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 powder
- ½ teaspoon ground 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.
Omg so good. Rubbed it on tossed them in the oven 3 hrs later- perfection. The cinnamon is key!
Best Iv ever made and Iv smoked a lot of ribs on my green egg. Perfect tast. Loved the cinnamon in the rub added a nice layer of flaver. 321 at 225. Off the hook. 5 stars
Love this rub, I didn’t have celery salt, but added a half teaspoon of powdered ginger, awesome flavor, good bark
I just looked up a rub recipe and this one is the one I want to use. I don’t have time to let them sit over night or even for hours. What is the minimum time to allow them to sit and still have great taste?
You don’t have to let them sit at all if you don’t want to.
This is an amazing recipe! ????????♀️ It’s also perfect on roast veggies with olive oil sheet pan roasted to tenderness.
For those who can’t find celery salt(don’t know why), if you can find a Caesar glass rimmer, usually by Motts, it is basically 95% celery salt.
I don’t leave ratings on recipes very often, but this rib rub is just perfect. We’ve used it several times now on smoked ribs. Make sure you get good, flavorful spices.
I am going to try it soon
I do a no wrap rib recipe. I take the membrane off of St Louis Style ribs then rub them up and leave them in the fridge over night. Before I fire up my offset smoker I pull the ribs out and let them come up to room temp. Get my smoker between 200-225 degrees and place ribs on. I use hickory or pecan wood to smoke. While the ribs smoke I make my own sauce to mop them every hour up to finish. 2 cups vegetable oil, 2 cup Apple Cider Vinegar and about 3-4 table spoons of the rub I used. Smoke them for about 3 hours or until the bones start to stick out of the meat. I pull them then let them rest for 20 minutes while I fix everything else then slice em up and serve. Enjoy!
Do you cook the mop ’em up sauce?
I tried this rub for the first time on ribs and it turned out really good. Instead of rubbing it in I pat it on the ribs and then put them in the smoker over apple wood chips with apple cider vinegar in the pan and left them on for 3 hours at 275. Then took them off and wrapped in foil with brown sugar, butter and honey added on top of them and back into the smoker for another hour and they turned out amazing and then the juice inside the foil you can drizzle on the ribs when you serve them best ribs ever even better then Texas road house!!!