Seasonings/Rubs - Buy or Make Own?

[Nitty]

I have just read Meatheads Science of Rubs. He says that almost all commercial rubs have salt in them so he suggests making your own rubs without salt for numerous reasons, which he lists in the article. I currently have quite a few large containers of rubs I don't want to waste so I will use that up first and then likely going forward make my own seasonings/rubs in bulk. Generally in the past I've only made my own seasonings per a recipe and only enough for 1 use. So what do you guys do for the most part with your smoker meats? Buy, make your own, or both?

 

[cansmoke]

Reducng salt is imprtant AND you can customize the rub to your taste. I make my own.

 

[bbqjefff]

You can buy them or make your own. Sometimes I buy some but I mostly make my own.

 

[gmc2003]

If I'm going with a SPOG(or some variation of) then I make my own. If I'm going in another direction then I use a premade.

Chris

 

[tx smoker]

I tend to make all my own and have shared recipes with a lot of folks here that seem to enjoy them. One of the biggest reasons I do this is as cansmoke noted, you can customize them to your liking. I tend to like bold flavors and very minimal salt. With a little practice (and Google) you can find a number of ways to create really good flavors using other spices as a substitute for salt.

Robert

 

[bmudd14474]

It really is a personal preference as to what you want to do. I personally make my own. I do it in bulk and vac pac into smaller bags to use as I need or to send to folks.

I prefer it this way as I know whats in there and can adjust as needed.

 

[Nitty]

Vac pac in smaller quantities is a great idea. Many of our seasonings end up going expired because we don't use a lot of it and we have a variety.

 

[mr_whipple]

For the most part I make my own. When I do buy rubs I look for the lowest salt content not for health reasons, but because I don't like overly salty food. That, and salt is easily the cheapest of all ingredients, so when it's first on the list of ingredients on an expensive bottle of rub you know the profits are more important than the product.

There are a lot of places you can find good rub recipes for basics, then experiment and find what you like

 

[BigW.]

I think these are great. You could adjust to suit your preferences.

Jeffs Master Formula Set

These are the master formulas, complete with full instructions, for making Jeff's rubs and mouth-watering barbecue sauce. Buy now. Download instantly. Jeff’s Original Rub Sweet with just a touch of spice, perfectly balanced and great on everything but really shines on pork and chicken. This rub...

order.Smoking-Meat.com

 

[cansmoke]

Years ago, I purchased a book of sausage recipes. I sometimes use the seasoning mix from those and also put together what I thinks goes together

 

[noboundaries]

If I buy a commercial seasoning, I buy the low salt or no salt version. Why? Salt is cheap, and like others have said, overused in commercial seasonings. With a low salt/no salt version, you get more flavor elements. If you need salt, add it.

I do make my own rubs, too, but sometimes commercial can be just as good.

 

[912smoker]

I've made own but haven't taken the time to.fine tune them. I spent half a day making a.list of ingredients and shopping but still haven't been very successful
I mainly use store bought .
My local Ace has them in stock at a fair price.

Keith

 

[millerbuilds]

I make my own in bulk, vacuum pack them and store in the freezer. I find it fun to develop my own blends.

- Jason

 

[Inscrutable]

Make it most of the time. Been suckered into some commercial as gifts or fun names … usually disappointed … usually too heavy-handed with the salt, and sometimes with sugars. I don’t buy anything with salt as first ingredient, and it is very often.

 

[millerbuilds]

Make it most of the time. Been suckered into some commercial as gifts or fun names … usually disappointed … usually too heavy-handed with the salt, and sometimes with sugars. I don’t buy anything with salt as first ingredient, and it is very often.

You hit the nail square on the head!
I also use salt ahead of rub (12-24 hours) and I want to control how much.

- Jason

 

[tbern]

Make my own for the most part so I can tweak a recipe to my liking.

 

[pineywoods]

I'm with BigW buy Jeff's rub recipes and you have some very very good recipes to start with then after using them a couple times start tweaking if you want to get it exactly the way you want it. Then as said make your own in bulk and vacuum seal in smaller amounts.

 

[Inscrutable]

I'm with BigW buy Jeff's rub recipes and you have some very very good recipes to start with then after using them a couple times start tweaking if you want to get it exactly the way you want it. Then as said make your own in bulk and vacuum seal in smaller amounts.

I’ve done all of that too … his are my favorite quasi-commercial rubs.
And his BBQ sauce recipe is far and away my favorite.
(FWIW, I use pint size Ball jars, and the small 4oz size as a shaker/applicator, with holes drilled in ‘inner’ lid and a solid top lid to keep fresh)

 

[Danblacksher]

I have had the best results when making my own simple rub.
1 part kosher salt
1 part granulated garlic
2 parts 16 mesh black pepper
mix and it works great for smoking
and sometimes I lightly dust whatever I am cooking with lowerys seasoned salt as well as the rub.

the results have been great just enough to create great bark and flavor and not too much to keep the smoke from penetrating.

I usually just use water to get the surface damp so the seasoning sticks. it. If I am smoking turkey or chicken I use melted butter.

 

[PulledPorkSandwich]

From my reading of Meathead's site, he's a big fan of dry brining (with salt). He advocates dry brining, then seasoning with rub before cooking. If the rub has salt in it, you're meat is likely to end up too salty.

Sometime, I will try dry brining using a packaged rub, with salt added, and see what happens. Maybe there's really little difference between that and using a no-salt rub after dry brining?