Many purists in that barbecue mecca named Memphis don't like to smother their pigs with sauce. Instead they lay a dry "rub" on their ribs, a mixture of spices and herbs, and eat their slabs crunchy, sans sauce. There are restaurants that only serve "dry" ribs. No sauce in the joint.

Even if you like your pork "wet" a good rub can add flavor, texture, and color, and almost all barbecue chefs use one. Rubs are seasoning mixes and there are scores of recipes. Some cooks apply a rub just before cooking, some let it sit on the meat overnight as a sort of curing process. There is a reaction between the rub and the surface that helps form a nice crust, called bark, if the rub is on for at least two hours in the fridge.

There's no need to buy rubs in the store. They're easy to make. Here's my recipe for a great all purpose rub. It's great on all pork, chicken, turkey, salmon, and even popcorn. It is carefully formulated to flavor, color, and form the proper crust. People tell me I really ought to bottle and sell it. Nah. You can have it for free. It's all here, nothing held back.

Yield. Makes a bit more than two cups, enough for about 12 pounds of ribs. I typically use about 1 tablespoon per side of a slab. Store the extra in a zipper bag or a glass jar with a tight lid.

Ingredients
3/4 cups firmly packed dark brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup paprika
1/4 cup kosher salt *
4 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons ground black pepper
2 tablespoons ground ginger
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons ground rosemary

Optional. Add up to 2 tablespoons crushed dried chipotle, cayenne, chili powder, or other hot pepper. Be careful with this ingredient. Not everybody likes it as hot as you do! You can leave it out if you are serving to a large crowd that is bound to contain a few wimps, and serve pepper flakes on the side.

Substitution. Try substituting some smoked paprika for regular paprika. Beware, it is usually a bit hot.

* Very Important Note. If you use a brine, leave the salt out of your rub.

Do this
1) Mix the ingredients thoroughly. If the sugar is lumpy, crumble the lumps by hand or on the side of the bowl with a fork. If you store the rub in a tight jar, you can keep it for months. If it clumps just chop it up, or if you wish, spread it on a baking sheet and put it in a 250F oven for 15 minutes to drive off moisture.

2) For most meats, sprinkle just enough on to color it. Not too thick, about 2 tablespoons per side of a large slab. For Memphis style ribs without a sauce, apply the rub thick enough to make a crunchy crust.

3) Wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it overnight before cooking.

Keep your powder dry. To prevent cross-contamination, one hand sprinkles on the rub and the other hand does the rubbing. 

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