Shop the best barbecue marinade for ribs. Includes Rubs from Trader Joe’s, Famous Dave’s, Plowboys and Pork Barrel BBQ. Grill the perfect pork ribs today with these ready-to-use seasonings.
The secret to any good grilled or smoked meat is preparation, and a big part of that is using a good dry grill marinade.
While you might think that meat alone should be enough to achieve the grilled flavor we all crave, marinades are key to good grilled meats.
Rubs offer rich flavor as well as nice texture to add delicious, nuanced flavor to your meat.
At a Glance: Our Selection of the Best Rib Rubs From the Store
What Makes a Good Rib Massage?
Pork pairs best with sweet flavors, so crispy bacon is so addictive when topped with maple syrup.
Sorry, I’m just taking a minute to think about maple syrup and bacon.
DEFINITELY
In addition to sweet flavors, ointments with ingredients or flavors that contain fruity notes such as apple and pear are also very suitable.
Finally, look for the mustard. This might seem odd given how well pork pairs with sweet flavors, but a hint of mustard pairs perfectly with the succulent flavors of pork to give it a deep, tangy flavor.
Famous Dave’s Seasoning Rib Rub
If you’re a little lighter when it comes to sweetness, this Famous Dave massage is a great alternative.
Because it has a slightly deeper and more subtle flavor, it can be used as a “layering” dressing and combined with other dressings to create a more nuanced flavor profile.
It has a smoky flavor that works on notes of garlic and red pepper flakes before giving way to a nice spicy kick.
For best results, brush the ribs with yellow mustard first before applying the dressing.
Works well with apple or hickory wood when grilling.
- Few calories
Plowboys BBQ Bovine Bold & Yardbird Seasoning Rub
This award-winning rub won the American Royal Championship in 2009 and has remained a popular favorite ever since.
And when you try this one, it’s not hard to see why.
With sugar, paprika, chili, and nice mustard seeds, it has a deep, sweet flavor that enhances ribs without overwhelming them.
Killer Hogs The BBQ Rub
The popular Killer Hogs Rib Marinade is made with a mixture of sugar, salt and spices(that’s all you need) to create a simple yet effective marinade.
If you just want something simple that won’t overwhelm your ribs, then this is the deal for you.
It has a subtle flavor profile that brings out the pork’s natural flavors and helps develop a mahogany crust on the grate.
- CHAMPIONSHIP BBQ RUB – The BBQ Rub was developed and is used by the Killer Hogs Championship…
- HIGHEST RATING – We’ve been doing this massage for over 10 years and shipping tens of thousands…
- DEVELOPED FOR EVEN RESULTS – We developed this massage so you don’t have to worry about…
Trader Joe’s BBQ Rub and Seasoning with Coffee & Garlic
The addition of coffee here might catch your eye and give discounts, but it’s much more than a gimmick. It helps create a blend of much deeper, referential flavors than many other store-bought rib spices.
The coffee gives the ribs a little pep and pairs perfectly with the garlic. It’s a flavor combination I probably wouldn’t have thought of right away, but I’m glad it exists! This combination inspired us to create our own homemade coffee blend.
It seals beautifully to create a delicious crust on the ribs and is a great alternative for those who don’t want their pork ribs with anything sweet or outrageously spicy.
- (2) 3.5 ounce cans included
- Spicy, smoky, salty, and sweet flavors all work together
- Rub is on steaks, pork, chicken and fish.
Health Riles BBQ Honey Rub
If you like sweet ribs, then this might be the massage for you. With a rich honey flavor, it also includes pecans to add layers of sweetness that pair perfectly with ribs.
Just a word of warning, if you have a sweet tooth, you could become addicted to it.
- REAL HONEY RUB: This honey blend treat gives any meat a beautiful golden color and…
- PURE INGREDIENTS – Finally a barbecue spice to feel good. We only take…
- AWARD-WINNING TASTE: With over 70 championships and multiple awards in the Perfect Score category on…
Pork Barrel BBQ All American Seasoning Mix
This massage found audiences on the television show Shark Tank in 2009 and has remained a household favorite ever since.
This gluten-free dressing contains an all-purpose seasoning mix that includes garlic, onions, chipotle peppers, and paprika. All of this comes together to create a deep, earthy blend that has a little touch of spice to top off a great barbecue.
While I would say this is primarily a rib rub, it can definitely be used with just about any grilled meat. We even tried it on our Smoked Butter Prawns! While this is generally a good thing, it means it lacks the sweetness we crave in ribs. However, if that’s important to you, you can add a touch of brown sugar to bring out that sweetness.
There’s no getting around the fact that this spice blend is quite salty, so if you don’t like that either, it’s probably best to avoid.
- Give your food a smoky gourmet flavor with the delicious Pork Barrel BBQ All American…
- This delicious dry barbecue rub is an easy way to bring slow-cooked flavors to your meat and…
- Tastes great with chicken, pork, beef, fish fillets, scallops, shrimp, veggies, chili and more!
Special Shit Premium All Purpose Seasoning
The name of this blend might be alarming, but the Big Cock brand(they’re not subtle, are they?) has every right to brag about it.
This is an awesome barbecue marinade.
It makes a great base layer for your ribs, giving it that deep flavor and savory element you want as a base before adding your own sweetness or adding spices to your own preference.
There’s quite a bit of pepper, salt, and garlic in it, but if that’s your touch, then this could be your new favorite BBQ seasoning.
- Special Shit All Purpose Seasoning is a tasty addition to any meal.
- Made from a combination of aromatic spices that are finely blended to produce a gourmet flavor…
- Special Shit is guaranteed to shake your taste buds!
How to Apply Rib Rub
The great advantage of dry spices is that they can be applied to meat quickly and easily. This is as true of ribs as it is of any other piece of meat.
First, place your rack of ribs on a cooking surface. If you haven’t already done so, be sure to remove the topsheet membrane .
Pat the entire cut of meat with paper towels to remove excess water or moisture.
Brush both the top and bottom of the ridge with olive oil. This helps the meat retain moisture as it cooks, but it also helps form a kind of glue for the dressing to stick to.
To do this, use the “wet hand, dry hand” method, where YOU apply the seasoning with a wet hand, and then use a dry hand to work the seasoning firmly into the meat of the steak.
Be sure to season both sides generously, and stuff into any gaps or cracks you can find(although this isn’t common with ribs).
As a final measure, clench a fist with a dry hand and rub your ribs with your knuckles one last time.
Then you can go ahead and grill your ribs!
Writer & content creator. BBQ fanatic!
