The BEST Brisket Rub

11 reviews

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This brisket rub is a beautiful salt and pepper-based rub that has 4 added seasonings to bring out the richness of the brisket while amplifying the overall flavor of your perfectly smoked brisket. I’m not kidding when I say it is the best brisket rub around! If you’re looking for a rub for smoking a Texas-style brisket, this is the one!

Brisket rub pouring into a bowl out of a spoon with text overlay - The Best Brisket Rub.

Smoked Brisket Rub

This rub is a great savory rub when you are looking to kick things up a notch when smoking brisket. A good rub will accentuate the flavors of the beef without overpowering them, and this rub does just that. It only contains 6 ingredients, many of which you likely have in your pantry right now. Simpy mix them in a small bowl and store them in a airtight container (I like using these glass spice bottles) for storing all my homemade spices and rubs, and they will last at least a month. The longer you store this rub, the more you lose the potency of the seasonings. While it can last longer, I highly recommend using in less than 4 weeks.

This rub is gorgeously balanced. Salt and pepper add a classic base, onion powder and garlic powder bring earthy, aromatic elements, and the smoked paprika adds color and a kiss of flavor. The coriander is a bit acidic, and it almost tastes citrusy. It’s a bright note to lift the flavor of the beef.

Ingredients for brisket rub on a black plate.

Beef Brisket Seasoning

This rub is perfect when liberally coated on beef brisket. It begins with a salt and pepper base in equal parts. This simple mixture is often called a Dalmatian rub by Texas pit masters. If you’re a beef brisket purist, you’ll likely stick to these two simple seasonings. Although, if we’re being honest, I’ve spent a lot of time in central Texas, working with pitmasters in some of the biggest restaurants there, and none of them use salt and pepper only, I like to get a little adventurous with my flavors and try something new.

Enter: Susie’s flavor-packed beef brisket rub for smoking. By adding my own flavor profile of onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and ground coriander to the salt and pepper base, this rub beautifully compliments the richness of beef without being too overpowering.

The most important part of this rub is the pepper and salt. And believe me when I say you can’t use fine ground table salt or fine black pepper like you would put in your shaker for this rub.

For best results, use coarse grind or restaurant grind black pepper and coarse salt (I find the best for rubs is Morton kosher salt). It is a flat, almost flaky salt with a nice, clean flavor. By having more coarse granules on the outside of a brisket, they help to form the crispy bark on the outside of the brisket.

Brisket rub on a spoon.

 

Ingredients for the Best Brisket Rub

The ingredients in this brisket rub are key to having a beautifully balanced, fantastically flavorful brisket. This rub combines 6 flavorful elements to help you achieve the best-flavored brisket around.

  • Coarse kosher salt
  • Coarse black pepper
  • Onion powder
  • Garlic powder
  • Smoked paprika
  • Ground coriander

How to Make Brisket Rub

Once you have all the ingredients assembled you’re ready to make this brisket rub! It’s so ridiculously easy to make rubs from scratch at home, and this one is no exception! Here’s how to make this brisket rub recipe.

  1. Combine. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Use a fork to evenly mix and break up any clumps that form.
  2. Use or store. This rub is ready to be used immediately, or you can store it for later use. I like to make my rub ahead of time so it’s ready to go when I make my brisket. I store all my homemade rubs and seasonings in these glass spice jars and they fit right in with my storebought seasonings.

Brisket rub in a small bowl next to smoked beef brisket.

Beef Brisket Recipes

This rub is made to perfectly compliment the low and slow smoked flavor of beef brisket. Check out these recipes below to begin smoking a brisket.

Best Brisket Rub Recipe

Here’s hoping this brisket rub recipe helps you make the most amazing Texas-style beef brisket of your life. If you need a quick refresher on making a brisket, best sure to check out my post for Brisket 101. I cover all the basics to making an awesome brisket.

Hey Grill Hey is dedicated to helping you make better BBQ so you can feed the people you love and become a backyard BBQ hero. If you’re looking to up your BBQ game, join The Grill Squad. It’s my members-only BBQ group that is packed full of awesome pitmaster classes and other amazing perks (like a running discount on my store!) Check it out today!

Quick note: This post was originally published in July 2019. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.

Brisket Rub

By: Susie Bulloch (heygrillhey.com)
4.82 from 11 votes
This brisket rub is a beautiful salt and pepper-based rub that has 4 added seasonings to bring out the richness of the brisket while amplifying the overall flavor of your perfectly smoked brisket. I'm not kidding when I say it is the best brisket rub around!
Prep Time5 minutes
Total Time5 minutes
Servings16

Video

Ingredients
 

  • 2 Tablespoons coarse kosher salt
  • 2 Tablespoons coarse black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon onion powder
  • 1 Tablespoon garlic powder
  • 1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 2 teaspoons ground coriander

Instructions
 

  • Combine. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to crush any clumps of seasonings.
  • Use or store. This rub can be stored in an airtight container for up to a month.

Nutrition

Calories: 7kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 220IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 8mg | Iron: 0.3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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About

FOUNDER/BBQ BOSS LADY

Susie is the BBQ Brain behind the Hey Grill Hey website. Her passion for smoked meats and developing fun, new recipes have landed her on the Food Network, cooking turkeys with Shaq, and on a couple of Guinness World Records. When she’s not grilling, she is hanging out with Todd and their three kids, preferably outdoors!

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Reader Reviews

56 Reviews

  1. Guydswanson says:

    If anyone is interested I discovered resting your brisket wrapped in foil in a yeti will keep it hot for hours. Trying this rub for thanksgiving. Will let you know how it goes

    1. Jesse says:

      Wrap it in a towel while it’s in butcher paper and then put it in the cooler to rest

  2. Steven says:

    This is an Amazing rub! I’ve used it on brisket and steaks. It pairs well with Beef period! I used an empty spice container and made a quadruple batch, now it’s time to make more! Thanks Susie! One additional thing I really like about this rub is that it has no sugar. I have rubs that contain sugar, but this one is near and dear to my Keto, No Grain-No Sugar, GAPS, Low Carb lifestyle. Love it! ❤️ This is simply Fabulous!