Author: Susanne at Dish With Me
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Ahh, to rub, or not to rub? That is the question. When I was newer to cooking, I never used a Rib Rub and my ribs turned out fine. Thing is, I’m not really about “fine” anymore. I want superb! Excellent! Stellar! Yum!
Ribs, more specifically, baby back ribs are not something I fix all the time, so when I do, I want them fabulous and this Rib Rub absolutely helps get them there. You see, the brown sugar helps get that ooey gooey thing that I like going on.
This rub is the perfect blend of sweet and savory. Even for those of you who do not prefer sweet with their savory, brown sugar as a base just goes with pork. And, it is not overtly sweet. You’re just going to have to trust me on this.
Please see my recipe for Grilled Baby Back Ribs. This Rib Rub is definitely part of the magical concoction!
HELPFUL HINTS FOR RIB RUB
Brown sugar is called for in this recipe. I STRONGLY prefer dark brown sugar over light brown sugar. To me, it simply has more flavor. This actually makes sense because the difference between the two is that dark brown sugar has a higher concentration of molasses, which equates to more flavor.
You can double, triple, or even quadruple this recipe and simply store it in your spice cabinet in a glass jar with a lid, or any air-tight container. Then you’ll have a supply on hand for the next time you need it. That falls into my cook once, eat twice mantra.
By all means, if you’re not feeding very many people and you don’t think you’ll need two racks of ribs, just fix one.
This Rib Rub goes with my Baby Back Spare Ribs recipe. My smashed potatoes and Bacony Baked Beans are both excellent pairings to go with ribs.
Also, this recipe is called Rib Rub, BUT it doesn’t have to be just for ribs, it would also do justice to a pork loin or pork chops, and, I haven’t tried it yet, but it might be delightful on some .grill chicken wings. I think it would. I’m going to try it!
RIB RUB
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup dark brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons Cavender's seasoning
- 4 teaspoons Kosher salt
- 40 grinds freshly ground pepper on medium grind
- 4 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 teaspoon celery salt
- 1 teaspoon tomato bouillon Knorr, Caldo De Tomate
Instructions
- Toss everything into a bowl and give it a really good mix.
- Ta-da! You just made rib rub! Cool, right?