A good Sweet Rub for smoky chicken and pork is ESSENTIAL to have in your grilling arsenal and buying them from the store gets expensive. Up the flavor and lower the cost for your favorite grilled meats by making my sweet rub at home!
Some pitmasters go to the grave protecting their signature spice rub recipes. I’m not that big of a jerk and I like to share with all of you! I seriously love making my own rubs and spice mixtures for the grill and this Sweet Rub for Grilled Pork and Chicken is my all time go-to favorite. It is good on everything, I swear. From pork ribs to simple grilled chicken breasts, this sweet rub with a slightly spicy kick will enhance whatever you throw it on.
If you have the ingredients on hand, make a big old batch and bottle some up for later use or to give to your friends and neighbors as gifts. I can go through one batch just on a couple of pork butts, so don’t be worried that you won’t use it all. In fact, if you’re cooking a lot, just double it to be safe and save the rest for later.
**PRO TIP: This recipes calls for smoked paprika. This is a pretty big deal and adds quite a bit of flavor. There are a TON of varieties of paprika at all different price points, but for the best flavor I always choose smoked paprika that is a rich red color. Sometimes paprika will also be labeled hot or sweet, you can pick the spice level you prefer! If it’s not labeled with anything but “paprika” it is likely mild and pretty bland and won’t add anything to your spice mixture other than color.
Below, I’ve included links to several of my favorite recipes that are unreal with this sweet rub slathered on, so mix up a batch of your own and fire up that grill! It’s almost summer!!
Apple Jalapeno Ribs
Cider Brined Pulled Pork
Beer Brined Chicken Wings
Big Fat Fatty Burgers
- 1/4 cup dark brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon coarse sea salt
- 2 teaspoons cracked black pepper
- 2 teaspoons smoked paprika (hot or mild, whichever you prefer)
- 2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon ground mustard
- 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- In a small bowl combine all of the ingredients for the rub. Stir well to combine and store in an airtight container. The spice mix will last in your cupboard for up to a month.
I’ve never used any type of rubs. How do you grill with them?
I always sprinkle the seasonings on both sides of your food before grilling. Don’t put too much on, or it will just fall of when you put it on the grill. Have fun with trying new flavors!
Cause yur supose to rub the meat in the seasoning lol thats why its called a dry rub…
You are actually not supposed to “Rub” the seasonings into the meat but sprinkle them on as rubbing them causes the grain of the meat to become blocked …check out Michael Stewart for a better explanation 🙂
Marlene Nixon Aquino. That is not true at all. I have no idea who Micheal Stewart but, with all do respect, never heard of him as a pro BBQ competitor. I am on the BBQ competition circuit with a team that has won over 40 awards. And, a KCBS competition certified judge. We always “pat” or slightly rub the rub on the meat. As you pat or lightly rub, it will turn to a slather and soak into the meat. If it is layered as a dry rub, it will burn or run off from the juices, depending on what you are Q’ing. Some people will use a yellow mustard to help create the wet slather of the dry rub. You will not taste the mustard once cooked.
i always brush a light coat of mustard to bind the seasoning to meat.
Great tip! Olive oil works great as well.
Better to use grape seed oil as it doesn’t turn black like olive oil.
Yes it does. I rub my pork, chicken or ribs with Olive Oil and then put the rub on let set for 5 minutes the grill.
So, you brush on the mustard, and then”rub”the rub onto the meat?
It does sound funny, but the rub is really just patted onto the meat. If you rub, it will all clump up or just fall off.
I like to do mines this way too.
Is this good for beef
I usually use this one for pork or chicken. If you are looking for something for beef, here is the link for my steak rub. https://heygrillhey.com/homemade-steak-rub/
Looks like a rub I have been using for years and it is absolutely perfect!! YUM!!!
Those seasonings sound good!
I love making my own spice blends. This sounds terrific for summer grilling!
Rubs are the best and this one looks like the perfect combo of sweet and savory!
I soaking a turkey in a soy sauce/brown sugar brine, would this be a good rub to add after soaking in the brine?
Yes! I’ve actually used a similar marinade and this rub on a turkey breast and it was awesome.
Thank you for providing the recipe to this rub and the directions for smoking the apple jalapeno ribs. Yesterday was my first time grilling ribs and using a smoker ever. It was a success and the family loved it. I was wondering if this rub would also apply equally well to tri tip.
Hey Lance, I’m so happy the ribs worked out for you! This sweet rub is great on poultry and pork, but I feel like it’s a little sweet for tri tip. I’ve got a pretty awesome tri tip rub that we really love: http://heygrillhey.com/recipe/smoky-joe-tri-tip/
And I’ve got a steak rub recipe that works on tri tip too: http://heygrillhey.com/recipe/homemade-steak-rub/
do you have a good rub for smoked salmon
I do not use a rub when smoking salmon. Only a basic brine, salt, brown sugar, water and a little onion powder.
On the cherry chipotle bbq sauce if you have allergies to citrus fruit what can you sub for the lime juice
I would recommend subbing for white vinegar. You’ll get a similar punch of acidity.
How would this be rubbing under the skin on a chicken?
It’s great! I usually mix it in with a little softened butter to make it easier to distribute under the skin.
Just fell over this and wonder if it’s salty. I love salt but every recipe I try the salt is overwhelming. Does the brown sugar make it less so?
Hey Pat- it has salt in it, but I’ve never had anybody complain of it being overly salty. You can always do a test batch with slightly less salt and see if it’s alright for you.
My first time at making a rub I was a little heavy handed. Cyan was bit much. So tried some tweeking. Think I got it. Put honey in with failed rub who knew honey needs just a little lol. Added ketchup and some clarified butter. Any other ideas to help my wet sauce?
I usually like to go with mustard or olive oil.
This has quickly become a “go to” in my spice arsenal. Delicious! I also just have to say, I have not yet tried a recipe from your site that I’ve been disappointed with. Keep up the amazing work!!
Fabulous rub on our smoked pork belly
Made this rub the other day. I didn’t have the smoked paprika, so I used regular and instead of cayenne I used Korean red pepper powder. Rubbed chicken wings with spicy brown mustard and patted the rub on 🙂 turned out excellent even in the oven!
The red pepper powder sounds delicious! I bet they had the perfect kick!
Could you omit the salt or use a salt free spice in place of the salt? I have a heart problem and can’t have salt but these sound amazing!
I LOVED this seasoning.It’s sweet,spicy and that mustard powder gives everything a bit of tang
In a lot of rubs the hot spices are overpowering the other spices,but here the sugar solves that! Il also forms a shatteringly crispy crust on meat!
Yes!! Thanks Daniel! You’re in good company, I can’t get enough of this seasoning on pretty much everything.
What are the possible substitutes that can be used in place of the ground mustard?
If you don’t want to use the mustard, it’s possible to leave it out entirely. It’s a pretty unique flavor that doesn’t have an easy substitute, but the rub still works great without it!
Hi Susie,
Saw your rub recipe, can you use kosher salt instead of course sea salt? I have fine seasalt. By the way do you use Penzey for seasonings?
Ive tried making rubs with brown sugar before, but they always clump if they’re left in a container for any amount of time. Do you have any tricks to keep the brown sugar from turning into a rock?
Put container in a zipper bag. If it’s still a rock when you need to use it again, pop it in the microwave for a couple of seconds.
Great tip, Jennifer! I keep it in a sealed bottle and as long as it is well mixed beforehand, I really don’t have trouble with the brown sugar clumping too much.
when my seasonings clump i use an old timey sifter and it usually does the trick.
An orange or lemon peel will soften hard sugar. Also bread. Just do it about a day or so before you need it. I don’t do the microwave trick anymore, the sugar melted inside a clump and I used my hands to crumble it- I got a really bad burn. I also avoid plastic or foamware in there for the same reason, as well as toxicity.
The trick I’ve always used to keep brown sugar from getting hard as a rock is to put a couple of marshmallows in with it. I keep my brown sugar folded down (assuming you have a bag and not a boxed version) and in a ziplock gallon bag. Then I also have the marshmallows in their bag and then put the bag of marshmallows in the gallon baggie next to the sugar.
I haven’t tried this rub mixture yet, but I plan to. I think a couple marshmallows in the container will work under the same principle.
HTH!!
I have a 1 1/2 inch tara cotta disk that you put down into the sugar and it keeps it from getting hard.
Loin forward to us
Is the sweet rub recipe for one rack of baby backs?
I can usually get it to cover two.
This is our favorite rub!! We use it on everything!
Thanks so much!!
Does this recipe adjust portions depending on how much you want to make? I thought I remembered making this rub before and really liking it, but I know the rub I made had this really awesome feature where it would adjust the recipe depending on how much you wanted to make… is that a feature you once had? If so, can you turn it back on?
Hey Jessica- the ability to adjust the recipe amount should totally still be there! But I looked and it doesn’t seem to be working. Yay technology. I’m emailing my recipe card designer to see what went wrong. Thanks for letting me know!!
Always keep a bunch of this made up. We like to grill often and anything pork or chicken this is on it.
How long do you typically allow the rub to penetrate the meat before putting it on the grill? Also, you mentioned combining the rub with butter to place under the skin. Is this right?
Hey Chris, I just put it on a few minutes before my meat goes on the grill. You can totally combine this with some softened butter and rub under the skin for extra flavor and moisture!
How big of a butt would you use this much with? I doubled it for 22 lbs? (3 butts) is that enough?
You should be good with a double batch of this. I usually make large batches of this every time a make it, just to have on hand.
Looks interesting.
We are sugar free. Other than flavor and quantity, is there another purpose for the sugar?
I personally love how it caramelizes on the outside of whatever I am cooking it on.
Wondering if you ever tried it without the sugar. I’m sugar free also, would love it with, but I’m going to try it today without. I’m very excited to try all these tips! Thank you for your expertise, heygrillhey! I’m super new to smoking but loving it!
Thanks Rhonda! I haven’t tried it without the sugar myself, you will have to let me know how it turns out! Can’t wait to see what you create!
Cobgratulations! Please is posible yous write this in Spanish? THANK YOU!
I wish I spoke Spanish and was able to translate.
If start the cook in the morning when is it best to put rub on?
Put the rub on before you put the meat in the smoker. You can put it on the night before if you want it to work into the meat, but I find that putting it on right before works just fine.
Is this a free subscription?
All of the recipes on my site are free, if you would like to join the Grill Squad it is an additional fee, but I make sure it is worth it!!
I’m a novice. I’ve had my Traeger 1 month. Looking for expert advice. I read somewhere to rub apple cider vinegar on the pork butt before puuting the rub on.
Thoughts?
That would work. I usually just rub it right on the chicken or go with a little olive oil before I rub as well.
Doing 120lb of pork shoulder Friday. How much of this rub will I need to make
I use about 1/4 cup for 10 pounds, so you will need about 3 cups for 120 pounds of pork. Sounds like a party!! Let me know how it turns out!
Is this similar to the Traeger Sweet Rub? We loved that but they stopped making it!
I’m not sure. You can just make a small batch to try it out!
This is exactly what I was looking for!!! Me and the he boyfriend are doing ribs in the smoker this weekend but his are always way to spicy. Like me and his mom backed out and gave them the rest. We just couldn’t do it. So I like sweet and savory and I’m hoping this one does the trick and mine blow his out of the water!
Thanks so much Becky!! I think you are totally going to impress him!! If you want just a little spice, you should check out my Apple Jalapeno recipe, it is not super spicy (my kids will even eat this one). https://heygrillhey.com/apple-jalapeno-smoked-ribs/
Love the rub!! … I like to use turbinado sugar instead of the dark brown sugar. I like the flavor of the dark brown sugar more BUT it’s so much easier to store using the turbinado sugar. In Louisiana, the humidity quickly turns the rub into a solid. It also can be used in a shaker so it goes on the meat more evenly without as much waste. How come you stopped making the U-Tube videos? This rub would be a great one.
Thanks Kent! YouTube is kind of the back burner for a little bit, hopefully we can get that worked out soon!
Can this rub be used for meats that’ll be cooked on a skillet? My apartment complex doesn’t allow us to have our own bbq pit/smoker and the ones they do have is dirty and old. Any help is appreciated!
Absolutely!! You can sprinkle it on chicken or pork and cook in a skillet.
Hey I am smoking a Turkey Breast and was wondering do I marinade the breast and after then allotted time take it out and put dry rub on it or is it just one or the other?
Thanks Byron
Any help would be appreciated
You can do both if you want. I will sometimes brine and then add a rub before smoking.
I do not have a smoker or grill. Can I put the pork butt in a crock pot or an electric roaster? Any suggestions? Thanks. Girl without a plan but wanting to feed my family good food.
Hey Gail! I have had some of my readers cook the pork in a crock pot. Put in on low for 8 hours. Let me know how it turns out!!
Good morning , having a big birthday party this weekend for my father 79 years young . been following you for a little while ,So i am smoking 4 ten pound butts and gonna try this sweet rub on a big crowd will let you know how it turns out .Thanks for sharing
Thanks Scott!! I can’t wait to hear how it all turns out!