Types of Dry Rubs

There are about as many different Dry Rubs as there are BBQ Sauces. Backyard enthusiasts and competitive BBQ teams have developed specific dry rubs for each type of meat as well as more general rubs and seasonings intended to use with most all types of meat. Many of these rubs are equally as tasty on vegetables, popcorn and other items.

The important thing to note is "there are no hard and fast rules" when selecting a rub. There are many different types of tastes out there and often selecting the right rub is simply a personal preference. In our personal experience, with few exceptions, most rubs complement a wide variety of meats and vegetables.

This Dry Rub Selection Guide is intended to help the beginner with some ideas regarding which dry rub might be appropriate for your next backyard cookout.

Beef & Steak

Cowtown Steak and Grill Seasoning - nice flavor enhancer for steak and burgers. Not overpowering.

We use instead of adding salt.
Dub's Rubs A Cut Above Beef Seasoning - very nice blend. In addition to salt, pepper and onion, includes rosemary, marjoram, thyme, basil, fennel and lavender. We like to use this one when making a pot roast.
Iron Works Hamburger Seasoning - this hamburger seasoning will really bring out the flavor the next time you are grilling burgers.
Legends RG Steak Seasoning - compared to some of the other steak seasonings, this one has a bit more garlic, which we like. Sprinkle this steak seasoning on a T-Bone or Ribeye while you are grilling.
Plump Chef Cowboy Rub - hearty flavor accented with a hint of coffee. Try this one with Sloppy Joes, steak, ribs, hamburgers and brisket.
Tennessee Whiskey Burger & Steak Seasoning - a salt and pepper based seasoning with the addition of coriander, red pepper, garlic and you guessed it "Tennessee Whiskey".
Virginia Coastal Premium Steak Rub - a salt and paprika based rub with other seasonings. Doesn't overpower an already

Cajun - We have two favorites in this category. Blair's Death Rain Cajun Seasoning. Don't let the branding "Death Rain" cause concern. It is spicy, but not "scorching". Another excellent option with a very traditional cajun flavor is award-winning Slap Ya Mama Cajun Seasoning available in original and hot.

Chicken - You can use almost any of the general purpose and pork dry rubs with chicken. With said we've included some of our favorites here.

Brew Butt Chicken Kit - this is the ultimate in beer can chicken. Comes complete with a delicious seasoning, can for your favorite beverage and instructions. If this interests you. make sure you watch our How to use the Brew Butt Chicken Kit video.
Knox Spice Yummy Chicken Rub - great flavor with minimal spice. Variety of ingredients including sea salt, onion, garlic, black pepper, brown sugar, thyme, chili pepper, sage, oregano, basil and rosemary.
Pepper Ranch Curried Pineapple Chicken & Pork Rub - this small company in Georgia knows how to create some great rubs and seasonings. Gives chicken a very unique and wonderful flavor. Made with garlic, salt, cane sugar, onion, chilies, pineapple and curry.

Fish & Seafood - This is one category where we find the selection to be most appropriate for fish and Shrimp & Crab Boil

seafood. Generally speaking, we have not found any fish or seafood rubs that we prefer for use with pork or brisket. Some good choices include Hog's Breath Blackening Seasoning and Pepper Ranch's Shrimp & Crab Boil. It's worth mentioning that just as the label reads, the Shrimp & Crab Boil is best specifically with shellfish. Others we have found very interesting with fish is Plump Chef Sunshine Shake and Pepper Ranch's Sweet Habanero Orange. Notice, that both of these have a distinctive orange flavor and are more general purpose seasonings. However, in our experience these both pair nicely with all types of fish.

General Purpose - This category leans more toward "seasonings" instead of traditional BBQ, that we really enjoy with everything from meat to vegetables to popcorn.

Bacon Salt & Jalapeno Bacon Salt - you've got to like bacon to select this seasoning, but who doesn't? Both of these are wonderful with eggs, pasta, green vegetables.
Dub's Rubs The Great North Woods Seasoning - it's a staple at our house. Use this one on everything from salmon to chicken to pork. With respect to pork, we like to use this one when baking (not grilling). No spice, great flavor, so it appeals to a wide variety of people.
Gourmet Infused Habanero Sea Salt & Chipotle Sea Salt - perfect for those of us that enjoy coarse sea salt. The infused peppers add a nice, new dimension to the flavor. Excellent on popcorn, vegetables and any entree where you want a little pepper flavor and salt.
Knox Spice Cracked Pepper - we keep this on the our table all of the time. This is far superior to anypepper that we've tasted.
Legends Roasted Garlic Pepper Seasoning - this seasoning slowly worked its way into our standardeveryday arsenal at home. We've used it with pork roast, steak, chicken and fish. There is no "heat" with this one, so it's an excellent choice for adding flavor with cooking for children and others that don't care for much spice/heat.
Minorcan Datil Spice Seasoning - another great general-purpose seasoning, but with one caveat...you must like oranges. The orange flavor is not overpowering, but it is a major ingredient. Our favorite use for this one is with eggs (fried, scrambled or omelet) and popcorn. Also, nice with chicken, fish and asparagus.
Plump Chef Haitian Love Rub Seasoning - this seasoning can quickly help you add flavor without effort. It includes curry, tomato and garlic with a pinch of cayenne pepper. Consider Love Rub with vegetables, rice, seafood and fish. Also, shake Love Rub on chicken breasts, pork chops, pork roasts, shrimp and scallops. Makes an awesome Fish Seasoning.

Jerk Style - As rubs go, the jerk category is not overly crowded. We have two that are simply excellent: Knox Spice Jamaican Jerk Rub and Heartbreaking Dawns Dr. Bird Jerk Blend Seasoning. If you want a little sweeter and less spice, then we recommend Jamaican Jerk. If you prefer a little more spice, then try Dr. Bird Jerk Blend. Neither cross over the line of being too spicy/hot.

Pork - The most popular category of rubs with hundreds of products available. Because of all the options available, this may be the most fun category to experiment with in your backyard. The number of quality dry rubs available for pork is staggering. As a result, we've chosen just a sampling of award-winning pork rubs. In no way, is this list complete.

Corky's Bar-B-Q Rub - why is this one on this list? Have you tried their BBQ? Have you seen all of the awards?
Cowtown The Squeal BBQ Rub - is the seasoning that helped Cowtown win the American royal Bar-B-Q Contest two times.
Big Bob Gibson Bar-B-Q Rub - the seasoning that helped win four straight World Championship trophies at the Memphis in May Pork Shoulder Division cook-off.
Bad Byron's Butt Rub - two-time award winner with 1st Place in the NBBQ Awards for Best Pepper Blend Dry Rub and 1st Place Winner in the Fiery Food Challenge from Chile Pepper Cooking Magazine.
Iron Works Dry Rub - created by the #1 rated BBQ team in Texas - Iron Works BBQ. Winners of multiple BBQ competitions.
Sticky Fingers BBQ Rub - with over 80 awards throughout the southeastern U.S. These boys know how to make good BBQ.
Sucklebusters Pork and Rib Rub - another multiple award-winning BBQ team including Scovie Awards, the Fiery Food Challenge, the National BBQ Association, the Best of the Best BBQ Sauce Contest and the Hot Pepper Awards.
Texas Rib Ranges BBQ Rub - Rib Rangers has over 20 years of winning BBQ contests with dozens of awards. Available in regular and spicy.

All of these rubs and seasonings are available at the Armadillo Pepper on-line store. One of the interesting and fun aspects of backyard BBQ's is trying new seasonings.

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