BBQ Seasoning
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This homemade BBQ Seasoning is the perfect spice rub for a variety of recipes. Whether you’re making smoked or grilled chicken, pulled pork, ribs, bbq shrimp, or even french fries, this dry rub will add a delicious amount of flavor to any dish! It’s easy to mix up in just 5 minutes, with 8 simple ingredients!
Say hello to the new secret ingredient that will help you make the best bbq ever! This dry rub is flavorful, smoky, sweet and salty. It combines 8 spices that you probably already have in your pantry, to make an incredible bbq seasoning that’s delicious on chicken, pork and several other recipes!
Ditch the store-bought jar and make your own easy, homemade BBQ Seasoning! This homemade seasoning blend is fresh, easy to make and contains no additives, artificial flavors, or ingredients that you can’t pronounce. It’s a great spice blend to keep around for seasoning just about anything!
When you want something with just a little more oomph than salt and pepper, this bbq rub is your key to making juicy grilled chicken, bbq ribs or smoky pork chops that taste amazing!
Ingredients
For the ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Brown sugar – all good bbq recipes have a nice balance of sweet, salt, smoke and spice. In this seasoning blend, brown sugar adds the sweetness to the mix.
- Smoked paprika – this spice adds a wonderful smoky flavor to the seasoning blend and gives the spice mix beautiful color. If you don’t have any on hand, sweet or regular paprika can be used in it’s place, but you won’t get the smoky flavor.
- Garlic powder (or granulated garlic) – the only difference between granulated garlic and garlic powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated garlic. I prefer to use granulated garlic because it’s less likely to clump over time, than garlic powder.
- Onion powder (or granulated onion) – the only difference between granulated onion and onion powder is that the powder has been ground finer, than the granulated onion. I prefer to use granulated onion because it’s less likely to clump over time, than onion powder.
- Sea salt (or kosher salt) – both sea salt and kosher salt can be used interchangeably when cooking. I prefer either kosher or sea salt, over table salt, in this seasoning mix because of their coarse texture and superior flavor.
- Black pepper – I recommend a course-ground pepper for this recipe, as it adds great texture to the spice blend.
- Chili powder
- Mustard powder – you may also see mustard powder labeled as dry mustard or ground mustard at the grocery store. They’re all the same and can be used interchangeably.
- Cayenne pepper (optional) – if you prefer no spice, you can leave this ingredient out of the seasoning blend. If you’d like to add just a hint of spice to the mix, go ahead and add 1 teaspoon. For a spicy bbq seasoning, add 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix.
Instructions
- Combine all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Easy as that, in 5 minutes or less, you have a flavorful bbq seasoning, ready to spice up all your favorite bbq recipes!
Recipe tips
- This recipe makes 15 tablespoons of bbq seasoning. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click on the 2X button in the recipe card below. The ingredient amounts in the recipe card will automatically update to accommodate the new serving size.
- I recommend using 1 tablespoon of seasoning per pound of meat or veggies that you’d like to season.
- The bbq seasoning will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. If doubling the recipe, use a pint size or 16 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the bbq seasoning with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months. In my house, we double this recipe and it’s easily gone in a month, so I don’t think you’ll have a problem using it all up!
- To make the bbq seasoning spicy, add 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper to the mix.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free.
Ways to use it
The possibilities really are endless when it comes to this bbq seasoning recipe. Use it to season chicken breasts, wings, drumsticks or thighs. Use it to season pork chops, pork shoulder or pork ribs. You can also use it to season shrimp, french fries or veggies.
See what I mean, there really are so many ways to use this bbq seasoning! Try it with any of the ideas or recipes listed below.
- BBQ chicken (pictured above) – this seasoning adds wonderful flavor to boneless or bone-in chicken breasts, thighs, drumsticks or wings, cooked low and slow on the grill. Click the link above to grab this easy, flavorful bbq chicken recipe.
- Grilled chicken wings (breasts or thighs) – lightly coat one pound of chicken wings, breasts, or thighs with olive oil, then toss with 1 tablespoon seasoning mix. Heat a grill over medium-high heat. Grill the chicken on all sides until it reaches an internal temperature of 165°F for wings or breasts and 170°F for chicken thighs.
- Instant Pot chicken -the easiest way to make shredded chicken for salads, tacos, dips and wraps, is to make it in the Instant Pot, or an electric pressure cooker. Replace the traditional chicken seasoning in this Instant Pot Shredded Chicken recipe with this bbq seasoning to add tons of flavor, spice and smokiness to basic shredded chicken breasts. Use the seasoned, shredded bbq chicken in this BBQ Chicken Mac and Cheese or this BBQ Chicken Salad recipe.
- Rotisserie chicken – coat a whole chicken with olive oil, then with the bbq seasoning mix. Place in a roasting pan and into a 425°F oven for 70-80 minutes. Baste the chicken every 15-20 minutes with juices from the bottom of the pan. If you have a grill with a rotisserie, or own a rotisserie oven, you can use that to cook the whole chicken and skip the step of basting the chicken.
- BBQ ribs – use the spice blend to season pork ribs before tossing them on the grill, in the smoker, or in an Instant Pot.
- Pulled pork – coat a 3 pound pork shoulder with 3 tablespoons of the bbq seasoning. Place it in a slow cooker. Whisk together 1 cup of chicken broth with 1/2 cup bbq sauce. Pour it over the pork shoulder in the slow cooker. Cook on high for 8-9 hours, or on low for 4-5 hours. Open the slow cooker and shred the pork with two forks, or meat claws.
- Smoked pork chops or smoked pork loin – follow the links to the left for my delicious smoked pork chop and pork loin recipes. Replace the pork chop seasoning with this bbq seasoning and finish the pork chops or pork loin with bbq sauce.
- Smoked pork tenderloin or grilled pork tenderloin – follow the recipes linked to the left for juicy, tender pork recipes on the grill or smoker.
- Smoked brisket – follow the link to the left for my family’s delicious smoked brisket recipe. Replace the dry rub in the recipe with this bbq spice rub. Use 1 tablespoon of rub per pound of beef. You’ll need 12 tablespoons of this seasoning for a 12 pound brisket.
- BBQ shrimp – coat one pound of jumbo shrimp in 1 tablespoon olive oil, then in 1 tablespoon bbq seasoning. Grill the shrimp over medium-high heat for 3-4 minutes per side. These are delicious with Cheesy Grits!
- French fries – spray one pound of frozen french fries with cooking spray, then toss with 1 tablespoon bbq seasoning. Air fry for 16 minutes at 380°F. Or cook in the oven in a single layer on a baking sheet for 16-20 minutes at 400°F. If frying the french fries, fry them first, then toss them with the seasoning as soon as they come out of the oil.
- Grilled or roasted veggies – toss 1 pound of sliced or diced vegetables, like zucchini, bell peppers, broccoli or cauliflower, with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Coat with 1 tablespoon bbq seasoning. Place on a veggie grill tray, or large piece of grill-safe foil. Grill for 5-7 minutes, flipping halfway through the grilling time. If roasting the veggies, place them in an even layer on a foil-lined baking sheet. Roast in a 400°F oven for 15-20 minutes.
More homemade seasonings
Stock your pantry with all of my homemade seasoning recipes to add flavor to every meal!
BBQ Seasoning
This homemade BBQ Seasoning is the perfect spice rub for a variety of recipes. Whether you’re making smoked or grilled chicken, pulled pork, ribs, bbq shrimp, or even french fries, this dry rub will add a delicious amount of flavor to any dish! It’s easy to mix up in just 5 minutes, with 8 simple ingredients!
Ingredients
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup smoked paprika
- 2 tablespoons sea salt
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon chili powder
- 1 tablespoon mustard powder
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper, optional addition for heat
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a small bowl or mason jar.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Notes
- I recommend using 1 tablespoon of seasoning per pound of meat or veggies that you’d like to season.
- The bbq seasoning will stay good, stored in an airtight container in the pantry, for up to 6 months. After that the spice blend will not “go bad” but as spices sit longer, they begin to lose their flavor.
- I recommend storing the seasoning mix in an 8 ounce mason jar. If doubling the recipe, use a pint size or 16 ounce mason jar. I recommend labeling the bbq seasoning with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months. In my house, we double this recipe and it’s easily gone in a month, so I don’t think you’ll have a problem using it all up!
- To make the bbq seasoning spicy, add 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper to the mix. If you’d like to add just a hint of spice to the mix, go ahead and add 1 teaspoon.
- This recipe is naturally gluten free.
Nutrition Facts
Calories 28kcal (1%)Carbohydrates 6g (2%)Protein 1g (2%)Fat 1g (2%)Sodium 942mg (39%)Potassium 79mg (2%)Fiber 1g (4%)Sugar 4g (4%)Vitamin A 1103mg (22%)Vitamin C 0.3mgCalcium 15mg (2%)Iron 1mg (6%)
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