How do you apply a dry rub to meat?

There isn't one way to correctly apply rubs to meat. "The way I apply rub depends on the desired effect," says pitmaster David Sandusky, owner of Beast Craft BBQ in St. Louis. "Some meats require a shake of rub for seasoning, and others require more pressure to make the rub stick in order to form a bark. For better bark, I recommend coating the meat in cheap yellow mustard before adding rub to help the rub stick to the meat." Pittman and Ramos also recommend mustard. Ramos combines it with pickle juice in a 50/50 ratio when cooking brisket. You can also use oil. "Give it a gentle pat to make sure the seasoning sticks," Ramos says. A wet applicator like mustard, gochujang , or honey helps spices adhere, but it's not always necessary, according to Dady. "The most important part of applying the rub is to season from up high: a minimum of 12 inches above the meat so that you get a nice, even layer of spice applied," he says.

Can you use dry rub and barbecue sauce?

Dry rubs and barbecue sauces can complement each other. "The rub directly flavors the meat, and the sauce can then penetrate deeper and give more flavor," says Bludorn. You don't want to apply them at the same time, though. Sauce can turn the burnt ends of meat from crispy to soggy, according to Bludorn. Think of barbecue sauce as a finishing sauce, like a glaze, that doesn't go on the meat till the last 30 minutes of cooking, says Dady. Ramos finishes meat with barbecue sauce once it reaches the desired internal temperature. Sandusky suggests smoking meat with a rub and finishing it with sauce in the barbecue pit or on the grill. Alternatively, with a rub, a binder like mustard or pickle juice, and good technique, you can also skip the sauce and still have a flavorful barbecue.

When should you season meat before barbecuing?

This depends on who you ask. Pittman recommends seasoning brisket between 15 and 30 minutes before cooking, and no more than an hour before. Chef Aaron Bludorn of Bludorn in Houston recommends planning meat a day before. "It helps marinate the meat and lets the protein interact with the spices, especially if salt is involved. The salt draws out the moisture and in turn takes in the spices and flavor from the rub. Think of it as a dry brine or cure. When spices are involved, the flavor is deeper in the meat," he says.

8 Best Barbecue Rubs and Spices of 2024, by Food & Wine

Seasonings and tongs on the Weber Genesis E-325 Liquid Propane Gas Grill side table — Photo:
Food & Wine / Russell Kilgore

Wherever you are in the world, there is barbecue. While the jury on whether barbecue sauces are a must remains hotly divided by state and region, nothing makes the most out of smoking and grilling like a dry rub. And the spice world has never been more exciting. As farmers have greater control over growing conditions and harvest cycles, the selection of single-origin spices spans from Szechuan chiles to citrus blends. The complexity and subtle flavors of a well-sourced spice blend will complement whatever food it touches, and make the familiar taste new again.

What makes a good barbecue rub?

Before we share our current favorite spices and rubs, we'll share what the experts look for when seasoning barbecue. A rub with pepper as the main ingredient will catch smoke and build bark, according to Matt Pittman, a pitmaster and barbecue instructor in Waxahachie, Texas, who founded the seasoning brand Meat Church. For Texans like Pittman and Jason Dady, the chef and owner of Two Bros BBQ Market in San Antonio, either coarse salt and coarse pepper or a blend of seasonings will do the job. This might include salt, pepper, cumin, paprika, coriander, mustard powder, and brown sugar, according to Dady.

Esaul Ramos, a pitmaster and the co-owner of 2M Smokehouse BBQ San Antonio, prefers a combination of unique flavors, like orange-pepper or hibiscus-rosemary, with ingredients high in sodium and acidity. The best barbecue rubs come down to personal preference.

Hardcore Carnivore Seasoning

Hardcore Carnivore Black Charcoal Seasoning

PHOTO: Hardcore Carnivore

$15 at Amazon

With a long-time love for live fire cooking, Australian-born chef Jess Pryles developed seasoning and barbecue tools under the name Hardcore Carnivore. Made in her adopted state of Texas, seasonings like Black, a proprietary mix of coarse black pepper, garlic, and spices, helps perfect the bark (dark crust) of brisket and other barbecue. Its counterpart, Red, pairs with chicken and pork. Amplify, a newer release, amps up barbecue's savoriness with chicken fat powder as its star ingredient.

Meat Church BBQ Rub

PHOTO: Amazon

$15 at Amazon

From Pittman, one of the experts we cite here, Meat Church specializes in barbecue spice rubs and seasonings with a Southern kick. Start with Pittman's signature multi-purpose seasoning, Holy Cow. While it tastes heavenly on brisket, steak, and hamburgers, as its name suggests, it's so versatile that we'd opt for it on pork butt, pork ribs, and poultry as well. It goes heavy on red and black pepper to help develop bark and smoke.

beans and ribs with Meat Church Holy Cow seasoning — Food & Wine / Mary Claire Lagroue

Burlap & Barrel Wild Mountain Cumin

PHOTO: Amazon

$13 at Amazon

While pre-mixed spice rubs are a great introduction to flavor combinations, shopping Burlap & Barrel's collection of super-fresh, single-origin spices lets you curate a versatile collection. We recommend experimenting with Wild Mountain Cumin and Zanzibar Black Peppercorns on brisket or, for a subtle flavor shift, replacing the garlic powder in your pantry with Purple Stripe Garlic, sustainably sourced from Vietnam.

"Wild Mountain Cumin has kicked my grilling game up to a new level of deliciousness with its bright, umami flavor," says Senior Commerce Editor Danielle St. Pierre. "During our trip upstate, my partner added it to a fresh chimichurri sauce served with grilled sirloin steak tips, and it added a minty, herbaceous freshness to the whole meal. It also made our entire cabin smell amazing."

burlap & barrel spices — Danielle St. Pierre

Snake River Farms SRF BBQ Brisket Rub

PHOTO: Snake River Farms

View on Snakeriverfarms.com

Snake River Farms has built a reputation on premium cuts, from American Wagyu beef to Kurobuta pork ribs, and offers quality spice blends to pair them with. The company partnered with pitmasters to create this balanced brisket rub, which we'd recommend on steaks and burgers, too. If you prefer pork, the SRF Perfect Pork Rub compliments it with notes of cherry, brown sugar, and pecan.

Spiceology Set of 12 Gourmet BBQ Spice Rubs

Spiceology Ultimate Spice Rub Collection

PHOTO: Amazon

$72 at Amazon

Spiceology sells a variety of spices, and anyone can find a new favorite rub among the 12 in this set. It may also introduce a lucky gift recipient to flavors they might not normally go for. Some standouts include Korean BBQ with sesame seeds, maple sugar, and orange peel; Black & Bleu with Cajun spices and dehydrated bleu cheese; and Cowboy Crust with sugar, mustard seed, and espresso.

Spicewalla 10 Pack Ultimate BBQ Collection

PHOTO: SpiceWalla

$65 at Amazon View on Spicewallabrand.com

Begging for some time over live fire, Spicewalla's bold barbecue and grilling blends are sold individually and in this set of 10. Go classic with nods to American barbecue, from South Carolina to Texas to Kansas City, or use a blend like Piri Piri on homemade popcorn.

This Little Goat Spice Collection

PHOTO: This Little Goat

$60 at Amazon

The Little Goat is Chicago restaurateur and Top Chef winner Stephanie Izard's newest venture. The line of sauces and spice mixes represent flavors from around the globe, including Belize, Cuba, Morocco, India, and Grillville. Snag them as a set.

Momofuku Savory Seasoned Salt

PHOTO: Amazon

$17 $15 at Amazon

David Chang's collection of Momofuku pantry staples are the result of over 10 years of kitchen experiments that left chefs wanting more. With three varieties of seasoned salt — tingly, spicy, and savory — every palate will be pleased. Use in place of salt and pepper on grilled vegetables and meats.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you apply a dry rub to meat?

There isn't one way to correctly apply rubs to meat. "The way I apply rub depends on the desired effect," says pitmaster David Sandusky, owner of Beast Craft BBQ in St. Louis. "Some meats require a shake of rub for seasoning, and others require more pressure to make the rub stick in order to form a bark. For better bark, I recommend coating the meat in cheap yellow mustard before adding rub to help the rub stick to the meat."

Pittman and Ramos also recommend mustard. Ramos combines it with pickle juice in a 50/50 ratio when cooking brisket. You can also use oil. "Give it a gentle pat to make sure the seasoning sticks," Ramos says.

A wet applicator like mustard, gochujang, or honey helps spices adhere, but it's not always necessary, according to Dady. "The most important part of applying the rub is to season from up high: a minimum of 12 inches above the meat so that you get a nice, even layer of spice applied," he says.
Can you use dry rub and barbecue sauce?

Dry rubs and barbecue sauces can complement each other. "The rub directly flavors the meat, and the sauce can then penetrate deeper and give more flavor," says Bludorn. You don't want to apply them at the same time, though. Sauce can turn the burnt ends of meat from crispy to soggy, according to Bludorn.

Think of barbecue sauce as a finishing sauce, like a glaze, that doesn't go on the meat till the last 30 minutes of cooking, says Dady. Ramos finishes meat with barbecue sauce once it reaches the desired internal temperature. Sandusky suggests smoking meat with a rub and finishing it with sauce in the barbecue pit or on the grill.

Alternatively, with a rub, a binder like mustard or pickle juice, and good technique, you can also skip the sauce and still have a flavorful barbecue.
When should you season meat before barbecuing?

This depends on who you ask. Pittman recommends seasoning brisket between 15 and 30 minutes before cooking, and no more than an hour before. Chef Aaron Bludorn of Bludorn in Houston recommends planning meat a day before. "It helps marinate the meat and lets the protein interact with the spices, especially if salt is involved. The salt draws out the moisture and in turn takes in the spices and flavor from the rub. Think of it as a dry brine or cure. When spices are involved, the flavor is deeper in the meat," he says.

Our Expertise

Alissa Fitzgerald is a chef, recipe developer, and food writer with over 15 years of experience in the food industry.
For this piece, Alissa interviewed Aaron Bludorn of Bludorn, Esaul Ramos of 2M Smokehouse BBQ, Jason Dady of Two Bros. BBQ Market, and David Sandusky of Beast Craft BBQ to find out what the pros look for in barbecue spices and rubs.
Commerce Editor Mary Claire Lagroue updated this piece. Living in Dallas, she enjoys trying Texas barbecue and grilling when the weather allows. She attended Matt Pittman's Meat Church BBQ School in Fort Worth, Texas, to learn more about seasoning and smoking meat; she shares Pittman's insights in this article.
Danielle St. Pierre is a Senior Commerce Editor for Food & Wine. Based in Brooklyn, New York, she joined the Dotdash Meredith commerce team in 2022 and has nearly 10 years of experience writing and editing food, drink, and lifestyle content.