The Best BBQ Seasoning & Dry Rub Recipe

Last Updated December 15, 2022. Published April 22, 2022 By Davinah Cenou Montezuma

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If you’re looking for bbq dry rub for pork, barbecue spice mix or bbq dry rub for chicken, this homemade BBQ seasoning recipe is all you need. With sweet, spicy and smokey flavors, it will surely transform any ribs, pork, chicken or roast to taste like you’re on a BBQ competition team. While you can use any sweetener that you prefer, I use a brown sugar replacement to have all the flavors of bbq without refined sugar. Use this on my air fryer ribs, keto ribs, air fryer bbq wings, crockpot bbq chicken wings and more.

Why Make This

Competition Team Flavor: this easy BBQ dry rub recipe uses simple spices, but has all the flavor of rubs you might find on a BBQ competition team.
Option without sugar: most bbq dry rub recipes include brown sugar. This recipe includes all the flavor of brown sugar, while using a 1:1 brown sugar substitute.

What is BBQ Seasoning Made of?

Making your own homemade bbq seasoning is super easy. All you need are a few spices and a air tight storage container. For this recipe, you’ll need to gather the following:

Smoked Paprika: this gives the bbq seasoning a smoky taste without any smoke or grilling.
Cayenne Pepper: you can adjust this to taste. I personally like sweet and spicy flavors in my bbq spice mixes.
Brown Sugar: In this recipe, I’m using a keto brown sugar because it tastes the same as regular brown sugar without actually having any sugar. You can pick this up in many grocers in the baking aisle.
Sea Salt: I use fine grain sea salt
Chili Powder
Black Pepper
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Italian Seasoning
Dried Thyme

keto brown sugar, garlic and onion powder, salt, black pepper, chili powder and other spices on separate containers

How to Make BBQ Seasoning

Add all of the spices to a glass jar.
Shake or whisk until incorporated.

Top Tips & FAQs

Allow the bbq seasoning to sit on the meat: similar to my chicken dry rub, I recommend allowing this bbq seasoning to sit on the meat for at least four hours. This allows all the flavors to mix with the meat. It also creates a syrup like coating that caramelizes when the meat is cooking.
Use regular brown sugar or keto brown sugar for the same results: you can certainly use whatever sweetener you prefer, but I find that I get the same results using keto brown sugar.
Use two tablespoons of bbq seasoning rub per pound of meat: I’ve used this on chicken and pork. I personally enjoy two tablespoons per pound of meat.

How long should dry rub sit on pork?

When I make things like my keto ribs or air fryer ribs, I sit the dry rub on the meat overnight (or about 6-8 hours).

Should I put rub on pork overnight?

Yes. This allows the flavors to soak into every part of the meat.

How long should rub be on pork before cooking?

6-8 hours.

How long should bbq seasoning sit on chicken before cooking?

When using this bbq rub on chicken, I find that you don’t need as much time. You can sit the rub on chicken for at least 4 hours. For chicken wings, I’ve had success using it right away.

Recipes to Enjoy This BBQ Seasoning Recipe With

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