Easy All-Purpose Barbecue Rub

Spice rubs come at a huge markup for what is often a container of spices cut with salt and sugar. It's easy (and cheaper!) to make batches of homemade spice rub that will keep in your pantry for several months. I set out to make a balanced barbecue rub that would work well with a wide range of grilled meats and vegetables, whether you're slow-cooking ribs or pulled pork, or grilling chicken or even tofu. This is the spice rub I keep in a deli container in my pantry at all times.

This rub is a relatively simple blend that is mostly made up of paprika, which brings savoriness, earthiness, and a rounded fruity note, and brown sugar, which, beyond its obvious sweetness, also delivers a molasses complexity. There's enough salt in the mix to do the seasoning needed, while smaller amounts of additional spices and dried herbs like mustard seed, black pepper, coriander seed, dried oregano, granulated garlic, and granulated onion add complexity and depth. This isn't a particularly spicy rub, so if you want more heat, you should feel free to work in a bit of cayenne or other chile pepper power; beyond that, you can also adjust this rub to meet any flavor profile you want, whether that's a bit of cumin funk or some chipotle powder or smoked paprika for a little whiff of wood fire.