This recipe for smoked meat dry rub goes perfectly with chicken, pork and even seafood! I’m so excited that HomeRight agreed to partner on these posts, because it’s perfect timing for the grilling season!
Earlier this week, I broke down the process of smoking meat into a few basic steps. Today, I’m going to share the recipe that we use for the brine and the dry rub. As far as recipes go, this is about as simple as can be!
And, to be honest, it’s a bit like most of the recipes I share and can easily be adjusted to suit your specific tastes.
Don’t want the heat factor quite as high?? Don’t add as much black pepper.
Are you a garlic lover like me?? Add a little extra.
Try some new spices! Sometimes, there is nothing quite as good as a rosemary crusted chicken breast.
The first time I make a recipe, I usually make it exactly as is just to try out the ratios. After that, I tweak and tweak to my heart’s (and current mood’s) content.
There are 3 steps we use that could be considered the recipe for the smoked meat: the brine, the rub and the mop (or marinade that you apply while it’s smoking).
All 3 are equally important, so no shortcuts here, guys!! Smoking is an investment in time, but SO worth it!
Smoked Meat Brine & Dry Rub
This recipe includes steps for the brine, rub and mop (marinade). Make sure to follow all 3 steps!
- BRINE
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup salt
- 2 cups cold water
- DRY RUB
- 1/4 cup garlic powder
- 1/4 cup onion powder
- 1/4 cup oregano
- 1/4 cup paprika
- 1/4 cup black pepper
- 1/8 cup crushed red pepper
- 1 Tsp ground mustard
- MOP
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tbsp. dry rub
- 2 tbsp. mustard (I use a spicy brown)
- BRINE: This should be done the night before you plan on smoking your meat. Place meat in a large food-safe container that is deep. Cover with water, brown sugar and salt. Repeat the ratio of ingredients until all of the meat is submerged. Use your hand to stir through the water to combine the ingredients. Meat should soak for 8-0 hours.
- DRY RUB: Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. This is enough for approximately 10 lbs. of meat. Liberally coat your meat on all sides with the rub then let sit at room temperature while you prepare your smoker. Your meat should be resting with the rub on it for about an hour before you actually place it on the hot smoker.
- MOP: In a spray bottle, mix vegetable oil, water, rub and mustard. Combine well. While the meat is smoking, liberally spray with the mop every 45 minutes – 1 hour to keep it moist and flavorful.
- Note: Make sure to separate some of your dry rub in a small bowl before you apply it to your raw meat. This way, if you have extra it doesn’t get contaminated and you can keep it in your cabinets for any time you grill or smoke again. It’s a great mix to just have on hand!
Just remember that the #1 rule to smoking meat is a slow and steady temperature. You can have the perfect rub recipe, and it means nothing if you don’t abide by the slow and steady method of smoking. I outlined lots of tips in the 1st post on how to achieve this, but I can’t stress enough that the ElectroLight was ideal for maintaining this slow and steady temperature.
Anytime you need to stoke the charcoals or relight them even, a regular lighter will give you a sudden flare-up that is NOT ideal for smoking. The ElectroLight allows you to just light it for a few seconds while you gently fan the charcoals, and there is no burst of heat or flames. Smoking perfection!
And while I’m singing it’s praises, this little tool that we weren’t quite sure how often we would use, has now been used 3 times in the last 4 days!! I kid you not, it has earned a coveted spot in our garage as one of our favorite tools that we don’t want to misplace!
After our day of smoking meat, we used the ElectroLight later that night for a small bonfire. It started this bonfire in about 30 seconds. We couldn’t believe how fast it was! My daughter will be the first to tell you that it isn’t officially summer unless there are s’mores with neighbors! The ElectroLight is great because there’s no dangerous gasoline or lighter fluid filled with chemicals to get the fire pit started… just this electric fire starter is all you need!
Then the following day, my husband used it again to burn some branches from a tree that had fallen down! When we grilled dinner that night, the propane tank ran out and now my husband’s current debate is whether to refill it or buy a charcoal grill! Ha! We can go ahead and hashtag this summer already… #ElectroLightYourSummer
Don’t forget to check out my earlier post on How To Use a Smoker!
