A simple and delicious, sweet and smoky, homemade BBQ spice rub that can be used on anything from grilled chicken to smoked brisket or ribs! Add it to a grilling gift basket for the perfect Father's Day gift.
My dad is great at grilling, smoking, and barbecuing almost anything. I grew up going to the lake with my family on the weekends, where my dad would almost always smoke a brisket or ribs. At home, he loves to grill out in the backyard during the summer months when it’s nice out.
Thanks to him, I have a love for barbecue and all things grilled, so to thank him, a gift with his love of grilling in mind is in order. What better way to thank him for this Father’s Day than with a homemade gift that Dad will use all the time?
My dad loves gifts that are useful (what dad doesn’t?), and what’s more useful than something you can eat, especially when it saves you time preparing dinner?
A homemade BBQ spice rub is an essential kitchen item for any griller and makes a fabulous addition to a Father's Day gift for any dad who loves to grill like my dad does. Store-bought spice rubs are fine, but when you make your own, you can control everything that goes into it. No super-high sodium count and no strange preservatives. It also means you can tweak the ingredients to fit Dad’s tastes. If Dad likes a super spicy rub, bump up the cayenne. If he prefers his rub a little sweeter, add some more brown sugar. You are free to add exactly what you like to make Dad’s chicken, ribs, or beef exactly how he likes them!
Want to make this Homemade BBQ Spice Rub into a complete gift basket?
Here are some fun ideas:
- Wood chips (We like applewood)
- Cedar planks
- Thermometer
- Grill brush
- Grilling tongs and spatula
- Grilling mitt
- Wooden skewers
- Grill press
- Beer can chicken tool
- Veggie grilling basket
- Fish grilling basket
- BBQ sauce brush
Did you make this recipe? Please leave a star rating in the comments!
PrintHomemade BBQ Spice Rub
A simple and delicious sweet and smoky BBQ spice rub that can be used on anything from grilled chicken to smoked brisket or ribs.
- Prep Time: 5 min
- Total Time: 5 min
- Yield: about 1 cup 1x
- Category: spices
- Method: no cook
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp smoked paprika
- 1 tbsp chipotle powder
- 1 tbsp kosher salt
- 2 tbsp freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tsp cayenne pepper
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp mustard powder
Instructions
- Whisk all ingredients together or blend in a blender to break up any clumps.
- Pour spice mixture into a jar or airtight container.
Keywords: BBQ rub
Shop this post
Used this rub with a homemade sauce. Yum!
★★★★★
I'm so glad you loved it!
I’v been making a rub similar to this one for almost 50 years, but with fewer
ingredients. I’m also a Texan and inherited the one that my mom mainly used for smoking brisket. However, I found I liked this one better than my own! (Even though it just about kills me to say so.) I’ve used it on on large pork butts (shoulder), as well as ribs, with great success! One of my tweaks is adding a tablespoon of ground cumin.
★★★★★
What a compliment! I am so glad you like it. I'll have tot ry it with some cumin next time.
This was my first time making ribs and I came across this rub. While I may still need a little practice with the actually barbecuing part, the flavor made it the best tasting ribs I’ve ever had! You guys knocked if out of the park with this rub!
★★★★★
It takes some practice for sure, but I'm so glad you liked the rub!
Made this rub for pork sliders...perfect amount of spicy...family lived it
Easy to make
Will make it again...
★★★★★
I'm so glad your family enjoyed it!