The 10 Best BBQ Meat Rubs 2024 – Expert Reviews & Guide

If you are a person who barbecues quite often, you might be knowing the importance of a rub. A rub is nothing but an amalgamation of flavoring ingredients and seasoning. This is applied to the meat on the outside before barbecuing. Now that you know what a rub is, you must get an idea that a lot many types of rubs might be possible based on taste and preference. They are like the different colors on an artists palette. On the palette you can mix infinite number of combinations to get a color of your taste. This is applicable to a rub too. If you are a professional cook or an enthusiastic one, you might want to make your own rub. However, most people do not want to buy all the spices separately and then mix them. If you have some different flavored rubs already present in the market, then it is great news. One of the primary components of a rub is sugar. You should know that sugar burns easily when it reaches a particular temperature. So, it is obvious that for grilling purpose, a rub is not suitable. Rub is perfect only for barbecuing. This is because, barbecuing is done at low temperatures and for a long time. Hence, burning sugar doesn’t happen quite often.

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Best Buy BBQ Meat Rubs Reviews

If you see the usage of rubs, they can be used for beef, pork, chicken, lamb, etc., Most of the rubs that are available in the market have some ingredients in common. They are salt, sugar, oregano, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, cumin. Some of these ingredients give the meat a nice color which look appetizing. When you use the rub to apply on the meat, be sure to pack it all with the rub, as there will not be any flavoring inside the meat, it is this outside that makes the difference. In general, all the above ingredients are mixed in equal proportions. Also, you might want to know that rubs are also available as wet. If you wish to use citrus juice or vinegar, it becomes a wet rub. Even a sauce can be considered as wet rub. Make sure this sauce doesn‘t evaporate while you barbecue. Other than this, dry ingredients are mostly preferred and used in wide ranges. You can use molasses as one of the wet rubs. This makes the meat absolutely delicious as sweetness is the main taste to the barbecue rubs.

Experimenting with your own ingredients is a great way to create delicious rubs. However, it takes considerable time and energy. Hence, readily available rubs makes a lot of sense. Now that you have known some things about a meat rub, in this article we have consolidated good quality meat rubs for BBQ in 2022 that you can consider buying. These rubs can be used for your barbecuing and they will give you amazing flavors. Along with that if you are new to rubs, we have given a small buying guide for you to refer before placing an order on these rubs. Let us get started. If you are a person searching for flavorful rubs, then you are at the right place. Here, we are mentioning top rated meat rubs for the year 2022.  You can go through them and if you like the product, you can order them from the link that we have provided. Read through for getting the details.

1. Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub 12 Ounce

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Killer hogs is one of its kind for producing the best barbecue rubs for meat. This particular BBQ rub is developed out of a competition. The BBQ rub is best for almost all kinds of meat like pork, beef and poultry. In general when you apply the rub on the meat, the taste of the meat depends everything on the rub that is applied on the surface of the meat. So, the more powerful its flavour is, the more it tastes like a perfect barbecued meat. Killer Hogs BBQ rub is the best of its kind and it enhances the natural flavour of the meat which amalgamates well with the rub flavor. Also, it forms a beautiful bark of flavour on the outside of the meat which not only tastes delicious but also looks amazing.

As the killer hogs BBQ Rub is made by passionate professionals which took years for them to create a blend of perfect dry rub. Now, you have an amazing opportunity to experience that taste. When you use this rub on your meat, we are sure that your meat looks and tastes like a restaurant style barbecued meat. Also, who knows, your guests might ask you whether you have prepared that rub by yourself. That is the level of care that Killer Hogs takes. The ingredients present in this amazing rub are paprika, evaporated cane juice, dehydrated garlic and orange peel, mustard flour, spices, sugar, salt, brown sugar, chili pepper, dill weed, natural flavour, paprika colour, turmeric colour, onion powder, MSG.

2. Traeger Grills SPC169 Beef Seasoning and BBQ Rub

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If you are looking for a BBQ rub specially made for Beef, then this item from our list is your best choice. The Traeger Grills has been specialized in making rubs based on which meat you are using. The main flavours of the rub is sweetness and you have sudden surprises with the heat flavors kicking the best of the flavors and enhancing the beef taste as well. You can use any part of the beef for getting the best out of this seasoning. You can use this rub with vegetables too along with beef which gives you a mix of so many tastes. Along with the amazing flavours that it induces to the veggies and beef, you can use the rub along with Traeger Sauce and pellet flavours which makes your meal complete. When you want to use the rub on your beef, just prepare your beef and rub the seasoning onto the beef nicely and start your cooking process. This comes in a convenient aluminum tin container. The Rub consists of brown sugar, sweet molasses and a good amount of chili pepper for the heat. Also, this rub takes care of Kosher, GMO and Gluten. It doesn’t consist of them and if you have these allergies you are good to buy this Traeger Grills beef seasoning rub.

3. Bad Byron’s, Butt Rub Seasoning, 4.5 oz

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Bad Byron‘s is one of the finest seasoning companies available. It is available in different sizes for the comfort of the customer. This Butt Rub seasoning can be used on any type of meat including pork, beef or poultry. A perfect blend of flavours is what makes an ideal Rub for barbecuing. This Butt rub seasoning has almost all wonderful ingredients with fully packed flavours induced. It is used by Professional chefs, Championship BBQs, and most of the Barbecues done at home prefer to use this best variety seasoning. The main drawback of seasoning or rub is that, if they are meant only for particular meat or protein, you need to store it and do not know when you are going to cook your next item. However, this Butt Rub Seasoning can be used on all types of meat. Not only this, you can use this seasoning with vegetables, fish, eggs and in every possible way that you want to use spices for. This makes it a special seasoning mixture available in the market. It consists of very good blend of pepper, paprika, chipotle, garlic, onion, salt. All these have strong flavours and we are sure it gives a perfect blended flavour to your barbecuing items. Also, this seasoning is gluten free.

4. McCormick Grill Mates Montreal Steak Seasoning

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Our next item from the list is especially good seasoning mixture for grilling. As the company name signifies, this is a grill friendly seasoning. This company is number one in America and is there are a wide range of varieties that you can think of in their collection. From basic seasoning to marinades everything is available from this company and you can even mix and match the varieties while you are making a grilling item. The best news is that this seasoning is made of all-natural herbs spices grown. So, it makes your recipe flavourful as some strong flavors are used. All it requires is just a tablespoon of the seasoning. This makes a large amount of meat may be a pound also to be super flavourful and delicious. While grilling your burger or steak or pork you will get the crunch on the outer side which is spicy and flavourful. This is all you need for making a perfect burger. The main important thing to consider is the ingredients that are used in the seasoning. As said, this blend of super flavourful seasoning consists of natural herbs and spices and additionally have salt, garlic and paprika giving that extra punch of flavour to the seasoning. One more important aspect is that artificial flavours are not used and there is no MSG added. This makes it completely natural and organic to use.

5. Plowboys Yardbird Rub 

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The fifth item from our list is from Plowboys. It is quite popular company for preparing rubs and seasoning mixtures good for BBQ. Also, you have to know that this company won American world champion in BBQ for 4 times. Now, you can imagine its power and taste. This Yardbird Rub is of 14 oz size and you need to just use one fourth teaspoon to get the overall flavour to your meat. With this size, you can have 397 servings of the whole pack. This means you can use the rub for many days and store it properly as it is a dry rub. A wet rub becomes difficult to store and does not stay longer. Dry rub stays longer if you store properly and doesn‘t miss its flavour of taste and smell in the process. It is completely BBQ flavoured rub. Also, keeping the customers health in mind, this BBQ rub is made gluten free and also, they do not add MSG. The main ingredients used in this BBQ rub are paprika, salt, sugar, chili pepper, celery seed, dehydrated garlic and onion, mustard seed and a little artificial flavouring to avoid caking.

6. Bone Suckin’ Sauce Bone Suckin and Rub

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If you are looking for top-notch seasoning or rub mixture, you are at the right place. The name itself is innovative and sounds delicious. The Bone suckin‘ seasoning and rubs are very popular and one of their kind. The company ensures that all the ingredients are of highest quality so that the rub itself is on top of the list. They ensure that all these ingredients are from natural non-GMO type. Along with this, their seasoning and rub is gluten free keeping the customers health in mind. Also, high fructose corn syrup which is not at all good for health is not used in the rub. When you see all these specifications, you came to an idea that the rubs are fat free and made with natural healthy ingredients rather than mixing up some cheap ingredients. The weight that this package is available is 5.8 oz. You will be able to find many combinations of the size bottles which is a benefit. You do not need to open the second one until and unless the first one is completed. This ensures to keep your rub fresh. That being said, these rubs can be used on any type of food material that you think suits this even popcorn and salads. You can use the rub on chicken, beef, ribs, pork, seafood, vegetables, pasta, steak, beans and this list never stops. With a perfect blend of paprika, garlic, brown sugar and other spices which are very good for BBQ and margination, this bone suck in rub gives many flavours.

7. Jack Daniel’s Original Quality Pork Rub

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One of the oldest companies from our list is Jack Daniel. We all know that with the flavouring of charcoal, their whisky is quite famous. Their rubs also have a unique flavouring to them just like their whisky. This particular pork rub is sweet and spicy with the special ingredient, mesquite flavouring and along with that there are other regular spices like garlic, paprika, sugar which gives the unique flavouring and especially with pork it tastes delicious. You can use this pork rub for any part of the pork may be ribs or butt. Eventhough it is specially made for pork, it can be used with other meat products too when you smoke them. You can even purchase a range of their other products and combine the rub with them. It works perfectly well and you would immediately pile up a stock of this rub in your kitchen. Also, when it comes to customers health, this pork rub takes care of not spoiling any gut as it doesn‘t contain any MSG and it is gluten free. There are other Jack Daniels products specifically created for beef, chicken and steak separately. You will never get disappointed in buying these rubs for your delicious recipes.

8. Lambert’s Sweet Rub O’ Mine

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The next item from our list is made by the world champion BBQ pitmaster, Mark Lambert himself. He usually uses it as his regular rub and it can be used for any other meat in additional to the pork. This rub also won 2013 Memphis. It has many versions of the rub and you can find them online and can buy them to get different flavours from Lamberts cookbook. The flavors are absolutely amazing making you to crave for more and you might win a competition using this rub as part of your recipe. When you are using a barbecue to cook your pork or any other meat, this rub is absolutely heavenly. We are sure that the guests who come to your home will not leave until they comment on the amazing recipe. As told, in addition to the original flavouring, there are other extra flavours available in the market. They are Texas beef, apple chipotle, roasted garlic, brine. All these are unique flavours and you can purchase one that is appealing to you. The ingredients used in the original rub are dehydrated garlic and onion, salt, sugar, paprika, evaporated cane juice, mustard flour, chili pepper, sodium siacetate, caramel color, celery, monosodium glutamate, natural flavors, tricalcium phosphate which is not used more than 2% used for avoiding caking.

9. Rub with Love Meat Rubs Gift Set

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This next item from our list is specially made to gift someone who loves barbecueing and uses a lot of rubs. This is specially made by Chef Tom Douglas and this gift set contains 3 cute packages of his top 3 rubs. They can be gifted to dads or husbands who love to barbecue at home and they feel special if this is gifted to them. The three rubs in the gift set are Salmon rub, steak rub and chicken rub. All the 3 meats are quite often used and having specific rubs for them is boon. The salmon rub is quite famous in all kitchens who frequently use rubs for barbecuing or smoking the dish. This rub is made taking the Northwest‘s favorite fish in mind. It gives a great smoky flavour to any recipe that you are making using the salmon rub. When it comes to steak rub, you can use it when grilling, barbecuing, smoking. This definitely adds a punch of flavour to the beef and works well in all kinds of cooking methods that you adopt. The famous chicken rub which everyone loves and uses most often also has a unique flavour to it with a mix of cinnamon, coriander, star anise, ancho chili. The rub can be used when you grill or roast your chicken, rabbit or any other meat that you think blends well with the flavors. In addition to that, all the three rubs are free of MSG and gluten.

10. Three Little Pigs Touch of Cherry BBQ Rub 

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Our last BBQ rub from the recommended list is from three little pigs. They are also quite popular for their seasoning rubs and mixes. The packs are available in different sizes and you can opt for one that is suitable for your family size. The size is 12.25 oz that we are mentioning here which is large enough for a family of 4. If you have a larger family then do not worry, you might get lesser days of serving but it is quite sufficient. The flavour that this particular BBQ rub uses is the touch of cherry. It is specially named as Kansas city touch of cherry as it is famous for this. Also, the 12.25 oz sized container can give you 350 servings which is more than enough. As the rub is a dry type, you can conveniently store the rub without damaging it. The ingredients that are used in this BBQ rub are sugar, dehydrated onion and garlic, paprika, brown sugar, salt, natural mesquite flavour and also some artificial flavours.

How To Choose The Best Meat Rubs for BBQ

You have got an idea that meat rub is one of the essential ingredient for making barbecued meat with full of flavors and spices. However, there are some things that you might want to keep in mind while selecting a meat rub. This hugely impacts your meat cooking. These simple tricks can make a huge difference. Here we are providing some tips while buying meat rubs and if you follow then we are sure that you will get the best flavoured rubs in the market ever. Read below to know these tricks.

Salt: When you see a pack of meat rub, you already know that salt and sugar are key ingredients and are present in almost all meat rubs. However, few companies to get some profits out of business, use salt in more quantities. This costs them less as salt weighs more compared to other ingredients. This doesn‘t improve any flavour in the rub. Instead, it just adds weight to the package benefiting the manufacturer not the customer. If the manufacturer is reliable, their meat rubs are packet full of flavour with less salt and sugar in them. So, when you buy a meat rub, beware of this thing and check for ingredient list.

Sugar: One other important thing to consider is the sugar. Sugar adds very good flavor for barbecueing and it is important to remember that it burns easily when the temperature is at 190 degrees Celsius. When you want to add more sugar to your rub, beware of this point and make sure not to burn. As burnt sugar leaves a bitter taste that no one likes. This in turn turns to our first point in checking if sugar is used in larger quantities. And also, you should always keep this point in mind while cooking meat. Most people want to finish the meat off with a sugar coating and this might burn the sugar while you heat it at high temperatures.

Wet or Dry: We have already discussed that there are 2 types of rubs that you can use for meat coating while barbecuing. One is a wet rub and the other one is a famous dry rub. Wet rubs have vinegar or citrus juice in them and if you wish you can use molasses or brown sugar for this. They act as excellent wet rubs. With dry rubs, you have a lot more options and one thing you might be worried about or struggling with is the part where your dry rub doesn‘t stick to the meat. Usually, the moisture released from meat mixes with this dry rub and gets stuck on the meat. However, if this doesn‘t happen, you can mix some oil with the dry rub to make it a wet rub and apply it to the meat. You can use some yellow mustard or olive oil for the purpose. This sticks well giving you the required flavors and the added oils might bring extra flavors too. Remember that wet rubs and wet barbecues are different. Wet rubs are the spices that you rub on the meat. Whereas wet barbecues are something where you barbecue the meat in the general process and then toss them in sauce or any wet gravy to give the extra punch.

How to Use and Apply Rubs on Meat

Do you like your meat bland? Most people have different opinions on the type of meat they like to eat and how they prepare it. The tender meat with some spices doesn‘t only make the meat flavorful but also is mouth-watering. Most American‘s love their meat with simple seasonings like salt and pepper but many add lots of spices and herbs to add that extra level in preparing their meat. There are two ways of preparing your meat. You can make a Dry Rub or Wet Rub. 

How To Prepare The Dry Rub

Dry Rub is generally faster while Wet Rub will take time depending upon how much time you want to marinade your meat. Let‘s discuss Dry Rub first and how we can make it at home as it is quick and easy. Pick up a fresh meatloaf from the store and some spices like chili powder, smoked paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin powder, cayenne, salt, pepper, and some brown sugar for caramelization. Fill in the rub in a shaker or directly sprinkle and cover the meat with it. You can also store the Dry Rub in a container and it is ready to go for your next preparation and can be stored for months. You are recommended to keep the meat aside to rest, for about 20-30minutes for the meat to absorb some of the flavors from the spices or you can directly toss it on the grill or oven to enjoy the meal with your family. 

How To Prepare The Wet Rub

Before explaining the method of Wet Rub. I want to explain why marinating your meat, poultry, fish is important. Marinating your favorite kind of meat will seriously reduce the amount of carcinogenic heterocyclic amines (HCAs) made when meat is cooked in high flame or grilled.By the method of marinating it will reduce the HCA in your meat as the acidic ingredient used in preparing the Wet Rub will slow down the development of bacteria.   

Wet Rub makes your meat more tender and flavourful in my opinion. Keeping in mind, the Wet Rub is also time-consuming but the results are delish. The wet rub can be achieved in multiple ways by mixing olive oil or Worcestershire sauce with spices and some herbs. You can also add some lemon juice or some wine, to get some of the citrus flavors, and as it will also work to soften the meat, reduce the HCAs in your meat. Generously, coat the Wet Rub onto your meat and leave it in the refrigerator for good 12 hours or overnight. This will help the spices to realize their flavors into the meat. The more the meat sits in the marinade it will absorb the flavors and make itself more aromatic and juicy. Adding an extra tip, the more the meat marinades it will reduce its cooking time. Don‘t forget to place the meat in a plastic bag or a glass bowl as metal could react with the acidic nature of lemon juice. Once, your meat is completely marinated it is ready to grill or broiled. Depending on how you want the meat to be prepared and enjoyed by your friends and family.

Meat Rubs Frequently Asked Questions

1. Why are the meat rubs used?

Meat rubs are exclusive mixes of spices that not only help the meat to cook better, but also provide recipes with an excellent taste and texture. In all, if you are looking for brilliant taste and texture, met rubs are a great way to achieve them. The market has various kinds and mixes of meat rubs that make it even easier for the buyers to achieve the amazing taste and texture according to their preference. You can easily choose sweet, spicy, or creamy meat rub for yourself according to your needs and the recipe you are planning to prepare.

2. What are the different types of meat rubs?

Though there are plenty of options available in the market, the meat mixes can broadly be classified into two major categories, i.e., dry meat rubs and wet meat rubs. They both have their positives and negatives, and you should use them accordingly for your cooking needs and the recipes you are planning to prepare. So, if you were looking to get the best taste, we will suggest you try the meat rubs according to the recipes and cooking methods you prefer.

3. Are they really useful?

The meat rubs are great for the home kitchens as you can use them while preparing the meat. The meat juices react perfectly with the spices in the rub. And if you are using them in the right proportion and in the right way, the meat rubs are amongst the best way to enhance the meat‘s taste and texture. So,  try them, and you won‘t regret your decision. Just make sure that you are using meat rubs in the right way and amount.

4. What are the precautions while using meat rubs?

Like the other cooking spices, there are a few precautions that you should keep in mind while using the eat rubs. The meat rubs have great taste and enhance the overall taste of your recipe, but only when they are used correctly. So, the first thing that you should keep in mind is what kind of spice rub you are using. It is better to use the dry rubs in lesser quantity than the wet meat rubs, as they can quickly burn out. And no one is going to love the taste of burnt spices in their food. Similarly, the wet rubs should not be used in more quantity as they can make the meat recipes way too juicier than needed. So, be sure that meat rubs are used in the right amount as per the needs of the recipe.

5. What kind of meat can be treated with the meat rub?

Another important thing that often comes to the user‘s mind is about the different types of meat that they can use the meat rub on. Well, it depends on the way you cook. You can easily use them on different meat dishes without disturbing the original flavor. So, whether you are preparing the chicken or steak dish, you can rely on the meat rub without a single doubt in mind.

Conclusion

To get the restaurant-level barbecued meat, you require the right quantity of meat rub. This makes the dish more flavorful and appetizing. This article focused on meat rubs, their types, details about how to use them, a buying guide, and a list of powerful 10 meat rub for the BBQ purpose in the year 2022 available in the market. This is a whole packed article with good details. Use the article, read the necessary details, check the products, and buy one that suits your taste and flavors through the link that we provided. With the pros and cons, you might also compare the products at last. We are sure you will not get disappointed with these meat rubs.

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