Texas dry rub
- 💬 Comments
Save this recipe by clicking on the ❤️ heart on the right-hand side of the screen or in the recipe card.
🗝️ Key takeaways: why this recipe is your new favorite
- This Texas dry rub is full of bold, smoky flavors that enhance any meat and, since it's homemade, you can adjust both the sweet AND the heat! It’s easy to make and uses simple pantry ingredients.
- I use it for BBQ, cookouts, or any time you want to add a burst of flavor to your grilled meats (or season vegetables with it!).
- Make the rub as written the first time then tweak it until you have a flavor that's all your own!
Delicious rubs like this are why we pass barbecue sauce separately rather than mopping it on.
🤠 We Texans know our dry rubs
When you're from Texas everyone just assumes that you know how to pull every molecule of flavor from beef and other meats.
The answer, of course, is a good dry rub recipe that infuses big flavor into the meat no matter what kind it is, no matter what cut it is, and no matter how you cook it.
Better yet, you need a recipe that you can adapt and tweak until it's your own signature dry rub - just tell everyone that it's a secret family recipe your great-great-grandmother hoarsely whispered to your great-grandmother with her last feeble breath.
This is Texas. Tall tales are part of the mystique.
🧾 Gather your ingredients: what you'll need
This is an overview of the ingredients. You'll find the full measurements and instructions in the green recipe card (printable) at the bottom of the page.
📖 Make it your own: yummy variations
- Sweet and Spicy: Add more brown sugar and a pinch of cayenne pepper for a sweet and spicy kick.
- Herb Infusion: Mix in dried herbs like thyme for a herby flavor.
- Smoky: Use smoked salt instead of regular salt for a deeper, smoky taste.
🤫 Marye's secret for zhuzhing it up -
Add a tablespoon of ground coffee to the rub for a unique depth of flavor that enhances the smokiness of the meat.
zhuzh: verb. To make something more interesting or attractive
🍴Must have tools: essential equipment
- measuring cups and spoons
- mixing bowl
- airtight plastic or glass container
- food processor or blender
🥫 Leftover love: how to store Texas dry rub
Keep your spice rub in an airtight container or in a small bowl covered with plastic wrap. It will be fine for months.
How do you apply dry rub to meat?
There's not a lot of instruction that you need about how to use dry rub, or even when to use it.
It's great on all kinds of meats and poultries but also good on the outside of baked potatoes and corn on the cob. I've been known to sprinkle homemade seasonings on my eggs - and if you're looking for a dry rub for ribs you've hit the jackpot.
Whatever kind of meat you're putting it on the technique for getting the best results is the same -
- Pat the meat dry with paper towels.
- Rub a little olive oil over all surfaces - I like to use a flavored olive oil.
- Pat the rub on thickly with one hand and rub it in with the other - it's called rub for a reason.
- Let it sit for an hour at room temperature.
- OR wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate until you're ready to use it the next day - then let it come to room temperature
Seriously, that's it. Couldn't be easier.
Always let meat sit at room temperature before cooking, though - about an hour.
Marye's Tip o' the day
Make a big batch of this dry rub and keep it in a mason jar. It makes a great gift for BBQ lovers, too!
💭 Insider tips: things to know
- For best results, let the meat marinate in the fridge with the rub for several hours or overnight.
- The rub must be on the meat for an hour or more. If you begin to cook it before the hour mark the juices will not have soaked back into the meat and it will be dry without much flavor.
- Use the rub on a variety of meats like chicken, pork, and even vegetables for a tasty twist.
- If you prefer a milder flavor, reduce the amount of chili powder and chile peppers.
🥩 Dad's Grilling Secret Formula
My dad was a Texan through and through. Never mind that he grew up on a farm in Michigan - he seemed to absorb every western themed movie he ever saw and all of those movies became who he was somehow.
He was, in fact, more Texan than some of the Texans I know - big hat, boots, dark leathery tan, and that perfect John Wayne squint.
One of the things he learned to do was grill the best flavored beef that you've ever tasted.
Oh, he'd grill chicken and shrimp and pork, too, but it was the beef that you wanted to turn into a scented candle and just burn it all the time.
That smell!
His secret, if there was one besides the fact that he just did everything better than anyone else, was a homemade dry rub that he patted on the beef in a thick layer.
And, when I say patted I mean like how you pat a big spider with a shoe not how you pat a baby's butt to make it go to sleep.
Give this dry rub recipe a try and see if you don't think Dad kinda knew what he was doing.
👩🍳 Let's answer those questions: FAQs
For some reason dry rubs are an enigma. So many people stick with salt and pepper that when you hand them a jar of homemade dry rub you're met with a blank look - kinda like handing a broom to a ten year old.
Have other questions? Ask me in the comments!
Yes, it adds a fantastic flavor to grilled veggies!
At least an hour, but for best results, let it sit for several hours or overnight. The salt in the rub pulls the juices out of the meat during the first hour and then the meat soaks them back in, along with the flavor of the rub. That's why you want to add the rub at least an hour before grilling and preferably longer.
It gives the meat (or poultry, or game, or...) more flavor because it's absorbed into the meat plus the sugar in it helps give it that crispy caramelized crust. My dry rub recipe also helps to tenderize your dish because of the citrus I add.
Dry rubs are generally made of coarsely ground ingredients that are liberally rubbed into meat while seasonings tend to be sprinkled on. Dy rubs have sugar to help with caramelization and most seasonings do not.
Dry rubs are generally made of coarsely ground ingredients that are liberally rubbed into meat while seasonings tend to be sprinkled on. Dy rubs have sugar to help with caramelization and most seasonings do not.
What is a wet rub?
A wet rub is best used when you are putting meat in a
Any dry rub recipe can become a wet rub. You simply add enough of a liquid to make it a paste. It can be any consistency you want as long as it sticks to the meat. Here are some possibilities but no doubt you'll think of more!
- Beer
- Wine
- Bourbon (watch this if you're cooking over a fire)
- Fruit juice
- Honey
- Mustard
- Worcestershire sauce
- Teriyaki sauce (watch the sodium)
- Melted butter
- Flavored oils
Just a word of caution. If you go searching for a wet rub recipe? DON'T type "wet rub" into the search box on your search engine. And please pass the brain bleach.
📚 More Southern comfort: related recipes you'll love
🍽️ Perfect pairings: what to serve with
This oven cooked brisket is wrapped in aluminum foil and slow cooked in the oven. It's tender and delicious - perfect for when you don't have as smoker.
Bottom round roast a relatively inexpensive cut of beef ( I said relatively!) that takes seasoning rubs like this one really well.
Chicken breast is seasoned then wrapped in bacon and grilled. This easy Texas dry rub is delicious in this recipe.
🍽️ No waste: creative ways to use Texas dry rub
- Flavorful Fries: Sprinkle the rub on homemade fries before baking for a tasty twist.
- Seasoned Nuts: Toss mixed nuts in a bit of oil and the dry rub, then roast for a delicious snack.
📞 Wrapping it up: the last word
This Texas dry rub recipe is the perfect blend of spices to elevate your BBQ dishes. With its bold flavors and easy preparation, it’s sure to become a staple in your kitchen. Enjoy the smoky, sweet, and spicy notes that make this rub a crowd-pleaser at any gathering.
It's an all purpose dry rub that you can use for just about any cut of meat from brisket to burgers. Make it according to the recipe the first time then try some variations to make it your own.
Once you get your steak done - spoon some of this chimichurri sauce over the top.
If you click on the number of servings in the recipe card you can adjust the measurements up or down for the exact number of servings you need.
If you love this recipe please comment below and give it 5 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
📖 Recipe
Texas Dry Rub
Print Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- ⅓ cup chili powder
- ⅓ cup light brown sugar
- ¼ cup kosher salt, You may want to omit this - read why in the notes!!
- ¼ cup coarse ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons cumin
- 1-½ tablespoons garlic powder
- 1-½ tablespoons smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- ½ tablespoon lime zest
- 1 teaspoon Mexican oregano
- 1 teaspoon guajillo pepper, ground...seeds removed
- ½ teaspoon chipotle chiles, or more to taste. ground...seeds removed
- ½ teaspoon coriander, ground
- ½ teaspoon roasted cinnamon
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a bowl, breaking up any lumps of brown sugar.
- Spoon into a Mason jar or other air tight container and store in a cool, dark place.
- Stir or shake up before using.
To Use
- Pat the meat dry.
- Cover with olive oil.
- Pat on meat, covering all surfaces.
- Vigorously rub the seasoning into the meat - no need to be gentle!
- Let stand for 30 minutes at room temperature before grilling or cooking as desired.
- For large pieces of meat like roasts you can cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight before cooking.
Notes
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
First published May 10, 2018. Last updated July 3, 2024 to improve user experience, for readability, and to add more tips and helpful content.
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Bill says
I halfed the recipe and and used to season 10 pound bottom round roast sliced for jerky. very good flavor
Bill says
thanks. i like this rub. i used it for beef jerky. great esults
Karen says
Print button is not responding for dry rub recipe
Marye says
It may be a setting on your computer or fire wall. I tried and had a few other people tried and it worked fine.