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Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub
One of my favorite recipes to cook is a smoked pork roast that I have rubbed with a homemade Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub. Pork Rubs are so easy to make and you can make them as sweet or as spicy as you like by changing up the amounts of some of the ingredients.
You can make a big batch of it and store it in an airtight container so you can have it on hand during the grilling season. It also makes a great hostess gift because honestly not everyone knows how to make a pork rub and most hostesses will appreciate a homemade gift like this during the summer months when so many people are grilling.
Pork Roast
I’ve made a pork roast many different ways. I’ve smoked them in a small inexpensive smoker like this Brinkman Charcoal Grill & Smoker . These small smokers are great for small families who will only be smoking a small pork roast. a whole chicken or some chicken breast. One of the great things about a smoker like the Brinkman is that you can grill or smoke with it so if you don’t want to go all out and smoke a roast for 8 to 12 hours you can grill any meat and still add a smoked flavor by adding some wood to the bottom smoker pan while your meat is grilling.
I’ve also smoked pork and chicken on a huge smoker grill like the one I bought last year from Kmart . It is a MasterGrill with Firebox that has a large cooking area with a smoker box attached to the side. This size grill/smoker is the size we need for our family. You can never have too much grilling surface especially if you have a larger family and when you grill everyone shows up.
A few weeks ago we smoked some whole chickens on it.
The pork roast pictured above was made in my oven. Initially, I was going to make it in my slow cooker but this particular roast was too big for my slow cooker. As you can see you can get almost the same quality pork roast in the oven as you can using a grill or smoker. I didn’t add any smoke flavoring but if you have one of those smoker pans that you can use in the oven you could get the smoky flavor of an outdoor smoker using your oven.
For a few years now I have been playing around with a pork rub recipe. Over the years, I have made changes based on my taste preferences. I like my pork rub to be sweet, spicy and smoky.
I think I have finally gotten the correct combination of spices for this pork rub. You can find the direction to make the pork rub and how I slow roasted a pork roast for pulled pork sandwiches below.
How To Make Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup smoky paprika
- ¼ cup fine sea salt
- 2 tbs fresh cracked peppercorns
- 1 tbs cayenne pepper
- 1 tbs dry mustard
- 2 tbs garlic powder
- Mix all ingredients in a zip top bag. Mash and shake to combine.
- Use 1 cup to 1½ cups of rub depending on the size of your roast. Rub over pork roast, cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Put the still covered roast into a 325 degree oven and slow roast for 6 hours. After 5 hours remove the foil and continue baking until roast is cooked thoroughly.
- Remove from oven and let rest 30 to 60 minutes before pulling pork off the bone.
- Use two forks to shred larger pieces.
- Serve on a bun with your favorite bbq sauce.
Pulled Pork with a Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub
- Prep Time: 10 mins
- Cook Time: 6 hours 10 mins
- Total Time: 6 hours 20 minutes
- Category: Dry Pork Rub
Description
Store leftover pork rub in an airtight container. Makes a great hostess gift.
Ingredients
- 1 cup dark brown sugar, packed
- 1/4 cup smoky paprika
- 1/4 cup fine sea salt
- 2 tbs fresh cracked peppercorns
- 1 tbs cayenne pepper
- 1 tbs dry mustard
- 2 tbs garlic powder
Instructions
- Mix all ingredients in a zip top bag. Mash and shake to combine.
- Use 1 cup to 1 1/2 cups of rub depending on the size of your roast. Rub over pork roast, cover tightly with aluminum foil and refrigerate overnight.
- Put the still covered roast into a 325 degree oven and slow roast for 6 hours. After 5 hours remove the foil and continue baking until roast is cooked thoroughly.
- Remove from oven and let rest 30 to 60 minutes before pulling pork off the bone.
- Use two forks to shred larger pieces.
- Serve on a bun with your favorite bbq sauce.
Love the Sweet and Spicy Pork Rub Recipe? Head over to my Best BBQ recipes page.
