The Times Australia
The Times Food and Dining

.

How to Make the Best Staple BBQ Rubs


BBQ rubs are nothing more than a combination of herbs, peppers, spices, or other flavours that are applied to coat the surface of any meat of your choice before it is cooked. A dry rub may be turned into a paste by adding any liquid to it, such as water, oil, crushed garlic, or other types of condiments.

It is up to the chef to choose whether the rub should be applied immediately before or after the oven is turned on. Just before beginning the cooking process, whether it be grilling, roasting, or barbecuing, meat BBQ rubs may be applied. After the rub has been applied to the choice of meat, may it be for a barbecue or a sweet jerky, it should be covered and refrigerated; however, if you want to save time, you may apply the rub a few hours before you want to cook it. The longer the meat is left in contact with the rub, the more certain flavours will develop.

Making the BBQ Rub

When making your BBQ rub, make sure you're using fresh spices and other items in your recipe. If spices have lost their distinctive flavour, it is appropriate to throw them out. It is recommended to start with a basic recipe and then modify it by adding or removing components until the flavour is just right. With the following recipe, if you want your dish to have more of a kick to it, feel free to increase the quantity of red pepper that you use or experiment with a different spice. In order to establish a flavour profile that is to one's liking after it has been applied to meat, rubs should be sampled beforehand.

If you’re wondering what spices to incorporate into your BBQ rub to make it the perfect taste for everyone who’s going to eat it, here are some staple ingredients that will surely make any BBQ rubs good.

Salts

Even though any good cook should have some salt on hand, chefs suggest having a selection of certain kinds of salt available for use with your barbeque. Professional chefs use smoked sea salts to create a smoky flavour to particular dishes, while kosher salt is used for pre-grill and smoker spices, flake sea salt is used to finish steaks, lamb chops, and other items, and regular sea salt is used for everything else.

Bottled Barbecue Sauce

To save time and money, purchasing a variety already made available for purchase is advised, which can then be customised by adding jam, fruit juice, and spices.

Combined Fruit Juices

Most chefs are certain that using combined fruit juices as ingredients is the safest and most foolproof method for cooking pig or sweet jerky. In order to make the pork more tender before cooking it, they inject it with vinegar or apple juice, both of which are prominent ingredients in the barbeque sauces that he makes.

Condiments

Chefs do not hesitate to have the condiments ready when they are ready to decorate the grilled treats they have prepared. It is recommended that you use mayonnaise or yellow mustard as a pre-rub binder for injecting rich flavour into your meat without imparting a lasting aftertaste. Worcestershire sauce is the ideal meaty flavour to rub down your brisket with before adding dry spices. Worcestershire sauce is the ideal meaty flavour to rub down your brisket with before adding dry spices.

Fresh Fruit

Most chefs' go-to technique for giving their barbeque an additional jolt of fruity flavour is to either brine the meat or infuse it with fruit juice before cooking it. Alternatively, he uses the juice in a marinade.

Golden Brown Sugar

Another essential ingredient at most chefs’ barbeques is granulated brown sugar. This raw sugar is a go-to when it comes to adding a bit of sweetness to his barbeque sauce as well as a hint of flavour to any rub that they produce.

How to Store BBQ Rubs

After you have the recipe for your favourite homemade BBQ rub mastered, you may make it in large quantities so that you can preserve it for later use. Don't forget to specify the current date. By dating your batch, you may avoid anything like this from occurring. As a rule of thumb, you shouldn't retain anything for more than half a year, and you should throw away anything older than that.

When you find a dish that you really like, you can decide to cook a large quantity of it and store the leftovers in the freezer for a later time. When storing anything in the freezer or a dark cabinet, remove as much air from the bag as you can or vacuum seal it. If you mark the jar with the current date, you may store the rub for as long as six months; after this point, it may begin to lose flavour.

In Summary

BBQ rubs may be a staple for many homes, as they are easy and cheap to make, but their flavours are one of the best. Make a simple but delicious bbq rub for the next few months with ingredients present in your home for a party or for an everyday lunch or dinner.

Food & Dining

West HQ is bringing in a season of culinary celebration this July

Western Sydney’s leading entertainment and lifestyle precinct is bringing the fire this July and not just in the kitchen. From $29 lobster feasts and award-winning Asian banquets to Sydney’s first-ever Acquapole fitness classes and family fun gal...

Onsite Caterer vs a Full Service Venue: 9 important things to explore

Choosing between an external catering company and an all-inclusive venue is a major decision that affects cost, flexibility, food quality, and the overall event experience. Venues with in-house catering offer convenience and streamlined coordinatio...

Meal Prep as Self-Care? The One Small Habit That Could Improve Your Mood, Focus & Confidence

What if the secret to feeling calmer, more focused, and emotionally resilient wasn’t found in a supplement or self-help book — but in your fridge? That’s the surprising link uncovered by leading dietitians Anna Debenham and Alex Parker from The Biti...

Cult Favourite, TokyoTaco, Opens Beachfront at Mooloolaba this June

FREE Tokyo Tacos to Celebrate!  Cult favourite Japanese-Mexican restaurant TokyoTaco is opening a beachfront venue at the Mooloolaba Esplanade on Queensland’s Sunshine Coast this June.  The doors of the new venue will open on 18 June and to cel...

Times Magazine

Building an AI-First Culture in Your Company

AI isn't just something to think about anymore - it's becoming part of how we live and work, whether we like it or not. At the office, it definitely helps us move faster. But here's the thing: just using tools like ChatGPT or plugging AI into your wo...

Data Management Isn't Just About Tech—Here’s Why It’s a Human Problem Too

Photo by Kevin Kuby Manuel O. Diaz Jr.We live in a world drowning in data. Every click, swipe, medical scan, and financial transaction generates information, so much that managing it all has become one of the biggest challenges of our digital age. Bu...

Headless CMS in Digital Twins and 3D Product Experiences

Image by freepik As the metaverse becomes more advanced and accessible, it's clear that multiple sectors will use digital twins and 3D product experiences to visualize, connect, and streamline efforts better. A digital twin is a virtual replica of ...

The Decline of Hyper-Casual: How Mid-Core Mobile Games Took Over in 2025

In recent years, the mobile gaming landscape has undergone a significant transformation, with mid-core mobile games emerging as the dominant force in app stores by 2025. This shift is underpinned by changing user habits and evolving monetization tr...

Understanding ITIL 4 and PRINCE2 Project Management Synergy

Key Highlights ITIL 4 focuses on IT service management, emphasising continual improvement and value creation through modern digital transformation approaches. PRINCE2 project management supports systematic planning and execution of projects wit...

What AI Adoption Means for the Future of Workplace Risk Management

Image by freepik As industrial operations become more complex and fast-paced, the risks faced by workers and employers alike continue to grow. Traditional safety models—reliant on manual oversight, reactive investigations, and standardised checklist...

The Times Features

Is our mental health determined by where we live – or is it the other way round? New research sheds more light

Ever felt like where you live is having an impact on your mental health? Turns out, you’re not imagining things. Our new analysis[1] of eight years of data from the New Zeal...

Going Off the Beaten Path? Here's How to Power Up Without the Grid

There’s something incredibly freeing about heading off the beaten path. No traffic, no crowded campsites, no glowing screens in every direction — just you, the landscape, and the...

West HQ is bringing in a season of culinary celebration this July

Western Sydney’s leading entertainment and lifestyle precinct is bringing the fire this July and not just in the kitchen. From $29 lobster feasts and award-winning Asian banque...

What Endo Took and What It Gave Me

From pain to purpose: how one woman turned endometriosis into a movement After years of misdiagnosis, hormone chaos, and major surgery, Jo Barry was done being dismissed. What beg...

Why Parents Must Break the Silence on Money and Start Teaching Financial Skills at Home

Australia’s financial literacy rates are in decline, and our kids are paying the price. Certified Money Coach and Financial Educator Sandra McGuire, who has over 20 years’ exp...

Australia’s Grill’d Transforms Operations with Qlik

Boosting Burgers and Business Clean, connected data powers real-time insights, smarter staffing, and standout customer experiences Sydney, Australia, 14 July 2025 – Qlik®, a g...