Store bought rubs - worth it?


 
It is always fun to try pre-made mixes, but this will wreck havoc on your supply of spices. As much as you can, you need to keep working down the spices that you have so you can keep them fresh.
 
Depends on the quality of your spices, probably. The 4 year old bottles of McCormick seasoning probably won't make a great rub. The rub makers can often get good fresh stuff and exotic ingredients and what not we might not have access to. I'm a fan of Meat Church and Kosmos Q rubs in particular. Most rubs I get I actually apply some kosher salt and then the rub. I find they aren't salty enough and I'm not really a salt-fiend. Some cheaper rubs are violently salty because salt is probably the cheapest ingredient.
 
I second the disposing of what you do not want. I purchased a whole bunch last year at the same time......spent a few bucks but on the good side I found a few that I always have stock on hand at home. The ones I did not like were the 4 meat churches I bought. Instead of throwing them out I just gave them away to family that like to bbq......but not the same way I like to bbq. They seemed to really enjoy the meat church.
 
I've never bought commercial rubs because of fear of the unknown. You don't know what the flavor profile is, you don't know how salty it's going to be & you don't know how much to put on. So I've stuck to making my own.
That's not to say I don't want to though - I guess I'm afraid of trashing a meal.
I did try lawry's seasoning salt on a steak recently - I liked it, swmbo didn't - so it's back to good ol' SPG.
 
This is just SPG, but it's better than any SPG I've ever mixed up. Well worth the cost of admission

The Blend

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Definitely true on age of ingredients. My mom and dad both have spices still from the ‘70’s and 80’s.....🤣
 
There is a BBQ shop nearby and they have an open shaker of just about every rub they sell, which comprises all of the most popular brands. Sometimes they run demos on weekends with samples of BBQ made with different rubs and sauces. The owner is extremely knowledgable and can recommend a rub based on whatever flavor profile you're looking for. I rarely bought rubs before this place opened. Now I have a dozen or so that I use for different things. I can also experiment with stacking rubs or rubs with sauces.

My current summer favorites:
Killer Hogs Hot BBQ over Swine Life Mississippi Grind for hot-n-fast baby backs.
Hardcore Carnivore Fried Turkey Rub on Vortexed wings which are then tossed in the traditional Franks and butter spiked with some Swine Life Mississippi Grit.
 
ChuckO said:
This is just SPG, but it's better than any SPG I've ever mixed up. Well worth the cost of admission

The Blend

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This is pretty darn good, Costco sells it for a good price too. I have to say Kozmos SPG is freaking amazing. I’ve had SPOGOS from Oakridge and the Kinders but something about Kozmos had me trying to make my own. It was so good.
 
I normally make my own.
There are very very few pre made rubs or spice mixes I buy.
I do like Montreal Steak for steak and I love making Mississippi Pot Roast with a packet of ranch, packet of au jus and a few simple fixings.
I might experiment with accent on a brisket in the near future.
 
I use rubs I make myself.
Nothing wrong with using pre-made ones, but there's no secrets and that's nothing you can't make yourself.

It's easy to try a lot of things when they're pre-made. That doesn't mean they're necessarilly worth it
 
MartinB said:
I use rubs I make myself.
Nothing wrong with using pre-made ones, but there's no secrets and that's nothing you can't make yourself.

It's easy to try a lot of things when they're pre-made. That doesn't mean they're necessarilly worth it
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I agree but there are a number of dried chilies that I cannot obtain where I live.
I have had tons and currently own a handful.
Ones I would never give up is gringo grande and the jerk from killer hogs.
Also most of the Oakridge are hard to pass up.
Third is killer hogs bbq and hot bbq....not a ton of flavour but nice colour and end results are very good.
Most others I could pass on.
 
I picked a jar of Kinders Blend at Wal Mart on Wednesday and we tried it on a grilled ribeye last night. I must say it's much better than my homemade blend. Definitely a keeper. Cheap enough to use as a base for some other mixes.
 
I am in a constant learning phase with rubs...specifically how much to buy. The shelf life limitations are real so unless you are doing a lot of shoulders or briskets I have found it takes a long time to get through my inventory.
I make an "every day" Santa Maria style rub but purchase anything that is different or has spices that I do not want to purchase or hold onto. I like Spiceology quite a bit and have also bought Meat Church and Kosmos.
The reality for me is that it is really hard to beat Montreal...it is good on so many things and so available and affordable.
 
Richard S said:
I am in a constant learning phase with rubs...specifically how much to buy. The shelf life limitations are real so unless you are doing a lot of shoulders or briskets I have found it takes a long time to get through my inventory.
I make an "every day" Santa Maria style rub but purchase anything that is different or has spices that I do not want to purchase or hold onto. I like Spiceology quite a bit and have also bought Meat Church and Kosmos.
The reality for me is that it is really hard to beat Montreal...it is good on so many things and so available and affordable.
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Spiceology is certainly more outside the box than some others, I love their lemon thyme pink peppercorn and Greek freak.
I have pounds and pounds of rubs I keep vac sealed, we’ll see how long they last, I bought variety packs of Kozmos and meat church for the hell of it. I like to try lots of stiff.
 
I guess I am the guy in the middle here. My pork rub is a combo of a penzey's mix (BBQ 3000) with montreal steak and turbinado sugar. So I am not making my own rub from scratch, but it's not exactly off the shelf either. And it has worked for years to great satisfaction.
 
I like simple salt and pepper for a beef. The only consistent mixes that I always have on hand are Meat Church Holy Cow and Butt Rub.
 
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