North Carolina BBQ Rub

Our North Carolina BBQ Rub is deep and sweet, toasted and warm, with just a touch of enigmatic spice. Paprika and brown sugar share center stage here, a solid base for the playful interactions between subtly smoky, earthy cumin; the deep, fruity raisin of Ancho chile; the sharp, woodsy knock from cloves; pine-driven, slightly floral black pepper; and just enough friendly heat from cayenne pepper to keep you wanting more. We blend our North Carolina BBQ Rub in small batches in our facility to keep an eye on quality and provide the freshest and most flavorful products to our customers.

Fans of North Carolina BBQ have two distinct styles of barbecue to choose from. Eastern Carolina barbecue centers around smoking a whole hog, cooking “everything but the squeal”. The meat is mopped with a thin, vinegar-based sauce mixed with salt, black pepper, and red pepper flakes. Western Carolina, also known as “Lexington” or “Piedmont”-style, barbecue favors pork shoulder. Western Carolina barbecue sauce shares a vinegar base with its Eastern brethren, but it’s enhanced with tomato ketchup and brown sugar, so it’s thicker and richer. North Carolina BBQ statewide is cooked very slowly and is most frequently served on a sandwich bun with a side of cole slaw, and you can't have authentic North Carolina BBQ without a big glass of sweet tea.

Tips From Our Kitchen

Spread our North Carolina BBQ Rub over pork, of course! And roast slowly in a beer braise for a few hours for succulent pork. Use approximately 1 tablespoon of rub per pound of meat. You can make a great sauce by combining 1 cup of tomato sauce, ½ cup of water, ½ cup of vinegar and 2 tablespoons of BBQ Rub. Mix thoroughly and simmer over low heat for 20-30 minutes.This is also delicious rubbed on chicken breasts and grilled, or mixed with butter and slipped under the skin of a Thanksgiving turkey. Use it to season baked chicken wings. Toss over grilled corn. Rub onto thick slices of cauliflower and roast or grill. One of our customers even uses it to season oyster crackers; toss with olive oil and North Carolina BBQ Rub, toss, and roast at 250° F for 15 minutes.

Blended from sugar, paprika, salt, ancho powder, guajillo powder, black pepper, garlic, onion, cumin, cayenne, and ground cloves

Hungry for more information?

BBQ or Barbecue or Barbacoa or Whatever You Call It
The Difference Between Smoking, Barbecuing, And Grilling
Should You Use a Rib Mop?
The Great Debate: North Carolina and Barbecue