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Home / Holiday Recipes / BBQ & Grilling / Homemade BBQ Rub

Homemade BBQ Rub

5 minutes mins
| 1 Comment |
5 from 5 votes
Jump to Recipe 07/02/20 | Updated: 01/16/24 | by Nora
BBQ Rub Image Pin

This homemade BBQ rub is the best sweet, smokey and savory seasoning for chicken or pork. It’s quick and easy to put together with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry right now!

overhead view on jar with homemade BBQ rub

I love making my own spice mixes: It’s easy and I know exactly what went into them! Also, they always make for an adorable hostess gift, or a budget friendly baby shower, bridal shower or wedding favor.

This BBQ rub

  • is sweet, smokey and perfectly spiced
  • comes together in just a few minutes
  • tastes amazing on BBQ chicken, pulled pork or any other recipe you would use store-bought BBQ rub on!

Ingredients you’ll need

Here is a visual overview of the ingredients in the recipe. Scroll down to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post for quantities!

ingredients to make BBQ rub with text labels
Ingredients in BBQ rub: Brown sugar, ground paprika, smoked paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, ground cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.

How to make your own BBQ rub

This recipe is too easy: Just add all the spices, salt and brown sugar to a large dish and combine. I recommend using a dish you can comfortably stir the spices in, or it will get messy.

female hands holding bowl with spices
female hands combining BBQ rub

Then, store the rub in a tightly sealed jar. If you want to give it away as a gift, it’s very pretty in a glass jar with craft string tied around it and a cute small spoon tucked in. The spice mix fits great into two 4-oz jam jars, so scale accordingly if you need to make more.

jar with bbq rub in front of condiment bottles

Storage tips

As long as you keep the rub dry and always replace the lid immediately after using some, you can keep it for around a year in the cupboard.

Sometimes it can start clumping together, especially when using organic spices without any anti-caking ingredients. If it’s otherwise looking and smelling fine, it’s still good to use. Just break it up with a spoon.

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PS If you try this recipe, please leave a review in the comment section and add a star rating in the recipe card – I appreciate your feedback! Follow along on Pinterest, Facebook or Instagram.

Printable recipe

Printable Recipe Card
overhead view on jar with homemade BBQ rub
Save Recipe Saved!

Homemade BBQ Rub

This homemade BBQ rub is the best sweet, smokey and savory seasoning for chicken or pork. It's quick and easy to put together with ingredients you probably already have in your pantry right now – and it makes for a great hostess gift, too!
Recipe by Nora from Savory Nothings
made it? tap the stars to add your rating!
5 from 5 votes
Print Add Review

Recipe details

Prep 5 minutes mins
Total 5 minutes mins
Servings 16 tablespoons
Difficulty Easy

Ingredients
 

  • ½ cup brown sugar
  • 4 tablespoons ground paprika
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 tablespoon salt
  • 1 tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon onion powder
  • ½ tablespoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper

Instructions
 

  • Combine all ingredients well. Store in an airtight jar in the cupboard.
    female hands combining BBQ rub

Notes

If you’re wanting to give the spice mix away as a gift, this amount fills two 4-oz jars or one 8-oz jar.

Nutrition

Serving: 1tablespoonCalories: 37kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 440mgPotassium: 78mgFiber: 1gSugar: 7gVitamin A: 1090IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 16mgIron: 1mg
Nutrition is an estimate.

More recipe information

Course: Spice Mix
Cuisine: American

Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings
About Nora 
When I got married to my professional chef husband, I realized I had to step up my game in the kitchen. Now I share my favorite foolproof family recipes here on Savory Nothings: Chef-approved, kid-vetted and easy enough for everyday home cooks like you and me!   Learn more.

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Comments

  1. Gary Ames says

    Feb 8, 2023

    5 stars
    The best rub ever

    Reply

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Nora Rusev from Savory Nothings

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Hi, I'm Nora! I wasn't always a good cook, but then I fell in love with a professional chef and learned my way around the kitchen. Now I share all my secrets to effortlessly great food here on my blog, bite-sized for home cooks just like me and you.

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