Skip the super salty store-bought stuff and make this homemade seasoning blend instead! This is truly the BEST dry rub for ribs if you’re craving flavorful, fall-off-the-bone tender bites.
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“Truly amazing, fall-off-the bone, perfectly seasoned. We’ll never do ribs any other way.” ~Llew, FoodieCrush reader
It’s All About the Rub, Baby!
When I was a novice rib cooker, I thought you cooked ribs just like a steak or a cheeseburger — you simply put the uncooked ribs in the oven or on the grill, then slathered them with bbq sauce to cook until they were just cooked through. What resulted from that bonehead technique was ribs that were flavorless, tough, and scorched to a burnt crisp.
What I didn’t know is ribs need time…low and slow cooking time in the oven or in the smoker to break down those tough fibers and tenderize. I also learned (and as any award winning rib pit master knows) the key to great ribs is a generous rub of seasonings that soak into and permeate the meat, drawing out the moisture to tenderize and add flavor over several hours — or even days — of refrigerated marinating time.
Dry rub recipes created by those pit masters are more closely guarded than their social security numbers. My brother-in-law, a Texan with a penchant and passion for grilling and smoking came up with this homemade rib dry rub combination years ago and dubbed it his “magic dust.” And now this my husband’s go-to. He’s never been good at keeping secrets, so now his magic dust recipe is about to become your secret ingredient, too.
How to Make and Use This Dry Rub on Ribs
The full recipe, with amounts, can be found in the recipe card below.
Dry rubs are incredibly easy to make in your own kitchen with a simple combination of herbs, spices, salts, and sugars you likely already have in your spice cabinet and can easily be adapted with a little more of this and a little less of that to suit your tastes.
The Best Seasonings for a Rib Dry Rub
There are 3 components that make up a rub that will not only flavor your meat but also tenderize it too:
- Salt: We always use kosher salt instead of table salt because it simply tastes better. Kosher salt is iodine-free so it doesn’t have that chemical-like taste and while may or may not be blessed by a rabbi, the larger crystals are ideal for drawing out moisture in meat.
- Sugar: Brown sugar adds a caramelized, molasses flavor to the meat and doesn’t burn as quickly as processed granulated sugar for longer cooking times.
- Herbs and Spices: Varying your combination of herbs is something to play with and while the seasonings may taste intense on their own, once they’ve melded into the meat add just the right amount of flavor. You can find my preferred combination of seasonings in the recipe card below.
Heidi’s TIp: This rub can easily be made ahead and doubled or even tripled then stored in an air-tight container to stay good for months.
Using This Rib Rub
To season your ribs, rub the seasoning generously on both sides of the rib racks and wrap in plastic wrap or aluminum foil, then refrigerated for at least 4 hours but optimally 24 hours and up to 48 hours.
Use this homemade rub to slow cook baby back ribs, or pressure cook them in an Instant Pot. I also like to use this rub to season my Chipotle BBQ Ribs.
If you make this recipe, please let me know! Leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating below, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and tag me on Instagram @foodiecrush.
Best Rib Dry Rub Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup sweet paprika
- 3 tablespoons dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons dry mustard
- 2 teaspoons celery salt
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a bowl and whisk until combined. Store the rub in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
- To use, rub the seasoning blend generously into ribs or roasts and refrigerate for at least 4 hours or up to 48 hours before cooking according to recipe instructions.
Notes
More BBQ Recipes You’ll Want to Make Too
- The Best BBQ Baked Beans
- Southwest BBQ Chicken Salad
- Grilled BBQ Chicken
- Saucy BBQ Meatballs
- Grandma’s Baked Country Ribs
- North Carolina Vinegar-Based BBQ Pulled Pork
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