Best Dry Rub For Ribs
On April 04, 2023 (Updated May 10, 2024)
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This dry rub for ribs will amplify the flavor on any rack of ribs you cook. I’ve packed classic BBQ flavors into my rib rub recipe so you get finger-licking results!
Dry Rub for Ribs
Every rack of ribs needs a good seasoning blend, and this dry rub for ribs is the ULTIMATE seasoning. Trust me on this. This post is consistently our #1 post on the entire Hey Grill Hey site because it is complete and utter perfection.
I’ve been smoking and grilling ribs for years and wanted to create a dry rub for ribs that was versatile enough to use in any rib application. This spice mix is the perfect mix of sweet and savory with some secret ingredients that add punch and pizazz so you can amp up that BBQ flavor, no matter how you’re cooking your ribs. This rib rub is fantastic on its own, you don’t even need sauce!
Rib Rub
Let’s talk about the building blocks of a good rib rub. I think the best rib rubs start with sugar as a base. Pork and sweet were just made to go together. From there, you’ll see recipes with salt and pepper plus a mix of things that are custom to each pitmaster. I like to add in smoked paprika for a boost of wood-fired flavor as well as a gorgeous red color that pops. Onion and garlic are classic flavor enhancers. Ground mustard ends up in almost all of my rubs as a punchy, almost acidic note of brightness.
My secret ingredients in my rib rub are cinnamon and celery salt. The cinnamon adds this lip-smacking quality that people can’t identify when eating it, but it keeps them coming back for more and more. The celery salt is the perfect earthy balance to the sweet brown sugar. Balance is crucial in a good dry rub for ribs!
This rib rub has been so popular on the site, we decided to bottle it up and sell it in the Hey Grill Hey Store. If you want to save yourself some time, snag a bottle of this amazing Hey Grill Hey Rib Rub shipped directly to your door!
Ingredients for Rib Rub
Here’s exactly what you’ll need to snag from the pantry or the store to make this dry rub for ribs:
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Once you have all your ingredients assembled, combine them all in a mixing bowl, using a fork to break up any clumps.
Store your rib rub in air-tight glass containers (I buy ones like these online) and they will last at least a month. You may need to shake or mix to break up and brown sugar clumps.
More Dry Rub Recipes
Making your own rubs at home is easy and delicious. Check out some other homemade rubs from Hey Grill Hey below.
Rib Rub Recipe
Follow the recipe, and let’s make some really good food! Hey Grill Hey is here to help you make better BBQ, feed the people you love, and become a BBQ hero. Head on over to Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube! for more behind-the-scenes action!
This post was originally published in December 2018. We recently updated it with more information and helpful tips. The recipe remains the same.
Best Dry Rub for Ribs
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Make the rub. Mix all ingredients in a bowl. Use a fork to crush any clumps of sugar or seasonings.
- Use or store. Store in an airtight container for up to a month.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
So I tried this recipe for the 4th of July cookout for my family… note: my family mainly puts BBQ sauce on everything meat lol I mean everything.. my godson even puts BBQ sauce on bacon… these ribs came out so freaking good cooked to an internal temp of 202° F in a pellet smoker at 225° F for just over 3 hours. Noone I mean for the first time in history noo e sauced their meat even went back for seconds and in my godson case thirds and no BBQ sauce was opened…. the flavors were mellow individually and blended well together. The cinnamon was a nice touch everyone kept asking what that signature pick me up flavor in the back ground was lol so good!! I recommend this rib rub even saved it and added it to my personal recipe book. I normally take away or add to a recipe. This one will stay unchanged!!! Thank you to the person who put this one together ❤️
This is the best rib rub recipe ever. I found it last year and come back to it all the time. It is always a huge hit. Thank you so much for sharing it!
Just mixed up spices, will be trying it out on the 4 th of July, can’t wait
I have made this twice and the family loves it!❤️
This really is one of the best rub recipes I’ve found. I see so many “competition” recipes that use SO much paprika, like not exaggerating 50% of the total volume of the rub is just paprika in some of these recipes, and that’s all you can taste at the end, I really don’t get it!
The little touch of cinnamon in this one though really takes it to another level though, I keep finding myself coming back to this one any time I make ribs.
I made ribs for the first time and used this rib rub and it was huge hit. The taste was excellent
Hi,
I’m glad I found your web site. I will make the dry rub for the pork ribs I bought at Whole foods.
I’ll get back to you on how they turned out. Thank you very much
Great rub! I added extra mustard in place of cayenne (allergy), used celery seed and “Canadianed it up” by using maple sugar in place of brown sugar. The ribs are fantastic!
Tried this tonight. Substituted Old Bay for celery salt/cayenne pepper. I didn’t have those items, but noticed Old bay is mainly Celery Salt and Red pepper, paprika. Also didn’t have any ground mustard, so I layered ribs in yellow mustard as a base for the seasoning. Came out AMAZING. Thanks!
Used this rub for Memorial day. Came out great and got a lot of compliments from the family!