Brisket Dry Rub
114 Comments
Dec 02, 2023
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This homemade brisket rub is the perfect combination of sweet and smoky flavor. It’s the perfect seasoning for smoked or oven-braised brisket!
If you’ve ever been to Texas, odds are you’ve had a delicious, smoked beef brisket. Brisket, when cooked well, is juicy, tender and loaded with flavor. Of course, much of that flavor comes from the smoker or cooking method, but the perfect dry spice rub is also essential.
So, if you’re looking for the best brisket rub, you’ve come to the right place. My version is a bit unique as I prefer a brisket rub that favors smoky over spicy undertones. That means more paprika and less cayenne pepper. But if you’re one who likes a super spicy brisket, by all means increase the amount of cayenne in this recipe.
Most brisket rubs also use brown sugar, but brown sugar is simply processed white sugar plus molasses. So I swap in an equally sweet and delicious granulated maple sugar. In fact, I think I may actually prefer maple sugar now in all my rubs – the flavor is amazing. Keep reading for all the details!
Brisket Rub Ingredients
- Smokiness: The main ingredient that gives your brisket a smoky flavor is paprika. If you want to amp this up even more, choose smoked paprika rather than sweet paprika, it’s up to you.
- Sweetness: I prefer to use granulated maple sugar in this recipe for the perfect sweet touch. But coconut sugar would also work great and impart slight caramel undertones. If you’re not concerned about using unrefined sugar, you can swap in brown sugar as well.
- Warm Savoriness: A blend of garlic powder, onion powder, cumin, cayenne pepper, salt, and black pepper adds depth of flavor to the rest of this rub.
- If you want it spicier… you can always add more cayenne pepper.
Find the complete recipe with measurements below
How To Make Brisket Rub
Stir all the spices together. Add all the ingredients to a small bowl and stir until it’s well combined.
Use immediately or store away. This recipe makes approximately ½ cup of brisket rub, which is perfect for making a 5 to 6-pound brisket. But you can always double or triple the recipe and store it in these glass spice jars. It’ll last for up to one year and will come in handy for any of the ideas below!
Ways To Use Brisket Rub
This dry rub is perfect for brisket, but you could also use it for other cuts of beef, such as steak or tri-tip. It’ll add a deliciously smoky, spiced touch. Alternatively, you can use this for other types of meats such as pulled pork or baked chicken thighs. But that’s totally up to you!
More Seasoning Recipes
- Cajun Seasoning: Enjoy Southern cooking with Jambalaya or Cajun chicken.
- Fajita Seasoning: Perfect for making chicken fajitas or steak fajitas.
- Taco Seasoning: A versatile blend to make taco soup or taco salad!
I hope you enjoy this brisket rub on your next cut of meat! If you make it, I’d love to hear your thoughts on this recipe in the comment section below. Your review will help other readers in the community.
Brisket Dry Rub
Description
Video
Ingredients
- ¼ cup paprika
- 3 tablespoons maple sugar
- 2 tablespoons kosher salt
- 2 tablespoons garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon black pepper
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Instructions
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
- Use immediately or store in an airtight container.
Lisa’s Tips
- This recipe makes approximately ½ cup of brisket rub.
- I’m obsessed with using spices (both fresh and dry) in my healthy recipes. For a peek inside my spice drawer, make sure to watch my Spice Drawer Organization and Tips video.
- If your local market doesn’t have granulated maple sugar, this is the brand I buy from Amazon.
Nutrition
©Downshiftology. Content and photographs are copyright protected. Sharing of this recipe is both encouraged and appreciated. Copying and/or pasting full recipes to any social media is strictly prohibited.
Recipe originally posted May 2017, but updated to include new photos and information for your benefit!
Terrific rub – one of my go to bases….
I will add 2 tbsp of ground coffee as well as 1 tbsp of cumin. Game Changers. You’re welcome! Bark is out of this world.
Maple Sugar vs Light Brown or Demura is OK. However the moisture in the Light brown or Demura (from Molasses) will mean you won’t have a bark that is as prominent. It will dry out before your bark.
Hi Aaron – Happy to hear you’re loving this brisket dry rub!
Many thanks for posting! A few comments from those who have enjoyed it – it “has some kick”, especially if you have one of the end pieces. “Delish”. Not overly salty!
Depending on your brisket cooking method – it’s dry – so you may want to consider using a binder.
Because of the lower salt content vs some rubs – you could consider applying up to 12 hrs in advance to allow more of the spice to diffuse their flavour into the meat.
Did I overlook the temperature and cooking time? Please help.
Hi Robin – This recipe is just for the dry rub. You can find my brisket recipe on another page! Just search for “brisket” in the search bar.
Do not put salt in your rubs.
Dry brine your meat at the rate of 0.5 tsp. of salt per pound of meat, let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight, and use the rub of your choice MINUS any additional salt before cooking.
If you follow this advice you will never over salt your meat.
I didn’t make this up. It’s accepted food science all over the world.
Fabulous brisket rub!!! Just finished eating brisket that was grilled with this dry rub. Very flavorful!
Trying this rub on a sous vide flap half of a packer brisket for 44 hours at 150F.
First time using my Instant Pot sous vide function with a zip lock freezer bag.
Planning on a finish with a 90 min ice bath followed by 2 min each side under the gas oven broiler.
Some Sweet Baby Ray’s copy cat BBQ sauce (Fake Baby Ray’s). Absolute Zero high fructose corn syrup tolerance is my house rule with all the American health issues these days.
Wish me luck and a juicy flavorful brisket.
My son just got braces and I need soft stuff for school lunch sandwiches.
Getting ready to try this. Is it a 1/4 cup of Paprika? Seems like a lot. Just making sure it was not a typo before I start. Thanks.
Yep, its 1/4 cup :)
Could I apply this rub after coating with mustard?
Hi Lisa, I can’t get maple sugar round here, do you think Demerara or similar will work?
Yes, that should work fine!
Just wanted you to know I found an amazing recipe for homemade maple sugar online, it’s actually super easy to make!
this is amazing! even the plain smell alone brought me delight. probably one of the best rubs I have ever made
Glad you enjoyed this dry rub Andrea!