I have found that I do not like

any Rubs.

I have tried a lot of them too.In fact I just threw out 2 of them.They do not make what I am grilling or smoking taste better in fact it tastes worse.

I grilled some thighs the other night with a applewood rub. Man, I had to scrape it off & make up some BBQ sauce to cover them.

Note to self.  Do not buy any more rubs.....

The only rubs I use are the ones I make myself, usually for some ribs.

I only use the spices I like and in the amounts that are not overpowering for my taste. Usually it's some brown sugar (you could use your non-sugar variety), salt, ground pepper, chili powder, Aleppo pepper, dried thyme and oftentime, some sort of citrus zest.

If I want apple taste or something like that I would most likely get some dried fruit and blitz it in my spice grinder to mix in or, in the case of ribs, I would use apple juice in a "mop" with cider vinegar when they are on the grill.

Barbara101 wrote:any Rubs.

I have tried a lot of them too.In fact I just threw out 2 of them.They do not make what I am grilling or smoking taste better in fact it tastes worse.

I grilled some thighs the other night with a applewood rub. Man, I had to scrape it off & make up some BBQ sauce to cover them.

Note to self.  Do not buy any more rubs.....

Just curious, -- Do you shake the rub on or coat the item with it kind of heavily? I find some people use it too thickly. I also find lots of the storebought ones have been on the shelves for a while, too.

I'm pretty much the opposite, Barbara -- I adore rubs and though we sometimes make our own and try different ones, we really use a lot of the Mad Hunky stuff, which we really like (I know you're not crazy about it). I get tired of sauces that are sweet (BBQ sauce, Hoisin, Wasabiyaki, etc.). even though they're all good.

I would not think of smoking pork ribs without a rub applied the night before.  Then I wrap it in plastic, then foil and let it sit in the refrigerator overnight. It has time to 'marinate' and actually becomes like a thick liquid by the next day.  One I use is one I make myself.  Everyone seems to like it a lot.  After it has smoked for two or three hours, I paint it lightly with sauce and wrap it in foil for another couple of hours, then put it over high heat to cook the sauce so it isn't gooey and runny on the outside. I like ribs without any heavy sauce slathered over it.

2 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 1/2 teaspoons chili powder

1 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 1/2 teaspoons cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon black pepper

A lot of restaurants that serve what they call BBQ is just meat that has been steamed or braised then served swimming in some kind of spicy ketchup concoction. Blah.

NormM wrote:I like ribs without any heavy sauce slathered over it.

Me, too, Norm.