Hey everyone I have noticed recently that people guard their pork rub and BBQ sauce recipes like it is some sort of intellectual property. The all seem to have a "guarded secret" or "Special Ingredient" and well I was wondering who here would be willing to share their pork rub
If I've been non-specific about recipes, it's just that I tend to throw things together at the last second, seldom measure, and there is a lot of variation. That being said, these things are almost always in my dry rubs:
Ancho chili powder. Very mild and earthy, with a almost raison or prune-like sweetness. I used to make my own by drying and grinding poblanos, but now it's easy to find in bulk, online or in gourmet stores. Try substituting this for paprika in any recipe, it's got SO MUCH more flavor but is not overwhelming.
Sugar of some sort, usually light-brown or turbinado. I've tried using DME as well, with mixed results. I love to play spicy against sweet, so I almost always use a sweet element in dry rubs and marinades.
Chipotle powder. My favorite for providing both heat and flavor. Spectacular for smoked foods, since it already has a smoky nature. (A chipotle pepper is a smoked jalapeno.) For marinades or beef chili, I use canned chipotles in adobo sauce.
For straight up heat, I prefer cayenne powder.
Habanero powder. I still make my own, in direct violation of local fire & safety laws! Used sparingly, this gives a wonderfully unique and fruity heat, and works particularly well with pork tenderloin. Use too much, and you overwhelm the food and risk killing your guests. Be sure to blend thoroughly with other ingredients, it's absolutely deadly hot, and you don't want anybody getting a concentrated bit of in their serving.
Salt. I usually use kosher, sometimes pickling.
For dry rubs I often include onion and garlic powder. Marinades get the fresh variety.