Favorite Dry Rubs or BBQ/Grilling Sauces

[IEAngelsfan]

I've been lusting after a Traeger wood pellet grill for awhile now, so when I went to the LA County Fair, Traeger had a booth and I bought a Texas Elite Grill.  It's been a little over a month since I purchased the unit and I've grilled country style ribs, ribeye steaks and whole chickens. I've used the Traeger chicken rub on the whole chickens and a Wild Tree rub for both pork and beef. Both rubs were very good, especially the Traeger chicken rub.

I've seen some posts on this board from some of you who grill, smoke or BBQ, so I'm looking for some suggestions. I've seen many recipes for home made rubs, but I'm interested in trying some rubs already blended and that don't have artificial fillers. Also, my wife can't handle anything really spice, so it has to be mild.

So, what rubs or sauces have any of you used that you feel are really good and where did you purchase them?

[AngelsLongBall]

I just finished the leftovers from a 4lb tri-tip I smoked last weekend over oak and mesquite.  I do a Santa Maria dry rub after trimming the fat cap.

1T Garlic Powder (or granulated)
1T Onion Powder
1T Salt
1T Pepper
1t Oregano
1t Rosemary
1/4t Cayenne

Rub on both sides, let marinade for at least an hour, preferably 3.

Smoke at ~250F flipping every 30 minutes for 2 hours.  Will have a nice smoke ring, will be medium rare in the middle, medium on the ends.

[nate]

8 minutes ago, AngelsLongBall said:

I just finished the leftovers from a 4lb tri-tip I smoked last weekend over oak and mesquite.  I do a Santa Maria dry rub after trimming the fat cap.

1T Garlic Powder (or granulated)
1T Onion Powder
1T Salt
1T Pepper
1t Oregano
1t Rosemary
1/4t Cayenne

Rub on both sides, let marinade for at least an hour, preferably 3.

Smoke at ~250F flipping every 30 minutes for 2 hours.  Will have a nice smoke ring, will be medium rare in the middle, medium on the ends.

Ever add cumin to this?  That is basically what I use + cumin.

[AngelsLongBall]

2 minutes ago, nate said:

Ever add cumin to this?  That is basically what I use + cumin.

In the beginning I thought everything needed either chili powder or cumin.  Obviously chili powder isn't gonna be used on a Santa Maria (which focuses more on the garlic/onion/salt/pepper of the region used by gauchos).  But I used cumin, and with it's smoky flavor, it was almost too much smoke since I smoke my tri tip instead of bbq it.  I prepare mesquite charcoal and pour them over oak bark, so it gets really smoky.

[nate]

Just now, AngelsLongBall said:

In the beginning I thought everything needed either chili powder or cumin.  Obviously chili powder isn't gonna be used on a Santa Maria (which focuses more on the garlic/onion/salt/pepper of the region used by gauchos).  But I used cumin, and with it's smoky flavor, it was almost too much smoke since I smoke my tri tip instead of bbq it.  I prepare mesquite charcoal and pour them over oak bark, so it gets really smoky.

Try using oak one time when smoking, it is more of a nuanced taste and goes really well with the cumin.

[AngelsLongBall]

Just now, nate said:

Try using oak one time when smoking, it is more of a nuanced taste and goes really well with the cumin.

I will add in the cumin next time

[Lou]

32 minutes ago, AngelsLongBall said:

I will add in the cumin next time

in what?

[Jason]

Good lord! Now I am hungry 

[Jason]

1 hour ago, IEAngelfan said:

I've been lusting after a Traeger wood pellet grill for awhile now, so when I went to the LA County Fair, Traeger had a booth and I bought a Texas Elite Grill.  It's been a little over a month since I purchased the unit and I've grilled country style ribs, ribeye steaks and whole chickens. I've used the Traeger chicken rub on the whole chickens and a Wild Tree rub for both pork and beef. Both rubs were very good, especially the Traeger chicken rub.

I've seen some posts on this board from some of you who grill, smoke or BBQ, so I'm looking for some suggestions. I've seen many recipes for home made rubs, but I'm interested in trying some rubs already blended and that don't have artificial fillers. Also, my wife can't handle anything really spice, so it has to be mild.

So, what rubs or sauces have any of you used that you feel are really good and where did you purchase them?

What do you think of the Traeger? My wife has been wanting one for a while but I have been reluctant to pull the trigger. I had a job about 20 years ago where I installed and repaired the pellet wood stoves and only had some brief experiences with the Traegers. Back then the pellet stoves were rather high maintenance. 

[AngelsLongBall]

31 minutes ago, Lou said:

in what?

the mouth

[IEAngelsfan]

25 minutes ago, Angels N Skins said:

What do you think of the Traeger? My wife has been wanting one for a while but I have been reluctant to pull the trigger. I had a job about 20 years ago where I installed and repaired the pellet wood stoves and only had some brief experiences with the Traegers. Back then the pellet stoves were rather high maintenance. 

So far so good. They're really easy to run. Simply start the unit on smoke for about 4-5 mins, then set the temperature and pre-heat for another 10 mins. Once the digital display shows the temperature you want, put your meat in and forget about it until it's done. The only thing you really need to check is the pellet hopper to make certain you have enough pellets.

As far as maintenance, you wrap tin foil on the drip pan and throw that away after you cook. No need to clean the drip pan if you do it properly. Based on some message boards, you need to replace the heating rod every 2-3 years, but that's about it. Oh, and you need to periodically check the auger for any ash, but from my understanding, the pellets burn up to 98%.

I really like it.  The meats come out really tasty, especially the whole chickens. The chicken is really moist and flavorful. Heck, I've never like chicken breast, but I love it now.

 

[Jason]

Yeah, I think I will break down and get one pretty soon. 

[Ray McKigney]

Sweet Baby Ray's is my favorite BBQ sauce. Has nothing to do with my username here at the forum. I just honesty think it's the best. I like Stubb's BBQ sauce too.

[Blarg]

A lot of the BBQ forum guys like using  Yardbird rubs.

[CaliAngel]

Mmmmmmm, delicious delicious murder.

I've always wanted to smoke ribs, tri tip, or brisket. I dont care much for chicken so it would be nice to be able to do something with it to get me back to eating it. I'm pretty good with the grill, marinades, stuff like that so for me naturally, getting in to smoking seems like the next step.

[RallyMo]

18 hours ago, calscuf said:

Bingo. Y'all are murderers. I've been strictly Vegan for 4 years and I've never had better food nor have I ever felt better. You wusses probably wouldn't be able to eat meat if you were forced to kill the animals yourselves. Monsters.

[Blarg]

See avatar.

Tasty.

[RallyMo]

1 minute ago, Blarg said:

See avatar.

Tasty.

What a wuss. What say did the fish have in that situation? You have no respect for nature.

[RallyMo]

I was a member of the Vegan society at Berkeley. It really changed my way of thinking and made me realize why so many people are woefully undereducated when it comes to whether or not animal based food sources are appropriate.

[Keener]

I have a Pit Boss pellet smoker.  I love it.  Have done several briskets, pork butts, and piles of baby backs.  In fact, I have three racks in as I type.

The best rub I have found for pork is this one:  http://www.food.com/recipe/thunder-baby-back-dry-rub-74687

I use it as a base, but flex the quantities around to my taste.  The jalapeno salt is hard to find, but very underrated.

[Blarg]

5 hours ago, RallyMo said:

What a wuss. What say did the fish have in that situation? You have no respect for nature.

I have great respect for nature's tasty bounty. I even killed some potatoes and onions to go with it, along with some various herbs. 

[Blarg]

5 hours ago, RallyMo said:

I was a member of the Vegan society at Berkeley. It really changed my way of thinking and made me realize why so many people are woefully undereducated when it comes to whether or not animal based food sources are appropriate.

How long did it take for you to get a double double when In N Out opened in Austin?

[maximus p]

Love Famous Daves for baby back ribs.

[Angels_Make_Me_Drink]

My pork products I always hit it with pecan wood and cherry. I do 2/3 pecan and 1/3 cherry. I used to use apple and I'll go back to apple at times for it but I prefer the pecan with a bit of cherry. I use this rub from Colorado for my ribs called Schultz's my brother sends me. 

I HATE oak wood. I don't know why, I just don't like it. When I do my briskets, I hit it with a traditional Texas style 50/50 salt and pepper rub with a touch of garlic and mesquite wood. 

On my tri-tip I usually always go back to Pappy's. If I'm seasoning it myself I'll hit it with salt, pepper, garlic, onion, cayenne, etc..

[IEAngelsfan]

Hey AMMD, have you tried spicesinc.com rubs? I checked their website and some of those rubs look good.

We like hickory so far, but I just bought a Green Mountain blend to try. I'm new to wood grills, so I'm experimenting a lot right now.