Rubs

A good homemade rub is the easiest upgrade you'll ever make to your grill game.

I went years buying whatever seasoning was on sale, and then I finally started mixing my own. Game changer. You control the salt, the sugar, the heat, and you know exactly what's going on your meat. (My husband now inspects the store bought rubs at the grocery store and says things like "we can make that ourselves, Julie." Yes, babe, I know, I'm the one who makes them.) These dry rub recipes are pantry staples around here, and once you mix up a jar, you'll wonder why you didn't start sooner.

You'll find a full lineup of homemade dry rubs for every cut of meat. For beef, there's a bold Beef Rub and a Brisket Rub built for low and slow smoking. The Dry Rub for Ribs and Dry Rub for Pork are the ones I reach for when pork shoulder or baby backs go on the smoker. Chicken gets its own rotation too, with an everyday Chicken Rub and a bolder BBQ Chicken Rub that builds the best bark. And the Sweet and Smoky Rub is the all purpose jar I keep front and center because it works on just about anything.

Weeknight grilling, weekend smokes, holiday mains, or gifting to the grill master in your life, these homemade BBQ rub recipes belong in your spice cabinet. Mix up a batch, folks, and start rubbing.