This Texas-Style Brisket Dry Rub Brings All the Flavor (2024)

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This Texas-style dry rub brings the flavor

Derrick Riches

Derrick Riches is a grilling and barbecue expert. He has written two cookbooks.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

Updated on 10/5/23

Tested by

Diana Rattray

Tested byDiana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

Learn about The Spruce Eats'Editorial Process

What's the Difference Between a Dry Rub and Wet Rub?

A typical dry rubstarts with brown sugar, granulated white sugar, or turbinado sugar and salt. After that, you can decide which dried spices and herbs to use. It is usually made from dry ingredients and can be kept in an airtight jar for several months.

On the other hand, a wet rub contains liquid—usually oil or water—and often gets a little sweetness from molasses, honey, or other liquid sugar. The resulting thick paste sticks to the meat more easily than a dry rub, but it also chars more easily on a grill, where it can drip and cause flare-ups.

Many backyard chefs claim a strong allegiance to one style or the other, but there's room on the picnic table for both.

How to Mix Up and Use a Dry Rub

As the name indicates, you want to rub the meat thoroughly with the seasoning so the spices stick and the flavor penetrates the brisket. If you're finding the rub isn't sticking to the meat, you can drizzle a bit of olive oil over the brisket and then add the rub, using your hands to evenly coat the meat. You can also add oil to the dry rub to turn it into a wet rub.

This rub is also great on other cuts of beef or for other proteins such as pork, lamb, venison, poultry, and seafood. When you use it for poultry, work the rub both underneath and on top of the skin.

How Long Should a Dry Rub Sit on a Brisket

While you can technically cook a brisket right after you apply the rub, we recommend letting the rub sit on the meat for up to 24 hours so the flavors are really absorbed into the meat.

Tips for the Best Brisket

Safety first: Do not put your fingers, spoon, or other utensils back into the dry rub after touching the meat to avoid contaminating the leftover rub.
Sweeten the deal: Adding the optional sugar tames the heat without eliminating it completely. The sugar in the rub also crisps to a nice brown crust on the meat, but it does burn easily so keep dry-rubbed meat away from high flames.
Cook it low and slow: Low and slow is the name of the game with barbecue. It not only makes for the most tender meat, but it also helps keep any sugar in the dry rub from burning.

How to Serve Texas-Style Dry Rubbed Brisket

To make a full Texas barbecue meal, serve thinly sliced brisket with sides such as baked beans, coleslaw, and potato salad. You can also enjoy slices of brisket on a bunwith the barbecue sauce of your choice—as long as it isn't a Carolina-style vinegar sauce (Texans would object).

This Texas-Style Brisket Dry Rub Brings All the Flavor (3)

"This dry rub for brisket was super-easy to make in a matter of minutes. My brisket was 3 1/2 pounds and I didn't use half of the rub mixture, so it should be more than enough for 8 to 10 pounds. It's an excellent rub for smoked or slow-grilled brisket." —Diana Rattray

This Texas-Style Brisket Dry Rub Brings All the Flavor (4)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

5 tablespoons paprika
3 tablespoons kosher salt
2 tablespoons garlic powder
2 tablespoons onion powder
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon dried parsley
2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon hot chili powder
1/2 cup brown sugar, optional
1 beef brisket, trimmed, optional

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
In a medium bowl, whisk together paprika, salt, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, dried parsley, cayenne pepper, cumin, coriander, hot chili powder, oregano, and if desired, the brown sugar until thoroughly mixed.
Pat the brisket dry on all sides using paper towels.
With a spoon, sprinkle the rub liberally onto the meat. Simultaneously press it in and rub it with your fingertips until it adheres to the entire surface.
Turn the meat and repeat on all sides. Let the brisket sit for up to 24 hours, refrigerated, or cook immediately according to your recipe.

Make This Rub Your Own

Feel free to experiment with the spices to find a combination that suits you best, dialing different ingredients up or down, or adding your favorite flavors to the mix. Dry mustard or ground chipotle pepper are two great additions.

How to Store Texas-Style Brisket Dry Rub

Store the rub in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. It will last for several months, but the flavor will diminish over time. Don't store it in the refrigerator as prolonged condensation affects the flavor and consistency.

Helpful Links

The Ultimate Guide to America's BBQ Styles
How to Freeze Meat

Top Barbecue Rub Recipes

BBQ Rubs
Summer Recipes
American Food
BBQ Food

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
22	Calories
1g	Fat
5g	Carbs
1g	Protein

Show Full Nutrition Label

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12
Amount per serving
Calories	22
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 1g	1%
Saturated Fat 0g	0%
Cholesterol 0mg	0%
Sodium 951mg	41%
Total Carbohydrate 5g	2%
Dietary Fiber 2g	6%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 1mg	4%
Calcium 23mg	2%
Iron 1mg	6%
Potassium 123mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

Recipe Tags:

rub
entree
tex-mex
cookout

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