I love pork… and I can’t pass up a bargain and today I scored at five-pound pork shoulder for $6 which means pulled pork is officially on the menu! This easy to make pulled pork rub can be used for all sorts of deliciousness and should be a must-have spice blend in your spice cabinet.
Easy to mix up, this BBQ spice rub is something that goes great on everything for your grill and your oven. Rub on chicken and roast in the oven. Sprinkle on burgers, pork steaks, or even dust your rib eye steaks before hitting the grill. It’s also great on vegetables. I love using it to roast potatoes and I even sprinkle on my french fries for a BBQ chip flavor effect.
But the very best way to enjoy this rub is definitely on pulled pork! Get a nice pork shoulder cut (back home in Missouri we call this a pork butt), boneless is best. Make sure that top thick skin (the rind) is removed, but the fatty layer remains. Coat the entire pork in the spice rub and make sure to cook fatty side up.
someone couldn’t wait and insisted on sampling straight out of the oven 
pulled pork underneath a pile of sharp shreded cheddar, homemade bbq sauce and southern slaw on the side
Interestingly that pork skin, the rind, is a delicacy enjoyed around the world, as a snack and often when enjoying a nice boozy sip and you can learn more about it here.
And as always, I highly recommend you get your spices and herbs from Olde Town Spice Shop. This little family-owned store in historic St. Charles Missouri has been around for 35+ years and sells the freshest and best spices as well as crazy inexpensive. They have a fabulous online store and their FaceBook & Instagram has great daily tips and food inspiration!
Pulled Pork Rub
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 4 tbsp paprika I use 2 tbsp smoked paprika, 1 tbsp sweet & 1 tbsp hot paprika, but use your prefrences!
- 1 tbsp cumin
- 1 tbsp salt
- 1 tbsp onion granuals If using onion powder, use 1/2 tbsp
- 1 tbsp garlic granules
- 1 tbsp chili powder
- 2 tsp mustard powder
- 1 tsp fenugreek powder Surprisingly this spice makes a big difference in the overall deliciousness!
Instructions
- Blend all seasonings. Taste as you blend to see if you want to add a bit more of one spice or another.
- If using as a rub for a pork shoulder, I was able to fully cover a 5# pork shoulder and still have a good amount leftover for other deliciousness.
- Sprinkle on the rub, instead of dipping a spoon or your hand into it while using as a rub so as to avoid contaminating the spice rub with meat juices. Then you can keep the leftover spice rub in an airtight container for up to six months.
- Use on all kinds of things: roasting chicken, sprinkle on steaks & hamburgers when grilling, sprinkle on potateos for roasting or on your french fries for a "BBQ" seasoning effect!
Pulled Pork
- Make sure your pork shoulder has it's outter skin removed but not the outter fat, that's a yummy bit that you will definitely want!
- Rub the spice rub all over the pork, including on the inner folds and creaves of the cut of meat that might be accessible.
- Place meat in a deep sided baking dish, cover and roast in oven at 300 f. for upto 4 hours.
- Check meat about 3 hours, you'll know it's getting 'done' when you can pull it apart using a fork. The last 30 minutes or so roast uncovered.
