Pulled Pork Rub
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Make this Texas-style Pulled Pork Rub to perfectly season a pork shoulder or pork butt for the smoker, slow cooker or Instant Pot! This peppery dry rub recipe is easy to make in 5 minutes and can be stored in the pantry for up to 6 months.
For years, my family has been making this Texas-style Smoked Pulled Pork recipe. It’s one of the most popular dishes I make for friends, and one of the most popular recipes on the blog! The secret to it’s popularity? This pulled pork rub recipe!
No matter the cooking method, the key to delicious, flavorful Texas-style pulled pork is a delicious pepper-forward rub with coarse salt and black pepper. These coarse spices really stick to the pork and give it that signature Texas dry rub flavor.
If you want to make a sweeter pork rub, similar to Tennessee-style pulled pork, you can always add brown sugar to the dry rub. If you like a peppery rub, then use this recipe exactly as written, and if you’d like to add some sweetness at the end, you can always toss the pulled pork with bbq sauce.
Making homemade spice blends is one of my secrets to creating incredibly flavorful food! When you make your own seasoning blends at home, you know exactly what’s going into them. No additives, or sneaky extra “flavorings” that you don’t know what they are!
Keep this pulled pork seasoning in your pantry for up to 6 months, alongside my famous Steak Seasoning and Chicken Seasoning, so you can make flavorful meat every time, no matter the protein!
Ingredients
This recipe is made with pantry staples, that you probably already have in your kitchen. For the full ingredient amounts, refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.
- Coarse kosher salt – for this rub, it’s important to use coarse ground kosher salt so that it adheres well to the the pork shoulder or pork butt and helps it achieve a nice crust on the outside.
- Coarse-ground black pepper – just like the salt, you want the pepper to be coarse-ground so that the pork has the wonderful, peppery crust that we’re looking for in a Texas-style pulled pork recipe.
- Granulated garlic (or garlic powder) – 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 in the rub. It also helps to create that delicious bark on the outside of the pork.
- Granulated onion (or onion powder) – same with granulated onion vs onion powder. I recommend granulated over powder, but they can be used interchangeably in this recipe.
- Smoked paprika – this spice adds both color and a smoky flavor to the rub. This is great for those times when you’re cooking the pork in a slow cooker or Instant Pot. You will still get a nice smoky flavor, without smoking the pork. If you don’t have smoked paprika on hand, sweet or regular paprika can be used in it’s place, but you won’t get the smoky flavor.
Instructions
- Add all of the ingredients to a small bowl and stir to combine.
- Store in an airtight container in the pantry for up to 6 months.
Easy as that, you have a flavorful pork dry rub, ready to spice up all of your favorite pulled pork recipes!
Pro tips
- This recipe makes 11 tablespoons of seasoning mix. This is enough to season 10-12 pounds of pork. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click the button for 2x 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 pork. This mix is perfect for seasoning a large pork butt for the smoker. Or keep it in the pantry to use for up to 6 months seasoning smaller cuts of pork for the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- The pulled pork rub 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 pork rub with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- To make a spicy pulled pork rub, add 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix.
- To make a sweet pulled pork rub, add 1/4 cup brown sugar to the seasoning mix.
- This recipe is gluten free, and contains no added sugar, making it perfect for a whole30 or keto diet.
Ways to use it
There are a variety of different ways to make delicious pulled pork with this rub. Try it using a pork shoulder or pork butt for any of the below cooking methods.
If you love the peppery taste, you could also use this homemade pork rub on other cuts of pork like pork chops, pork loin, pork ribs or pork tenderloin. You can even use it on large cuts of beef, like brisket, tri tip or beef ribs.
- Smoked Pulled Pork (pictured above)- follow the recipe linked to the left to make the most amazing competition-style pulled pork on a smoker. Serve it with Smoked Mac and Cheese for the best meal ever!
- Instant Pot Pulled Pork – click the link to the left for this easy, delicious recipe that makes the best pulled pork sandwiches!
- Slow Cooker Pulled Pork – rub a 3 pound pork shoulder, or pork butt, with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with 3 tablespoons of the pulled pork rub. Place in a slow cooker. Pour in 1 cup beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup apple juice. Slow cook on high for 4-5 hours, or on low for 8-10 hours.
- Oven Roasted Pulled Pork – rub a 3 pound pork shoulder, or pork butt, with 2 tablespoons olive oil. Season with 3 tablespoons of the pulled pork rub. Preheat the oven to 300°F. Heat a large pot, or dutch oven, on the stove over high heat. Place the pork in the pot and sear on all sides. Remove the pot from the heat. Pour in 1 cup beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce and 1/2 cup apple juice. Cover, place in the oven and cook for 2 hours.
More homemade seasoning blends
Stock your pantry with all of these homemade seasoning mixes to add THE BEST flavor to every meal!
Pulled Pork Rub
Ingredients
- ¼ cup coarse ground black pepper
- ¼ cup kosher salt
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients together in a small bowl or mason jar.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 6 months.
Notes
- This recipe makes 11 tablespoons of seasoning mix. This is enough to season 10-12 pounds of pork. If you’d like to make a double batch of the seasoning, simply click the button for 2x next to the word “scale” above. 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 pork. This mix is perfect for seasoning a large pork butt for the smoker. Or keep it in the pantry to use for up to 6 months seasoning smaller cuts of pork for the slow cooker or Instant Pot.
- The pulled pork rub 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 pork rub with a date and using the seasoning mix within 6 months.
- To make a spicy pulled pork rub, add 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper to the seasoning mix.
- To make a sweet pulled pork rub, add 1/4 cup brown sugar to the seasoning mix.
- This recipe is gluten free, and contains no added sugar, making it perfect for a whole30 or keto diet.
Nutrition Facts
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2 Comments on “Pulled Pork Rub”
Hi,
Someone in my group does not like garlic. Can I make your rub for a smoked boston butt without the garlic or will she really taste the garlic when eating the pulled pork ??
Hi Pete, you can leave out the garlic if you’d like, but definitely the strongest flavor in this rub is the black pepper. I wouldn’t think she would taste the garlic, but it depends how sensitive she is to the taste.