Add a new flavor to your roast with this easy homemade dry rub. Made with everyday pantry spices, this simple beef rub adds a savory crust and rich flavor to any roast.
This post was originally published in 2016 and updated in 2025.
What is a Dry Rub (and Why It’s Amazing for Beef Roast)
Meat rubs come in two basic varieties: dry and wet. A dry rub is a blend of herbs and spices that you rub onto the surface of meat before cooking. It sticks to the meat, enhances the natural flavor, and forms a flavorful crust as it cooks. A wet rubs usually use oil, vinegar or soy sauce and forms more of a paste on the beef.
On our farm, we love using dry rubs for beef roast because they’re quick, mess-free, and make every bite amazing. Depending on what you mix in, they can be savory, smoky, or even sweet. Here are 10 of our go-to beef rubs for other beef cuts.
How to Make, Apply and Store a Dry Rub
Combine all ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. It’s very simple to apply:
- Pat roast dry with paper towels.
- Sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of rub per pound of meat
- Massage evenly over the surface by rubbing in with your hands.
- Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes or up to 3 hours to let the flavors soak in. The longer you let the beef sit with the rub, the more you’ll notice the rub’s flavors in the cooked beef.
- This recipe makes a big batch. Too store the extra rub, place in an airtight jar or container and store in a cool, dry place (up to 4 months).
Farm Tip: For stronger flavor, let your roast rest with the rub overnight in the fridge before cooking
The Best Beef Roast for a Dry Rub
This dry rub is all purpose for any type of roast — chuck roast, arm roast, sirloin roast, bottom round roast, and eye of round roast. When we cook a roast at home , our favorite is a chuck roast, so that’s what we use it on the most –but it works on any roast cuts of beef.
FAQ
Yes. For more intense flavor, apply several hours in advance and keep the meat refrigerated until cooked.
No. Dry rubs are not meant to tenderize meat. They do help seal in juices and form a delicious crust on the meat.
Rubs can be customized however you want, but it’s nice to have a starting point so you don’t ruin an expensive cut of beef. There’s a great cooking formula / trick we learned several years ago — 8:3:1:1. It was created by Chef Alton Brown and the results always turn out great. The basic idea is 8 parts brown sugar to 3 parts kosher salt to 2 parts (1:1) of various other spices. We go into more detail on this homemade, DIY dry rub post.
Dry Rub for Roast
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp Kosher Salt
- 1 Tbsp Ground Black Pepper
- 1 Tbsp Garlic Powder
- 1 Tbsp Onion Powder
- 1 tsp Paprika
- 1 tsp Dried Thyme Leaves
Instructions
- Mix all of the ingredients together. Store in airtight container until ready to use. When ready, apply 1-2 tablespoons of a dry rub for each pound of meat. Apply the rub directly to the surface of the meat.
- Beef rub keeps for up to 4 months in an airtight container when stored in a cool, dry place.
Video
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More Beef Recipes to Try:
- 10 Best Homemade Dry Beef Rub Recipes
- Bacon Wrapped Filet Mignon
- 7 Steps to Grilling Steak to Perfection
- Easy Carne Asada Street Tacos
- Prime Rib Roast with Garlic Herb Butter
- How to choose the best cut of steak (Top 4 cuts)
- What everybody ought to know about beef cuts
- Homemade dry rub (the secret 8:3:1:1 ratio)
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