Wasted $80 on a 'competition grade' rub kit and it was just fancy salt

I dropped $80 on a 6 pack of rubs from some guy who claimed he won 4 state championships. Got home, tried the chicken rub first and it was basically just black pepper with a hint of garlic. The brisket rub tasted exactly like the stuff I get for $4 at the grocery store. Save your money and stick with the basic stuff from your local butcher shop. Has anyone else gotten burned by overpriced rub kits?

2 comments

2 Comments

eva_adams6827d ago

Grabbed a "competition grade" rub from some pitmaster who had a YouTube channel with a million followers. Looked legit, smelled great in the bag, but once it hit the grill it tasted like I just dumped a shaker of celery salt on my pork butt. Ended up tossing the whole batch and just using my regular mix of paprika, brown sugar, and chili powder that my dad taught me. Honestly, half the time those fancy rubs are just repackaged grocery store blends with a cooler label and a mark up. Learned that lesson the hard way.

graydavis27d ago

Honestly I had a similar thing happen with a "competition grade" BBQ sauce that claimed it was aged in bourbon barrels. Ngl it just tasted like someone dumped liquid smoke and molasses in a bottle and called it a day. Your dad's recipe is probably worth more than any fancy label you can buy.