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Poll, Homemade or storebought

Who out there makes there own rub and sauce and who has found it isnt worth the bother and buys a great one. If you do, what brand? If you make it where did you get the recipe? Looking to see great options
Columbus, Ohio--A Gasser filled with Matchlight and an Ugly Drum.

Comments

  • Hunter1881
    Hunter1881 Posts: 406
    I make a thin homemade vinegar based sauce for pulled pork. Got the recipe from my dad.
    Henderson TN. 1 large BGE, 1 Webber Gasser (recently seems to have converted into a warming oven)
  • Wolfpack
    Wolfpack Posts: 3,551
    Only one I make myself is a NC vinegar pork sauce- everything else I buy
    Greensboro, NC
  • Botch
    Botch Posts: 15,429
    I make my own rubs, and about half my own sauces.  The other half of my sauces I get from mom-n-pops at the local Farmer's Market; but I'm about to abandon them too.  
    _____________

    "I mean, I don't just kill guys, I'm notorious for doing in houseplants."  - Maggie, Northern Exposure


  • KennyLee
    KennyLee Posts: 806
    Maybe I will make my own one day, but I use the store bought rubs and sauces.  I could see improving on the available retail sauces with some effort, but I'm really impressed with the Dizzy Pig line of rubs and is pretty much all I use and would be hard to improve on for me.  For sauce, I usually go with Sweet Baby Ray's which everyone usually enjoys.  I'd prefer something with more heat for myself, but that doesn't work for the masses. 

    LBGE

    Cedar table w/granite top

    Ceramic Grillworks two-tier swing rack

    Perpetual cooler of ice-cold beer

  • Hibby
    Hibby Posts: 606
    Jstroke said:
    Who out there makes there own rub and sauce and who has found it isnt worth the bother and buys a great one. If you do, what brand? If you make it where did you get the recipe? Looking to see great options

    I have made a few but find it is easier to use a store-bought one so long as it's good. I like John Henry's Pecan Rub, Rub Some Butt barbecue seasoning, and love Dizzy Pig Pineapple Head. Cluck and squeal makes good stuff too.
    I cook. I eat. I repeat. Thornville, Ohio
  • My go to sauce is a 50 / 50 mix of Blues Hog Original and Sonny's Sweet, everyone that has had this sauce loves it.  Or 50/50 mix of Blues Hog Original and Blues Hog TN. Red for a little hotter sweet sauce.  

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

    Welcome to the Swamp.....GO GATORS!!!!
  • Terrebandit
    Terrebandit Posts: 1,750
    I buy mine but sometimes mix some things together. I do make my own glaze for ribs.
    Dave - Austin, TX
  • XC242
    XC242 Posts: 1,208
    I use Dr. BBQ's rub recipes. Store bought sauces of all types.
    LBGE (still waitin' for my free T-Shirt), DIgiQ DX2 (In Blue, cause it's the fastest), Heavy Duty Kick Ash Basket, Mc Farland, WI. :glasses:  B)
    If it wasn't for my BGE I'd have no use for my backyard...
  • Hibby
    Hibby Posts: 606
    @Jstroke‌ are you in ohio or just an OSU fan? If a resident, close to Columbus?
    I cook. I eat. I repeat. Thornville, Ohio
  • I usually buy sauces and make rubs. Got a cupboard full of spices and I find it easier to control salt and different spices if I throw my own together.
  • Dobie
    Dobie Posts: 3,354
    I buy them but admire those who can create from scratch.
    Jacksonville FL
  • DMW
    DMW Posts: 13,832
    Both here. I really like Dizzy Pig rubs, but have started making my own as well. Most of my rubs are from amazingribs.com. A good starting point for creating your own is Salt Pepper Onion powder, Garlic powder. Start adding in paprika, cayenne, chili, mustard powder, etc to figure out what you like. Start with small batches but keep track of the ratio of ingredients. When you hit on a combo you like, its easy to scale it up. Sauces, I do some homemade, but I'm not a big sauce fan, so I usually just buy.
    They/Them
    Morgantown, PA

    XL BGE - S BGE - KJ Jr - HB Legacy - BS Pizza Oven - 30" Firepit - King Kooker Fryer -  PR72T - WSJ - BS 17" Griddle - XXL BGE  - BS SS36" Griddle - 2 Burner Gasser - Pellet Smoker
  • blind99
    blind99 Posts: 4,971
    Almost always make my own rubs. I like to control the salt and a lot of store bought are heavy on it. I haven't settled on a "house blend" yet. Only made sauce a few times but I'd love to start making them. Rubs are a lot faster I guess!

    Source spices are a mixture of larger quantity bottles like onion and garlic powder from Costco, and smaller quantities from Penzeys. I love the Penzeys stuff, very high quality.
    Chicago, IL - Large and Small BGE - Weber Gasser and Kettle
  • jlsm
    jlsm Posts: 1,011
    I make both. Most of the pre-made sauces have too much sugar for me. I make a take-off on Arthur Bryant's original that we all like, a vinegar-based red pepper sauce for pulled pork, and a mustard NC sauce that my stepson loves on fries. I also make my own rubs; I use either Mickey's coffee; a white rub for chicken; dried rosemary/sage/garlic I make each fall for chicken; or my standby for most low-and-slows, 2:2:1, kosher salt/black pepper/sugar. I've tried the DP rubs, but they don't seem worth the price to me. 

    *******
    Owner of a large and a beloved mini in Philadelphia
  • gdenby
    gdenby Posts: 6,239
    I admit I rely on bought rubs and sauces.  My rubs are getting better, maybe a step above run of the mill. Its good to be able to make something passable when the bottle of "good stuff" is somehow almost empty.

    I guess I'm lucky that I prefer "dry" ribs. To date my sauces have been worthless, and most of the national brands are way too sweet for my taste. I do sometimes order sauce, like Blues Hog, but shipping costs can be daunting.
  • Skiddymarker
    Skiddymarker Posts: 8,522
    Have enough "gift" rubs in the cupboard that I seldom make it anymore. This universal rub is a good starting point, IMO. Increase or decrease the amount of some of the ingredients and the combinations are endless. 

    3 Tbs white sugar

    2 Tbs paprika (smoked or plain - both are good)

    2 Tbs Kosher salt (regular table salt will do - use only 1 Tbs)

    2 Tbs brown sugar (cane or Turbinado)

    1 Tbs cumin

    1 Tbs ground pepper

    1 Tbs onion powder

    1 Tbs garlic powder

    1 Tbs celery salt

    2 tsp chili powder (if extra hot, may want to cut the cayenne)

    1 tsp dried oregano

    1 tsp cayenne pepper (if chili powder is mild like ancho, may want to increase cayenne)


    Mix everything in spice grinder, results in tan powder. Also good to flavor homemade BBQ sauces. Can be stored for up to 6 months. Good on chicken, pork or beef. 


    Almost every kitchen has these dry ingredients, easy to make. 


    Delta B.C. - Whiskey and steak, because no good story ever started with someone having a salad!
  • SmokeyPitt
    SmokeyPitt Posts: 10,490
    I do some of each as well.  There is a BBQ place near me that sells their rub and it is a solid rub at a good price.  I honestly think per volume it costs less than I would spend buying everything individually (unless I went to Costco and ended up with a 5 gallon bucket of rub).   There is a different Q place that sells their vinegar based sauce that is also quite reasonable so I always have a gallon of that on hand.  I could probably make that cheaper but haven't been able to quite duplicate it. 

    This was the first sauce I made, and I thought it was really good (if you like onions).  It is dead simple as well.  I don't really measure the ingredients and just play with it. 


    **Here is another cool tip on making sauce.  If you have a good general purpose BBQ rub, then you can just use that in sauce rather than measuring out all the spices.  So, when I make that sauce it is basically:
    • Butter
    • Onions
    • Ketchup 
    • Cider Vinegar
    • Brown Sugar
    • BBQ Rub
    • Lemon Juice
    Sometimes I add some dijon mustard, worchestire, chili powder, etc to adjust the flavors.  


    Which came first the chicken or the egg?  I egged the chicken and then I ate his leg. 

  • TigerTony
    TigerTony Posts: 1,078
    I buy all rubs that I use and most sauce. 
    The only sauce I make myself is a hickory smoke sauce in my effort to duplicate Bud's Broiler hickory sauce secret recipe. I come pretty close.
    "I'm stupidest when I try to be funny" 
    New Orleans

  • freddyj
    freddyj Posts: 129
    I've found so many great rubs it's difficult to consider spending the time and buying quantities and mixing/creating my own. If you haven't tried it, Kamado joe peach rub is BOMB on ribs!
    Kamado Joe Big Joe, Classic & Junior