Texas Brisket Rub | Derrick Riches

This Texas Brisket Rub recipe is a classic spice blend commonly used in the Houston area. If you’re interested in exploring Texas BBQ, this rub is your key to recreating an authentic East Texas brisket!

The key to a delicious brisket starts with a good seasoning blend. This Texas Brisket Rub is a good place to start. Most Texas Pitmasters reach for simple ingredients like SPG (salt, pepper, garlic), but in Houston, smoked brisket rubs are much more complex. Here you’ll see the addition of dried herbs, sometimes brown sugar, celery seed, and Hungarian paprika, giving their seasonings a well developed flavor. Though this rub was developed for smoked beef brisket, it can be used to season beef plate ribs or smoked chuck roasts.

Houston BBQ

Houston barbecue is largely fusion of Creole, Cajun, African-American, Czech, German, and Tex-Mex culinary influences. Recently, there has been an emergence of East and Southeast Asian BBQ styles, reflecting the increased diversity of the area.

What is Hungarian Paprika?

Hungarian Paprika comes from sweet capsicum peppers, is spicier than regular paprika and has a deep, rich red color. This spice appears in Hungarian dishes like ghoulash, chicken paprikash, Because of its deep color and spicy nature, Hungarian paprika makes an excellent candidate for BBQ rubs. If you are looking for a good substitute for Hungarian paprika, reach for cayenne or crushed red pepper. Blending 1/2 teaspoon regular paprika with 1/2 teaspoon cayenne for best results. You can also add a bit of smokiness to this combination and sub out the 1/2 teaspoons regular paprika for smoked paprika.

Texas Brisket Rub Ingredients

• Kosher salt
• Black pepper
• Granulated garlic (sub with garlic powder or onion powder)
• Ground cumin
• Hungarian paprika (sub with cayenne pepper)
• Dried basil
• Celery seed

Making a Texas Brisket Rub

• Combine Texas style rub ingredients in a small bowl. 
• Make it ahead of time and store the rub in an airtight container in a cool dark cupboard for up to 1 year. Check on it periodically, and give it a good shake to prevent caking.
• We recommend doubling or tripling the recipe to store in your pantry for future use. 
• Discard any rub that has come into contact with raw meat.
• Pair this Texas rub for brisket with our Brisket Injection Marinade for best results. 
• Follow our Smoked Brisket Recipe Guide for helpful tips and tricks.

How to use it

• Use 1 tablespoon of homemade brisket rub per pound of meat. For a 10 pound trimmed brisket, you will need 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of rub, or 10 tablespoons total.
• Slather a thin coating of binder like hot sauce, yellow mustard, or Worcestershire sauce.
• Season brisket evenly with dry rub and cook as directed in your smoker or grill.

More Homemade Rubs

• 2 tablespoons kosher salt
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon granulated garlic
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon Hungarian paprika
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon celery seed

• Combine Texas brisket rub ingredients in a medium bowl. Apply evenly all over brisket or beef ribs and cook as directed.

• If making ahead of time, store tub in an airtight container in the cupboard for up to 1 year after preparation. Double or triple the recipe for future use.

• Discard if rub has come into contact with raw meat.

• Use 1 tablespoon of homemade brisket rub per pound of meat. For a 10 pound trimmed brisket, you will need 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons of rub, or 10 tablespoons total.

• Slather a thin coating of binder like hot sauce, yellow mustard, or Worcestershire sauce.

• Season brisket evenly with dry rub and cook as directed in your smoker or grill.

See also  Hey Brisket Lovers, Check Out Stevens New Texas Brisket Rub

Calories: 99kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 9g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Sodium: 42325mg | Potassium: 932mg | Fiber: 11g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 4426IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 12mg