Storing rubs with brown sugar

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va_connoisseur

Smoking Fanatic
Original poster
Dec 13, 2007
338
13
DC Metro - Northern Virginia
How do you all store rubs with a high level of brown sugar without it becoming lumpy? How long can I expect to store it?

I am doing a Halloween smoke this weekend with 100 lbs of ribs and I want to pre-mix the spice rub today or tomorrow before rubbing the ribs with it this Thursday/Friday? Thanks.
 
I store mine in a ziploc bag in the freezer after squeezing out all the air. It may still get a little lumpy, but just let it thaw and squeeze it around a bit before using. It will keep for a month or two, but mine never makes it that long...
 
If it gets lumpy just remix it. It wont take but a couple of minutes. You could also mix everything but the brownsugar and add it that morning.
 
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It's just a thought, but how about putting a saltine cracker in the container with the rub????? I remember when I was in the service they put crackers in the sugar shaker to keep it from lumping up.
 
I store my rubs in a Mason jar in the cupboard!  Sometimes it's in there for a month or 2 or 3... never had a problem with it clumping back up, and easy to shake it up and remix every time I use it!

 Although it pretty dry here... that might have something to do with it!
 
I dry my brown sugar before putting it in the rub.  Put a piece of foil or parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread it out and let it dry for a couple of hours or if you are in a hurry pop in in the oven on the lowest setting for 10 or 15 minutes but keep an eye on it.  It might burn. Then I dump it into a ziploc bag and add the rest of my ingredients and use a cup or rolling pin to bust up the chunks.  Most of the time I mix as much as I need so I don't really have it sitting around too long.  
 
When brown sugar gets hard you can put a piece of bread with it to soften it back up. We used to do it with everything when I was a kid. Bag of tootsie rolls gets hard? Throw a piece of bread in there no problems.
 
I dry my brown sugar before putting it in the rub.  Put a piece of foil or parchment paper on a cookie sheet and spread it out and let it dry for a couple of hours or if you are in a hurry pop in in the oven on the lowest setting for 10 or 15 minutes but keep an eye on it.  It might burn. Then I dump it into a ziploc bag and add the rest of my ingredients and use a cup or rolling pin to bust up the chunks.  Most of the time I mix as much as I need so I don't really have it sitting around too long.  
I dry mine on a cookie sheet at about 200 degrees in the oven for about 15-20 minutes (my oven is slow).  Agree to keep an eye on it.  Then when it's cool...pop it into a spice grinder (coffee bean grinder) and turn it into a powder.  Wont clump then!  I keep it in tupperware containers.  Lasts a while!
 
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