Barbeque rubs basically consist of combinations of your
favorite spice flavors, designed to enhance the flavor of the meat you
are cooking. These flavors include salt, sweet, sour, and bitter.
To make
a rub, begin by combining salt and sugar; usually equal amounts of each:
lets say 1/2 cup of each. Depending on the sweetness you are looking
for, many sugars work well. A few examples are Turbinado, white, and
brown. Different salts also work well. A few include salt, sea salt,
and kosher salt,.Next, a great ingredient to add is paprika. It has a
mild flavor, and it also adds to the rubs dark reddish color. Add 1/4
cup of paprika.
Now you can start building the flavors of the rub. First, determine what you are going to use the rub on. A pork rub will be different than a chicken rub. You might also want to make the rub spicy or sweet, it just depends on what flavor you are looking to add to the meat. Trial and error play a big part in developing rubs that taste good and do not overpower the meat. Below are a few herbs and spices that work well in rubs:
Garlic powder
Onion powder
Cumin
Oregano
Comino
Cayenne
Black Pepper
Red Pepper (Cayenne)
Whit Pepper
Mustard Powder
Add a little of the ingredient you choose, then test the rub to see how the flavor changed. With a little experimentation, you will develop a personal rub that tastes very good.