One of the most exciting things about watching a brisket slow cook on the grill, in a smoker, or in the oven is the development of the beautiful, caramelly, meat-candyish bark, which only a brisket rub can give, that hints to bites full of flavor and satiety to come, which you know your guests will love. However, just as important as mastering the art of cooking the brisket to tender, juicy perfection, you must also master the art of the perfect brisket rub. In fact, many brisket competitions are won considering the rub, and with the right secret rub, you will win your guests over too.
Therefore, we bring you a few takes on the best brisket recipe, some of which even include ingredients, techniques, and pro tips from championship winners themselves, to help you develop your own award-winning rub that is sure to wow your guests at your next gathering or maybe even deem you worthy of entering a brisket competition yourself!
Best Smoked Brisket Rub Recipe – Step-By-Step Guide
There are a number of best brisket rubs out there, including the “award winning smoked brisket rub recipe”, the “Texas brisket rub”, and the “world championship smoked brisket rub recipe”; however, the magic is in assembling the rub right. Therefore, we have comprised this step by step guide to assembling the best brisket rub to help get you started.
Award Winning Smoked Brisket Rub Recipe
This brisket rub recipe is derived from award-winning products developed by barbecue pitmasters themselves. However, it’s up to you to play around with the ingredients to come up with your own concoction. Until then, a basic recipe is as follows:
To begin, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons of paprika, chipotle, and other chilies
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon of onion
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon of shiitake mushroom powder
- 2 tablespoons of raw cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon coffee
- Other spices
To assemble:
First: Add the chilies, salt, garlic, black pepper, white pepper, onion, coriander, shiitake mushroom powder, sugar, coffee, and other spices into a medium bowl. Thoroughly mix the spices together until they are well combined.
Second: Apply the rub to the brisket, just enough to coat it evenly, and then massage it in on each side.
Third: Smoke, grill, or oven bake the brisket until it is cooked to the desired doneness.
This recipe is enough to evenly coat one 6/12 to 7 pound flat cut brisket.
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Smoked Brisket Rub Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons of paprika, chipotle, and other chilies
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1 teaspoon of garlic
- 2 tablespoons of black pepper
- 2 tablespoons of white pepper
- 1 teaspoon of onion
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- 1 teaspoon of shiitake mushroom powder
- 2 tablespoons of raw cane sugar
- 1 teaspoon coffee
- Other spices
Instructions
- Add the chilies, salt, garlic, black pepper, white pepper, onion, coriander, shiitake mushroom powder, sugar, coffee, and other spices into a medium bowl.
- Thoroughly mix the spices together until they are well combined.
- Apply the rub to the brisket, just enough to coat it evenly, and then massage it in on each side.
- Smoke, grill, or oven bake the brisket until it is cooked to the desired doneness.
- This recipe is enough to evenly coat one 6/12 to 7 pound flat cut brisket.
Nutrition
Texas-Style Brisket Dry Rub
The Texas-Style Brisket Dry Rub is a spicier rub that is just perfect for who enjoy the true Tex-Mex flavor at heart.
To begin, you will need:
- 1/2 cup of brown sugar
- 5 tablespoons of paprika
- 2 teaspoons of cayenne pepper
- 1/4 of a teaspoon of hot chili powder
- 1 tablespoon of black pepper
- 2 teaspoons of ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon of ground coriander
- 3 tablespoons of salt
- 2 tablespoons of garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons of onion powder
- 1 tablespoon of dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon of dried oregano
To assemble:
First: Mix together the brown sugar, paprika, salt, pepper, cayenne pepper, onion powder, garlic powder, chili powder, cumin, parsley, and oregano, using a whisk, in a medium bowl.
Second: Apply the rub to the brisket by sprinkling it liberally and then rub it in thoroughly on all sides.
Third: Grill, smoke, or bake the brisket until it is cooked to the desired doneness.
This rub is enough to evenly coat 1 8 to 10-pound brisket, untrimmed.
World Championship Brisket Rub
This championship smoked brisket rub recipe is derived from 5,000-time top ten winners of the brisket world championship. And though it contains a few ingredients that may cause you to raise your brow, it provides what has been described as “freakishly good.” It also creates a deep, dark bark that is unmatched.
You will need to mix and match the ingredients to come up with your own signature blend; however, a basic recipe is as follows:
To begin, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons of paprika
- 2 tablespoons of chili pepper
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1 teaspoon of dehydrated garlic
- 1 teaspoon of dehydrated onion
- 1 tablespoon of salt
- 1-2 tablespoons of natural hickory smoke flavor
- 1 teaspoon of citric acid
- 1 teaspoon of shiitake mushroom powder
- Other spices of your choice
To Assemble:
First: Place the paprika, chili pepper, sugar, garlic, onion, salt, hickory smoke flavor, citric acid, shiitake mushroom powder, and other spices into a medium bowl. Mix the ingredients together, using a whisk, until they are well blended.
Second: Evenly coat the brisket on all sides and then massage the rub into the meat.
Third: Smoke, bake, or grill the brisket until it is cooked to the desired doneness.
This rub is enough to evenly coat a 6 1/2 to 7 pound flat cut brisket.
In Closing
Hopefully, these smoked brisket rub recipes have left you eager and excited to develop your own signature brisket rub using your favorite spices and seasonings, that who knows, many other pitmasters may even find themselves trying to replicate. In the meantime, these recipes can be used as a base to help get you started. Then, once you’ve mastered the basics, the fun will really begin with adding, eliminating, or substituting the ingredients to your own taste. So have fun with your recipe, and enjoy the following pro tips, which will help ensure a perfect brisket rub and application.
Pro Tips
- A dry rub can be made using a number of different ingredients, depending on your liking; however, a basic rub generally begins with sugar and salt or simply salt and pepper and then slowly incorporate the spices, herbs, and other ingredients you prefer. The sugar can be white granulated, raw, brown, or maple depending on the desired sweetness.
- For best results, use coarse salt and coarse black pepper instead of fine black pepper and fine salt, because they help create a crispy bark on the outside of the brisket.
- When applying a rub to a brisket, remember to work the rub into the meat to get the flavor inside, but avoid using too much rub as it can be too cakey, as well as overpower the natural flavor of the brisket.
- Brisket rubs can be made ahead of time, and any leftovers can be stored in an airtight container in a cool, dry, dark place, for up to several months.
- Avoid adding the meat to the brisket rub to prevent contaminating the entire rub, which means you won’t be able to reuse it.
- Some award-winning rubs also include monosodium glutamate (MSG) as an ingredient; however, shiitake mushroom powder, disodium guanylate, and disodium inosinate, which are also naturally derived alternatives, tastes similar to MSG and can be used in its place.
- Brisket rubs can also be used on other types of meat, such as poultry, seafood, lamb, venison, and pork. Just be sure to massage the rub on top of the skin as well as under the skin to ensure it is fully seasoned.
- If you are using a rub that contains a lot of salt, do not apply the rub to the brisket until right before it is ready to be cooked as heavy salt will cause the meat to cure, which will make the brisket taste more like beef jerky rather than brisket. Otherwise, for rubs that contain low salt, the brisket can be seasoned anywhere from 1 hour to overnight before cooking for maximum flavor.
- To enable the rub to stick to the brisket more, try patting the meat with a paper towel first. Some pitmasters also rub mustard and/or Worcestershire sauce on the meat before applying the rub to help the rub stick better.
