Texas BBQ Dry Rub
A coarse, brick-red rub built on salt, black pepper, and smoked paprika that fuses to the surface of brisket or ribs over a long smoke, forming the mahogany bark that defines Texas pit barbecue.
Ingredients
For 4 servings · tick what is ready
Use the scaled ingredient list. Steps and temperatures stay unchanged; use a larger pan or dish if needed. Seasonings to taste stay to taste.
How to make it
Combine all spices in a wide bowl. Use a fork or your fingers to break up any brown sugar lumps — undissolved sugar clumps will cause hot spots during a long smoke where the sugar burns before the surrounding spice has caramelized. Mix by pressing and rubbing rather than stirring, which distributes the heavier salt and pepper more evenly with the lighter ground spices.
To apply: pat the meat completely dry with paper towels first — moisture is the enemy of bark formation. Apply the rub generously (3–4 tablespoons per kilogram of brisket, 2 tablespoons per slab of ribs), pressing it firmly into all surfaces. Do not rub in circular motions — press and pat straight down so the coarse pepper stays intact rather than being ground into the meat. For brisket, apply the rub and refrigerate uncovered 4–12 hours to allow the salt to start pulling moisture and re-absorbing as a pellicle.
About this recipe
By ForkRecipe Kitchen · Source: ForkRecipe / FoodML and contributors. Recipe content available under CC BY-SA 4.0.
Serving count is an estimate; check quantities in the source recipe.