I’ve tried lots of recipes that gave me specific ingredients to mix. Then, I discovered this awesome formula – 8:3:1:1. It’s from Alton Brown and it’s been around for a while, but it’s brand new to me. I think it’s amazing and from my experiments so far, it is fool-proof!
The basic idea is 8 parts brown sugar to 3 parts kosher salt to 2 parts (1:1) of various other spices.
The other spices can be just about anything – cumin, chili powder, oregano, thyme, peppercorns, rosemary, sage, black pepper, white pepper, coriander, dill, garlic powder, mustard powder, etc. You want the freshest spices possible, but it doesn’t matter what spices you choose as long as you stick to the ratio.
Here’s one combination as an example:
* 8 tablespoons light brown sugar tightly packed
* 3 tablespoons kosher salt
* 1 tablespoon chili powder
* 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
* 1/2 teaspoon thyme (crushed)
* 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Mix well and sprinkle liberally on meat. Wrap your meat in foil and let it sit for 2 hours or more, and then grill, barbeque, smoke or broil the meat. Store the left over rub in an airtight container.
One of the things I love the most about this 8:3:1:1 formula is that there is no right or wrong, and you can tailor it to your taste.
If you decide to try this, make sure you keep a pencil handy and plan to write down what you did. You’ll want to know exactly what spices you used so you can either repeat it or tweak it in the future.