It’s barbecue season and that means it’s time to make a batch of sweet heat pork rub to spice up the grill. This dry rub is a great DIY recipe to keep in your pantry. This sweet heat pork dry rub has just ten ingredients to amp up any pork or chicken you care to put on the grill.
Why Use a Dry Rub?
A dry rub is a mixture of dry seasonings and spices that is applied to meat. This not only adds a great crust to the meat, but combines with any surface moisture and is drawn down into the meat to add more flavor. An added benefit is that the surface of the meat is able to quickly form a crust as it hits the hot grill and that helps with both searing and keeping the juices locked in.
This dry rub has kosher salt and two kinds of sugar. The taste of pork is enhanced by both. The brown sugar sugar adds some carmel flavors that white sugar doesn’t have.
Chili powder gives an earthy flavor. While cayenne pepper brings the kick of spice. Cumin adds a peppery smoky flavor that hits the senses before the deeper flavor of black pepper. Paprika is used for both color and a hearty base note. Onion and garlic powder provides a herbal taste. And that leaves turmeric. Tumeric has been used as a dye for centuries. The yellow color of curry comes from this spice. The flavor is like musky mustard, many people find it has a bitter taste which balances the sweet of the sugar and the heat from the pepper and chiles.
How to Apply a Dry Rub
- The rule of thumb is to plan on 1 tablespoon of rub per pound of meat. However, larger cuts of meat benefit from a more liberal amount of rub. So plan accordingly. I usually sprinkle the meat until it is thoroughly covered and then press it in with my hands.
- Some people like to use a binder of oil, mustard, or even water. The binder is slathered over the meat and then the dry rub is added. It’s a messy step which I usually skip. Sweet Heat Pork Rub has salt which will pull some of the meat juices to the surface and this combines with the rub to help keep it covered.
- Apply the dry rub and let it work its magic on the meat for at least an hour or overnight, (depending on the cut of meat) before cooking.
- Remember food safety when applying a dry rub. Either transfer some of the dry rubs to a container and spoon from that on the meat or use a container with a sprinkle top to apply the rub.
- Keep one hand dry to apply the rub and one hand messy to massage the rub into the meat.
Bonus Use of Sweet Heat Pork Rub
You can change a cheap barbecue sauce into something special by mixing 1/4 cup of the dry rub with one bottle of barbecue sauce and heating on the stove or on the grill while the meat cooks for 15-20 minutes. Just before serving add 1 teaspoon dried parsley or 1 tablespoon fresh minced parsley. This makes a rich, thick sauce that complements the flavor of the meat and tastes as you worked for hours to make it.
Sweet Heat Pork Rub
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
- Category: sauce
Description
A DIY rub recipe for sweet heat pork rub which is a great way to bring out the flavor of BBQ.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar—packed
- 1/2 cup kosher salt
- 1/2 cup black pepper
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1/4 cup cumin
- 1/4 cup chili powder
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 3 tablespoons turmeric
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
Instructions
- In a medium container, combine the ingredients and shake to make sure it is well combined. You may need to break up any clumps of brown sugar with a spoon.
- Label and store dry rub in an airtight container.
This is my go to rub for ribs. I make a big batch of it every few months and store it in a sealed container so I always have it on hand.