No-Burn Rib Rub

I’ve become more and more a believer in cooking ribs over high heat. Now, I still love my low-and-slow smoked ribs, don’t get me wrong, but high-and-fast ribs are great too. They are still tender, still have great taste, and often have a nice little crust to them that I really like. And that’s where my no-burn rib rub comes in.

No-Burn Rib Rub

But, you have to be careful what rub you use on ribs when you are cooking them over high heat. Anything with brown sugar in it will burn, and burn bad. That’s why I use this great no-burn rib rub. It packs seriously good flavor, but without having to worry about it charring.

I am a huge fan of celery seeds in my rubs, so I have to warn you, this rub has a LOT of celery seed in it. If you’re not as big a fan of it as I am, I suggest adding just a bit of celery seed at a time. Taste as you go, until you get the flavor you want.

Store any leftover rub in spice bottles in your pantry.

I apply a generous amount of this rub to the ribs the night before I’m going to cook them. I wrap them in foil to let them get happy in the fridge. This is the perfect rub for cooking ribs on a charcoal grill over direct heat, or on a Char-Broil Big Easy.

Also try my basic BBQ rub.

No-Burn Rib Rub
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5 from 1 vote

No-Burn Rib Rub

You have to be careful what rub you use on ribs when you are cooking them over high heat. Anything with brown sugar in it will burn, and burn bad. That’s why I use this great no-burn rib rub.
Course Spice Rub
Cuisine American
Keyword ribs, seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 1 batch
Calories 119kcal
Author Mike

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Combine all ingredients. Keep in an airtight container until ready to use.

Nutrition

Calories: 119kcal | Carbohydrates: 21g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 4g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 2478mg | Potassium: 496mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 3240IU | Vitamin C: 22mg | Calcium: 184mg | Iron: 5mg

Nutritional values are approximate.

Copycat Famous Dave’s Rib Rub

I was hankerin’ for some tender, almost-fall-off-the-bone smoked ribs, and lo and behold, spareribs were on sale at our grocery store. So I grabbed a few racks, trimmed them up St. Louis-style and started contemplating how I was going to cook them. Normally, it means an overnight rub down with some Memphis rib rub, then onto my Weber Smokey Mountain smoker using the 3-2-1 cooking method. This time, I decided to try a copycat of Famous Dave’s rib rub (the one they use in the restaurants for making their totally outstanding ribs) and cook the ribs low-and-slow for 6 hours.

Copycat Famous Dave's Rib Rub

This copycat Famous Dave’s rib rub is outstanding. It has a little heat, a little sweet, and a little saltiness. And celery seeds, which I think are just about required in any rub. And just a hint of cloves, which I don’t think I’ve seen in a rub before. I ended up liking the flavor from them much more than I thought I would. It’s amazingly complex, and oh so good.

Although I sauced my ribs, I easily could’ve eaten them ‘dry’, without sauce. I cannot wait to use this same rub on a pork butt in the very near future. With just one cook it has become my go-to rub.

Copycat Famous Dave's Rib Rub
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4.34 from 9 votes

Copycat Famous Dave’s Rib Rub

This copycat Famous Dave’s rib rub is outstanding. It has a little heat, a little sweet, and a little saltiness. And celery seeds, which I think are just about required in any rub.
Course Spice Mixture
Cuisine American
Keyword copycat, ribs, seasoning
Prep Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 6 cups
Calories 482kcal

Ingredients

Instructions

  • Note: The version of this rub stated above uses less salt than the version you’ll find on the internet. Add more (or use less) salt as you desire.
  • Combine all ingredients.
  • Store in an airtight container until ready to use.
  • To use, spread liberally on ribs (or pork shoulder or butt), wrap in foil, and let refrigerate 12 hours before smoking or grilling.

Nutrition

Calories: 482kcal | Carbohydrates: 120g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 23719mg | Potassium: 549mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 97g | Vitamin A: 512IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 183mg | Iron: 4mg

Nutritional values are approximate.