Smoker Dry Rub..I want your recipe....
 

This week we got our first smoker and bought a slab of ribs to try on the smoker. So I need your help. Who has a great dry rub recipe?

I have never had a smoker before, have always wanted one, so we started small. We have a charcoal burning smoker w/2 shelves.

I am a Sweet Baby Ray's bbq sauce fan. I like a little sweet in my sauce. But I am thinking if I can find the right rub then I won't really need a sauce.

So any help would be appreciated. Maybe something sweet and a little spicy, got kids who wouldn't like them too spicy.

Thanks...

The best rub...

1/2c Dark Brown Sugar
3 T coarse salt
1/2 T fresh ground pepper
1 T chili powder
1/2 t cayenne (omit for "mild")
1 t old bay seasoning
1/2 t ground thyme
1 T onion powder
1/2 T garlic powder

Feel free to adjust this to your liking, I like the rub to complement the meat, not overpower it. This might not be as LOUD as some of the rubs out there.

Ribs should be completely dry when applied, and left to set until they reach room temp WITH the rub on...then smoke slow and low. Then right before they're done, slap on that sweet baby rays and put a little more heat on them. I'd go on my gas grill, and sprinkle a little extra brown sugar on at this time too. :ntwrthy:

Sounds yummy. Cannot wait for her to make em :)

Sounds good Jake. Old bay seasoning? I have never bought this, don't know if I have ever seen it. I will look in the grocery store.

In researching doing ribs on the smoker, I ran across a suggestion that says to take the membrane off the ribs. Do you do this? Any suggestions?

Yeah, that is a good idea. Makes eating them a little less sloppy.

You could brine the ribs first if you have a few days...

Apple juice
Onion chunks
Peppercorns
Salt
Water
Splash of vinegar
Etc

Thanks Jake,
I have tried the apple juice and was not a fan. Grumpy is not an onion fan.

Someone suggested apricot or peach juice.

I guess I will just be "smokin" alot of meat this summer, til I get it right. I'm sure Grumpy won't mind.

We've tried different sauces over the years. Found Sweet Baby Rays 3 maybe 4 years ago. That's all we use and don't even bother looking at all the other ones.

You will find at least 2 varieties of sweet baby ray's in my fridge at all times. :D

I am a huge Rays fan. Just tried the smoke chipolte version the other day. Its not bad.

OK back to the smoker thread. We used it today for the first time. Did a combination of brown sugar and seasonings, for the ribs. Then we decided that we were gonna cook a couple of chickens at the same time. David made the rub for the Chicken. Put them in the smoker around noon.

OH MAN....was it great !!!

The "smoked" taste was good. The ribs were sooooo good. The kids loved the chicken. I think that we would try adjusting what we made the rub out of, definately adding less salt, using brown sugar was a great idea. All in all it was a great meal.

I still want more suggestions on different rub ideas. And no, I am not giving up my Sweet Baby Rays BBQ sauce, it is a staple in my fridge, actually didn't even use any tonight on the ribs they were that good.