Smoked Beef Rub (Dry Rub)
Need an amazing homemade rub recipe for beef? This beef rub recipe for smoking is a simple spice rub, perfect for beef.
We are purists when it comes to smoking meat. We use an old-fashioned chimney smoker, and only use charcoal and wood!
We typically opt for simple dry rub recipes and no wet brine, but that’s our personal taste.
This seasoning rub was born from my super popular Smoked Chicken Rub. I love this chicken rub because it’s heavy on paprika and herbs!
I modified my original rub recipe to fit the robust flavor of beef, adding more salt and pepper to the mix, and a few extra spices to add complexity. This rub truly has an AMAZING flavor and so much depth to it! It’s much like a traditional beef rub, with an herbaceous kick to it.
I developed this rub recipe as a beef brisket rub, but there is no one best way to use it. It’s super versatile and plays well with the natural flavors of beef. Here are some ideas for using this rub:
What can I use this dry rub recipe on?
- Beef Ribs
- Tri Tip Roast
- Beef Short Ribs
- Smoked brisket
- Any other cut of beef you’d like to smoke!
Substitutions and Modifications:
- Substitute white sugar for brown sugar. Remember, this small amount of sugar is not used to give the rub a sweet flavor, just to help bring out the great flavor of the spice blend.
- For a spicy rub, add 1 teaspoon of cayenne pepper.
You will need the following ingredients:
- black pepper
- paprika
- coarse salt
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- brown sugar
- oregano
- thyme
- chili powder
- nutmeg
- pepper flakes (optional, this gives it a decent kick of heat!)
Smoked Beef Rub (Dry Rub)
This beef spice rub is a multi-purpose rub, great for steaks or roasts!
Ingredients
- 1.5 tablespoons coarse ground black pepper
- 1.5 tablespoons coarse salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 2 teaspoons onion powder
- 2 teaspoons dried oregano
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)
- 1 pinch nutmeg
- 1 pinch thyme
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix together all ingredients.
- Bring your meat out of the refrigerator and let it rest on the counter, allowing the meat to come closer to room temperature.
- Pat your cut of meat dry with paper towels and place it on a baking sheet.
- Apply a generous amount of rub to the meat and give it a good rub down, working the spices into the meat with your fingers. You can also apply olive oil to the meat before applying the rub, making it more of a wet rub.
- Allow the rub to rest on the meat at least 30 minutes before smoking. You can also put this rub on the day before and leave it on the meat overnight in the refrigerator for extra flavor!
Notes
Tip: If you have a gas grill, I love to sear the meat on high for 1-2 minutes after smoking to get a good hard crust. Allow for an extra 10 degrees increase in internal meat temperature for this process.
Store leftover rub that has not been contaminated by meat in an airtight container for up to 6 months. I like to double this batch, so I have more rub on hand for a later date!
Nutrition Information
Yield 6 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 31Total Fat 1gSaturated Fat 0gTrans Fat 0gUnsaturated Fat 0gCholesterol 0mgSodium 1062mgCarbohydrates 7gFiber 2gSugar 2gProtein 1g
The nutrition for this recipe is calculated by an app, and may be incorrect.
Hello
I want to use this rub recipe for a brisket this weekend. I see you mention using brown sugar but I don’t see it on the recipe, what amount of brown sugar should use?
Also can I substitute pink himalaya salt for the coarse salt?
Looking forward to trying it out.
Hey Tony! Sorry about that. I fixed it. I don’t use much brown sugar at all, just a teaspoon or a hefty pinch. I think it helps with the crust!
Also, the pink himalaya salt would work fine!
How much brown sugar do you use? recipe does not specify. Recipe sounds great, would like to try it.
Hi Steve- I’m sorry about that, fixed!