# Making Jeff's Rib Rub



## wingrider

Like others on this forum, I'm a big fan of Jeff's Rib Rub. I'm also not going to give away the recipe, but do have a comment on making it.

Jeff gives very detailed instructions on the process of making the rub, and states that following this process is very important. So, I did so the first few times. Then I had some brown sugar that had quite a few hard pieces in it, and decided I was going to use the food processor to break them up. Well, thinking about doing that anyway, I thought what the heck, why not just throw all the ingredients into the food processor at once and see what happens.

Voila - didn't see any difference between the batch that came out of the food processor, and the batches I'd been painstakingly making by hand. So, it's been the food processor method every since.

Guess while I'm at it, a couple of other comments.

On paprika, I've tried both smoked and Hungarian sweet. Both are great, and honestly couldn't tell much difference between them in the final result on the smoked meat.

I also have problems with the rub clumping. May have something to do with how humid a climate you live in. I live in North Carolina - "nuff said," I like making multiple batches at a time so what I now do is put the rub into wide mouth quart jars, and vacuum seal them using my Foodsaver wide mouth jar attachment. Seems to work so far.

Enjoy the good Q all!


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## pgsmoker64

On the clumping issue, I have recently discovered that the addition of a small amount of fine ground corn meal will help with this.  It does slightly change the color of the rub but does not affect the flavor.

Here is how I made this discovery...I got a rub recipe from a friend and in the recipe was corn meal.  I asked, why corn meal?  She could not tell me just said that was the way they always did it! (old family recipe).  I made a batch of her rub and put the left-overs in a metal bowl, which I then completely forgot about until the next evening.  I picked up the bowl to throw away the rub and subsequently wash the bowl and that is when I noticed that the rub was still very loose and had NO clumping.  This rub contained a large amount of brown sugar so I was surprised.  The only difference between this rub and any other I have made was the corn meal.

It's worth a try...let me know what you think.

Bill


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## kathrynn

Another trick I use...put the brown sugar on a cookie sheet bake in a 200 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Then put thru the food processor. Dries the sugar...doesn't change the taste. No clumps.


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## pgsmoker64

KathrynN said:


> Another trick I use...put the brown sugar on a cookie sheet bake in a 200 degree oven for about 20-30 minutes. Then put thru the food processor. Dries the sugar...doesn't change the taste. No clumps.


Nice.  Might have to give that a try as well.

Thanks Kathryn.


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## wingrider

PGSmoker64 said:


> On the clumping issue, I have recently discovered that the addition of a small amount of fine ground corn meal will help with this.  It does slightly change the color of the rub but does not affect the flavor.


Hi Bill,

I've been looking into getting food grade silicon dioxide to accomplish this, but that's expensive. I like the sound of this. How much corn meal do you add let's say per one Jeff's recipe?

Thanks,

Bob


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## pgsmoker64

WingRider said:


> Hi Bill,
> 
> I've been looking into getting food grade silicon dioxide to accomplish this, but that's expensive. I like the sound of this. How much corn meal do you add let's say per one Jeff's recipe?
> 
> Thanks,
> 
> Bob


I would add maybe 1-2 tablespoons.  It's a feel thing...


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## fire in the hole

When I was in the service in the very humid mid-pacific..........they would place a saltine cracker in the sugar shaker. I never seen hard sugar. Try it. It's easy and cheap easily removable.


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## smokinhusker

We used to put white rice in the salt shaker in Hawaii and other humid parts of the country. Doesn't shake out and keeps it from clumping.


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## kathrynn

SmokinHusker said:


> We used to put white rice in the salt shaker in Hawaii and other humid parts of the country. Doesn't shake out and keeps it from clumping.


I still do that.  Habit that I learned from my Grandma.


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## thsmormonsmokes

I handle this problem by living in an insanely arid climate.  

Honestly, I don't know how you folks manage the summers in humid places.  I really don't like humidity.


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## dward51

White rice in the salt shaker down south in Georgia also.  Been doing it for decades and still do.

As to how we handle humid summers, it's with lots of cold beer and air conditioning.


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## mike johnson

my grandma always had a salteen cracker in her sugar.. That brings back good memories :)


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## shtrdave

I use my Ninja Blender to mix my rubs in, bought some shaker jars with the metal lids with the holes in from the local restaurant supply shop, I cut a strip of plastic wrap and double and fold over the top and put the lid on and it seems to keep things from clumping.

I like Jeffs recipe but I changed it up to my tastes. I also use one from a site that is called Mark Down Momma and it is really good also, but it needed tweeked to my liking.


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## garyt

It will still get hard, I have been drying mine in the oven forever, makes it easier to use but it still gets hard in the container


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## old bones

I always make a double batch of Jeff’s Rub and use my hand mixer to mix it.  I keep ours in two large peanut butter jars.  I always add two of those oxy absorber packets to the one jar and first use the one without.  The truth is, I put that rub on most everything so it don’t have time to get hard on me.  I’ve spent more on different rubs than I care to admit and I always come back to this one.


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## wingrider

I use white rice in my salt shaker. The reason I haven't added it to the rub is that I use so much of the rub, I usually take the lid off to dump it on the meat. In fact, I have another shortcut method of coating the meat that yields a result I'm satisfied with, and is easier and less time consuming.

I don't individually take the pieces and rub mustard on them, and then nicely powder them with rub. Nope, used too, not any more. I rinse and drain the meat if I've brined it, and in all cases pat dry. Then I just put all the pieces in a big steel bowl, dump in a bunch of mustard, and then use my hands to flip and flop the pieces around until they are all evenly coated. Almost like "kneading" them. Then I dump in a bunch of whatever rub I'm using, and repeat the mixing/kneading process. Slap the pieces on a rack, and into the smoker they go. Fast, easy, and YUMMY!!!

Like Old Bones I've tried a lot of different rubs, and end up coming back to Jeff's. I'm slowly using up all the rubs I have, mostly by adding them in with Jeff's.

As to heat and humidity, Raleigh has what I call 95/95 days. 95° and 95% humidity. I'm with Dave, you handle it with lots of air conditioning. In my case I also handle it by getting on the motorcycle, heading to the mountains, and not coming down off the mountain until way after dark.


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## humdinger

We have similar dog days in the summer, especially around the 4th of July, where the heat and humidity are unbearable. That's when we're referred to as "Michissippi"!


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## mcockrell

Humdinger said:


> We have similar dog days in the summer, especially around the 4th of July, where the heat and humidity are unbearable. That's when we're referred to as "Michissippi"!


Hahaha!! i like this :)

it definitely gets humid here, no question.


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## paul catt

I just got done making some rub and my brown sugar was clumped up bad ...the Nija worked great on it ... I live in NC too and all my spices seem to clump


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## chef jimmyj

The fine cornmeal sounds interesting, after all they mix 3% Cornstarch into 10X Powdered Sugar to keep it from clumping. If all I have is Brown Sugar, I dry it at 200*F as stated above but I switched over to Turbinado, aka Sugar in the Raw, a year ago and have not looked back. No clumps, no burning and good flavor on the meat...JJ


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## thsmormonsmokes

Chef JimmyJ said:


> The fine cornmeal sounds interesting, after all they mix 3% Cornstarch into 10X Powdered Sugar to keep it from clumping. If all I have is Brown Sugar, I dry it at 200*F as stated above but I switched over to Turbinado, aka Sugar in the Raw, a year ago and have not looked back. No clumps, no burning and good flavor on the meat...JJ


So you're using turbinado as a replacement for brown sugar?  All I've ever used turbinado for was my ginger ale.  Do you still get enough of the molasses flavor?


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## paul catt

not to Hijack this thread but ..you like that Turbinado stuff hu ?


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## daveomak

Turbinado or Demerera is unrefined and "healthier" if there is such a thing.... The flavor is better and subtle also....  Also Piloncillo is a great sugar to use...


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## atcnick

What is this rub you speak of and how do I get to try it?


-Nick


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## kathrynn

atcnick said:


> What is this rub you speak of and how do I get to try it?
> 
> 
> -Nick


Nick---have you signed up for Jeff's E-Course?  Jeff mentions it there and the newsletters.  You can purchase it thru the website or with Jeff's books.  Hope that helps!


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## ozrugby

Here's a couple comments for some of the above.

I use a flour sifter to mix my ingredients in the rub.  Then a mortar and pestle to break up the clumps and back through the sifter.  Takes a little more time, but gives you a very even texture when finished.  One note, good sea salt and coarse grind pepper will not go through my sifter.  Those ingredients are very dry, so I just dump them in.

I also always make a double batch and then keep it in an air tight container in the freezer.  Good for as long as I have ever stored it.  To keep it dry, I use the silicon packs that come in shoes and other things.  You can dry them out in the oven and then just drop them into the container.  Not sure you actually need 'food grade.'  This may not be the most sanitary thing, but in the end, the rub is going on raw pork and into a bbq.  I am assuming the cooking will take care of any problems, and it doesn't affect the taste at all.


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## thsmormonsmokes

KathrynN said:


> Nick---have you signed up for Jeff's E-Course?  Jeff mentions it there and the newsletters.  You can purchase it thru the website or with Jeff's books.  Hope that helps!


Best $15 I've ever spent on a recipe.  Very worth it.


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## wingrider

ThsMormonSmokes said:


> Best $15 I've ever spent on a recipe.  Very worth it.


I concur! It's my standard. I'm basically slowly using up all the other commercial rubs I bought by using a little of them with the Jeff's rub each time. I won't bother buying more.


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## hellbilly76

If you take some cheese cloth and sew it into a little pouch and then fill it with rice before sewing it closed you should be able to avoid having loose rice in your rub.


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## palladini

I use white rice in the salt shaker and always place the Brown sugar bag in a Ziplock bag, and also a Slice of fresh bread.  Then when the dread hardens up, I replace it  Never have hard sugar


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## hvacr

Don't know if this might work but vacuum sealing your spice rubs sounds logical.  Removes air and moisture is contained in air.


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## palladini

hvacr said:


> Don't know if this might work but vacuum sealing your spice rubs sounds logical.  Removes air and moisture is contained in air.


Then every time you need brown sugar, you need to get the resealer out and do it again.  Not practical.  Piece of bread works it Ziplock bag works much better


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## dlvmac

On the clumping issue, here in Northern Nevada where there is little to no humidity, I put the excess brown sugar and Jeff's rub in mason jars and use the widemouth sealer with my Foodsaver. I always have had soft brown sugar when I open up the jars.


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## ranaq

Before I purchase this could someone tell me if any alcoholic beverages are use in the making of this.

Thank you in advance

Randy


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## kathrynn

RanaQ said:


> Before I purchase this could someone tell me if any alcoholic beverages are use in the making of this.
> 
> Thank you in advance
> 
> Randy


None at all......

Kat


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## daveomak

RanaQ said:


> Before I purchase this could someone tell me if any alcoholic beverages are use in the making of this.
> 
> Thank you in advance
> 
> Randy


Randy, morning and welcome to the forum....

Please take a moment and stop into " [color= rgb(146, 144, 139)]/[/color]*[color= rgb(128, 0, 0)]Roll Call[/color]*[color= rgb(146, 144, 139)]/[/color]   " and introduce yourself and get a proper welcome from our members.... Also, if you would note your location in your profile, it will help in the future when answering questions about smokin'...   elevation, humidity etc....    

We're glad you stopped in and joined our group...    Enjoy the long smokey ride....     Dave


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## chargersfan

Not sure if this thread is still alive...but I had a question:

is Jeff's original rub and Jeff's rib rub (or sometimes called Jeff's naked rib rub) the same thing?

I am just confused. I know Jeff also has a Texas BBQ rub - and I know it isn't that...


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## SmokinAl

Jeff's rub is Jeff's rub, naked or original.

Al


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## 3montes

I use turbinado in Jeffs rub as well as other rubs I make. Brown sugar is used in dishes like Dutch's beans etc. where it gets dissolved. I use a few other spices added to Jeff's base recipe to suit my personal tastes. Buying spices is one of my vices! 
	

	
	
		
		



		
			






 I buy way more than I need and wind up giving much of it away to friends so it gets used up. The Spice House web site is something I need to stay away from they have way too much good stuff and way to many pre mixed blends to try!


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## chargersfan

I made Jeffs rub this weekend to use for this recipe from him for my Easter ham:

http://www.smoking-meat.com/march-24-2016-double-smoked-spiral-sliced-ham

Here is what it looked like after 3 hours of smoking at 240 degrees:













20160327_150838.jpg



__ chargersfan
__ Mar 28, 2016






and I don't know what I did wrong, but it was really spicy and not too sweet at all. It really frustrated me because I feel like I let my family down on a HUGE dinner holiday 
	

	
	
		
		



		
		
	


	





I thought you could just make the rub, coat any type of pork with something to make the rub stick (honey, yellow mustard, etc) and then coat the pork with it and throw it in the smoker. It just didn't work for me. Maybe it is because I didn't use apple wood and used a Texas blend of pellets...I dunno but I am trying my darnedest not to blame the rub (because of all the great compliments on here about the rub).

If someone who has the rub wants to PM me so we can compare rub recipes maybe to ensure I have the correct recipe with the correct measurements, that may help?


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## 3montes

Did you follow Jeff's recipe as he wrote it? Was it just the flavor of the rub you didn 't like otherwise it was edible? Did you use a spiral looks like you got some pineapple or something on top? All due respect to Jeff but I never use a spiral ham for the smoker they get too dry and the recipe sounds like way to much honey for me.

I always buy a cheap half ham at the store and smoke it as is. No rub no glaze. Just spritz it with apple juice and cherry schnapps mix.

Usually smoke at about 220 to 230 until a IT of 130 or so. Perfect and full of flavor.


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## donnybaker

Out of curiosity does it matter if you use a powder or a flake for the cayanne ingredient?


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