The Best Pork Rub

It’s taken me years to perfect a pork rub that’s got the right balance of flavors, and this, the Best Pork Rub, is a touch sweet, a touch spicy, and packed with flavor. It’s so good on all things pork, and no matter if you’re grilling, smoking, or just baking in your oven, pork is so much happier when it’s coated in this rub.

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Purchased spice blends are expensive, and are often loaded with salt. And, when you consider just how much spice it takes to cover a pork tenderloin, enough chops for the family, or a giant slab of pork for pulled pork, it can be a serious investment.

Make your own instead! Economical and easy to tweak, making your own pork dry rub is the way to go! I’ve tweaked and adjusted this pork rub blend over the years to create a blend that’s well-balanced and that pairs perfectly with the subtle flavors of pork. I call it The Best Pork Rub, and after trying it, I’m convinced you’ll call it that too.

What You Need to Make The Best Pork Rub

• A small bowl
• A whisk for mixing
• Dark brown sugar – I prefer dark brown sugar for the deeper molasses flavor. Light brown sugar will work in a pinch, but the rub won’t be quite as rich (see my notes below).
• Chili powder – Use a mild chili powder blend unless you want extra heat in the rub.
• Regular (sweet) paprika – Make sure it’s sweet paprika, not hot or smoked, so the flavors stay balanced.
• Smoked paprika – Adds a gentle smoky flavor that works beautifully with grilled or smoked pork.
• Garlic powder – Use garlic powder, not garlic salt, so the rub doesn’t get too salty.
• Onion powder – Again, onion powder is key here; onion salt will make the rub too salty.
• Dried thyme – I like to rub it between my fingers before adding it to wake up the flavor.
• Cayenne – Adjust to taste if you want more or less heat.
• Salt and pepper – I cook with kosher salt.

A Note on Brown Sugar

There are several kinds of brown sugar, including both dark and light brown sugar. Brown sugar is made with molasses – dark brown sugar has more added molasses than light brown sugar. If you have it or can get it, be sure to use dark brown sugar in this recipe. This pork rub for smoking and grilling benefits from the balanced sweet/smoky/bitter flavors in the molasses. But, light brown molasses will work in a pinch.

How To Make This Pork Dry Rub

To see a full list of ingredients and instructions, please scroll down to the end of this page.

Put everything into a small bowl and mix well!

The Easiest Pork Dry Rub Recipe

This pork dry rub recipe has a lot of ingredients, but the good news is that it makes about 1/2 a cup which is plenty of pork tenderloin rub, 6-8 chops, and a reasonably-sized pork loin. If you’re looking for a pulled pork rub, you may want to double this recipe.

How To Use Pork Dry Rub

This is a versatile pork rub recipe and can be used in a variety of ways:

• as a rub for ribs (it’ll coat about two racks of baby back ribs)
• as a pulled pork rub – pork butt rub or pork shoulder rub
• as a pork chop rub – boneless or bone-in chops work well!
• as a pork tenderloin rub
• as a pork belly rub
• as general pork seasoning

Simply mix up your rub then pat the meat dry. I like to put the meat into a large bowl and then liberally sprinkle on the rub. Mix it all in, making sure to work the rub into any crevices in the meat. The bowl will catch the extra, making it easy to scoop it up and back onto the meat.

Don’t be afraid if you’ve got a good, thick coat on the meat. That’s flavor, baby!

Discard whatever rub has been left behind. It has been contaminated with raw pork and won’t keep.

Chef Jenn’s Tips

• Make sure your spices are as fresh as fresh can be – fresh spices make all the difference!
• For a smokier flavor, swap the cayenne for chipotle.
• Smoked paprika is different than regular paprika and has oodles more flavor. Use both in this recipe.
• Like it spicier? Double the cayenne!

Frequently Asked Questions