Boston Butt Dry Rub

I came up with this dry rub for Boston Butt many years ago! I love seasoning meat and this rub recipe is so good on pork. I mainly use it for pulled pork but it could work for BBQ chicken legs, pork tenderloin, or burgers, too!

If you’re making pulled pork – I always get Boston Butt at Sam’s Club. For this recipe, I used about 20 lbs of meat and it was less than $30!! That’s such a steal for a hunk of meat that will last for 4-5 meals for my big family 🙂

Boston Butt Dry Rub

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Ingredients

• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 1/4 cup salt
• 1 tbsp. dry mustard
• 1 tbsp. cumin
• 1 tbsp. celery seed
• 1 tbsp. chili powder
• 2 tbsp. paprika
• 2 tbsp. onion powder
• 2 tbsp. garlic powder
• 1 tsp. pepper
• 1/4 - 1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes

Instructions

1. Combine all ingredients and store in an airtight container until ready to use.

Always start with your ‘base’ of the rub – sugar and salt. In a medium mixing bowl, measure out 1/2 cup brown sugar – I think using brown sugar gives a richer flavor to the rub than just using white. Then, add 1/4 cup of white sugar and 1/4 cup of salt. You can always taste test and see if you want to add more salt. I recently cut back on the salt, but feel free to add more or less (maybe a couple teaspoons) if you want. Whisk that together to make sure there are no brown sugar lumps.

Now add all the wonderful spices – dry mustard, cumin, celery seed, and chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. If you like spicy, then by all means add more red pepper flakes! Not everyone in my family likes spicy food, so I try not to make it too spicy 🙂 But I do think a little spicy with the sweet is what really makes pulled pork!!

I normally use all of this rub at one time on a Boston butt, but if you are only using half of it or so, store the rest in an airtight container, Mason jar, or sandwich bag, and use it within a couple weeks or so.

Check this post on how to get the perfect pulled pork using this dry rub!

You might be wondering:

• How long do I leave dry rub on a Boston Butt?

  • Ideally, leave the rub on for at least a couple hours. I rub mine and let it sit in the fridge overnight up to 24 hours. I also rub mine with mustard before I add my dry rub so that the meat is super tender.

• Do I rinse off the dry rub?

  • Noooooo!! Do NOT rinse off the dry rub. You’ll want all that sugar to caramelize and the spices to stay on there during the cooking process.

• What are the best spices for pork?

  • Cumin, paprika, and chili powder all complement pork very well. For a more refined pork dish, use earthy spices such as rosemary, thyme, sage, and coriander. Brown sugar is a great way to balance the meatiness of pork with some sweetness. Here’s a great pork chop seasoning recipe.