New Rub Advice

Speedy113

I've mostly been using Oakridge and Meatchurch Rubs however, now I'm looking to try something new. My shortlist is Zero to Hero, Sweet Swine O Mine, Smoking Guns Hot and Plowboys Yardbird. 

I'm looking for opinions on the above choices and if any of these are a must try/leave. Or is it a simple case of it won't get any better than what I already have. 

Any help is always appreciated.

johnnyp

Asking for opinions on rubs is a hot topic because individual tastes vary so much.

 It sounds like you've already tried some respected brands. If you're looking to try something new, id recommend Dizzy Pig and Lanes BBQ

chrisc133

johnnyp said:

Asking for opinions on rubs is a hot topic because individual tastes vary so much.

 It sounds like you've already tried some respected brands. If you're looking to try something new, id recommend Dizzy Pig and Lanes BBQ

What he said. 

smokeyw

I have used a lot of Smoking Guns Hot and Plowboys Yardbird. They are both excellent rubs! I have won competitions using both of those.

henapple

@EggObsessed has a couple of rubs, Bad Byrons, Head Country... 

kl8ton

chrisc133 said:

johnnyp said:

Asking for opinions on rubs is a hot topic because individual tastes vary so much.

 It sounds like you've already tried some respected brands. If you're looking to try something new, id recommend Dizzy Pig and Lanes BBQ

What he said. 

I can't speak for Lanes, but i like almost everything DP has to offer.  You can try DP stuff by purchasing the sampler bags.  For $20 you can try EVERYTHING DP makes.

http://dizzypigbbq.com/portfolio/dizzy-pig-complete-sampler/

Legume

Yardbird is a good choice - it probably won't strike you as super unique, it's just really solid and enhances everything.  It's one I try to always have in my pantry and reach for when I'm not trying to get some specific taste.  It's also usually a few bucks cheaper than most of those mentioned.

Speedy113

chrisc133 said:

johnnyp said:

Asking for opinions on rubs is a hot topic because individual tastes vary so much.

 It sounds like you've already tried some respected brands. If you're looking to try something new, id recommend Dizzy Pig and Lanes BBQ

What he said. 

I've looked at Dizzy Pigs line up and there are a few that i like the look of but the price of them in the UK is astronomical! 

Speedy113

kl8ton said:

chrisc133 said:

johnnyp said:

Asking for opinions on rubs is a hot topic because individual tastes vary so much.

 It sounds like you've already tried some respected brands. If you're looking to try something new, id recommend Dizzy Pig and Lanes BBQ

What he said. 

I can't speak for Lanes, but i like almost everything DP has to offer.  You can try DP stuff by purchasing the sampler bags.  For $20 you can try EVERYTHING DP makes.

http://dizzypigbbq.com/portfolio/dizzy-pig-complete-sampler/

I'm in the UK otherwise, yes i would of definitely purchased this.

pgprescott

The ones you listed are all superior rubs. Many of the other suggestions are as well. The SSOM is great on ribs the yardbird is a bit more aggressive, but a great all around rub. I use smoking guns in combo with others to layer some heat as desired. I see that one as a secondary rub. Zero to hero is a winner too. Can't go wrong. If you are looking all purpose, I would choose yardbird. If you want a milder rub for more delicate cooks, I would choose SSOM. 

SoCalTim

Hey brother Speedy, when I first started egging, I was really into buying all the big name rubs .. for about 6 months!

Then reality hit, they can be every expensive ..

So now, I just make my own ... just as good, if not better.

stompbox

SoCalTim said:

Hey brother Speedy, when I first started egging, I was really into buying all the big name rubs .. for about 6 months!

Then reality hit, they can be every expensive ..

So now, I just make my own ... just as good, if not better.

As long as this forum has been around, is there a thread with recipes?  Maybe clone recipes of favorite big name rubs?

SoCalTim

stompbox said:

SoCalTim said:

Hey brother Speedy, when I first started egging, I was really into buying all the big name rubs .. for about 6 months!

Then reality hit, they can be every expensive ..

So now, I just make my own ... just as good, if not better.

As long as this forum has been around, is there a thread with recipes?  Maybe clone recipes of favorite big name rubs?

Hey brother Stomp, it's all about research, for example ... Google 'Dr BBq Ray Lampe rubs' ... Google 'Aaron Franklin rub recipes' .. or any other famous pitmaster or famous bbq joint. There's a ton of them.

There are no secrets, nor should there be. For a true pitmaster, it's all about spreading the bbq love!

ChokeOnSmoke

A lot of great rubs out there but really love this stuff:

http://www.texasbbqrub.com/shopping.html

gdenby

Here's something I posted 'bout 6 years ago. I was trying to make a 1 size fits all rub. Frankly, it didn't work. Good rubs are distinctly "unbalanced." There are a couple of ingredients that are unusual, or in unusually high proportions.

The old post, copied and pasted.

A summary of BBQ rub recipes.

A few years ago, I put together a small database listing the ingredients of BBQ rubs. At that time, it appeared as if the largest components of BBQ rubs were sugar and salt, in roughly even proportions. Recently, I came across some recipes that made me question this, so expanded the database to 82 recipes found on the net. The results were somewhat surprising to me.

I chose to gather recipes for meats that would be done lo-n-slo, and so avoided those specifically designed for poultry. Some recipes said they could be used on poultry or other things, but all were presented as something good for either pork or beef or both.

27/84 uncatagorized, tho' most appeared to be used for pork. 16 are for beef, often brisket. 16 can be described as all-purpose, general or basic. 17 are for pork ribs. 9 are for PP.

24 of 84 recipes have 1 ingredient that is more than 40% of the total volume. 13 of those are for some sort of sugar. In fact, 10 are at least half sugar. Paprika comes in next with 6. There is one occurance each for salt, seasoned salt, black pepper, chili powder, and (surprisingly) cocoa powder making up at least half the volume of the mix.

So, somewhat more than 1/3 of all rubs have either sweetness or "paprika-ness" as the clear leader. Note that sugar is not universally used. The most often encountered ingredient is black pepper. More on this below.

As for my earlier estimate that sugar and salt were a leading pair, there are 61 recipes that have some portion of both.

*8 (8.16) ingredients average, 3 minimum, 15 maximum
*at least 48 ingredients, 6 of which are blends

65 have salt and black pepper, only 6 without sugar or paprika
65 have salt and black pepper, only 12 without paprika
65 have salt and black pepper, only 14 without sugar

61 have salt and sugar, but only 7 do not include paprika
61 have salt and paprika, but only 8 of those have no sugar)
47 recipes have Sugar, salt & paprika.
46 recipes have Sugar, salt & black pepper
45 recipes have Sugar, salt, black pepper and paprika

Here is what the current sample shows. The single most often listed ingredient is black pepper, which is present in 76/84 recipes. It is closely followed by salt, which is present in 74 recipes. Followed by paprika, at 68. It is followed by some sort of sugar, which is in 65 recipes. However, the volume of sugar in a recipe is far greater than that of black pepper. Black Pepper = 11% Salt = 15 Paprika = 22. Sugar averages 30%

Garlic powder    62
Cayenne or Red    47
Onion powder    46
chili powder    44

cumin            28
mustard powder    28
thyme            19
white pepper    17

***
What I've learned over the past few years is that the reason there may be so much paprika and pepper in rubs is that most of the flavor evaporates during cooking. Its much better to have a finishing coat of rub w. black pepper and paprika in those. I've also learned that mustard heat is only present w. moisture or acids. Fresh made mustard from seed can be as hot as wasabi.

Eventually, my database was over 100 recipes, but the above post remained close to the average.

Hope this helps.

Carolina Q

SoCalTim said:

Hey brother Speedy, when I first started egging, I was really into buying all the big name rubs .. for about 6 months!

Then reality hit, they can be every expensive ..

So now, I just make my own ... just as good, if not better.

Amen! Though I stopped long before "reality hit". First, there is nothing much available locally, but mostly, it's just too easy to mix up a batch of whatever I want. And you're right - commercial rubs ARE expensive!

If you want some "joesfamousrub", chances are you can find the recipe - or close enough anyway - online. Prudhomme's Blackened Redfish? Check. Montreal Steak Seasoning? Check. Bad Byron's? Check. The list goes on. Or, just search for "chicken rub" or beef rub". Google is your friend. If you've never had it before, you can mix up just enough for one trial serving if you want.

In my case, I have to watch my sodium. Many commercial rubs have far too much salt in them. Not just for people like me, but really, for anyone. Making my own not only means that it costs far less, but also that I can control what's in it. No unpronounceable ingredients, no MSG, no aircraft deicer, etc. Also, I'll probably never run out (as long as I keep a supply of normal seasonings on hand).

Plenty of reasons to make your own rubs. Have at it!