How to Apply a Dry Rub to Steak

Co-authored by Hannah Madden

Last Updated: June 12, 2020 Tested

A dry rub is a combination of salt, pepper, sugar, herbs and spices used to flavor meat. Unlike a marinade, the dry rub will form a tasty crust on the exterior of the meat when grilled. If you have a recipe for a dry rub or you’ve made your own, apply it to your steaks by choosing thick cuts of meat and gently rubbing the spices into the steaks by hand to create a tasty meal for your friends and family to enjoy.

Ingredients

Classic Dry Rub

4 tbsp (59.15 g) of brown sugar
4 tbsp (59.15 g) of smoked paprika
2 tbsp (29.57 g) of coarse salt
1 tbsp (14.79 g) of ground black pepper
2 tsp (9.89 g) of garlic powder
2 tsp (9.89 g) of onion powder
1 tsp (4.93 g) of cumin
1 tsp (4.93 g) of ground coriander
1 tsp (4.93 g) of cayenne pepper

Spicy Dry Rub

¼ cup (41.4 g) of smoked paprika
2 tsp (5.33 g) of chili powder
1 tbsp (6 g) of cumin
1 tsp (1.77 g) of cayenne pepper
3 tbsp (41.25 g) of brown sugar
2 tbsp (25 g) of granulated sugar
1 tbsp (18 g) of sea salt
1 tbsp (6.9 g) of ground black pepper

Part 1

Part 1 of 2:

Choosing Steaks and Making the Rub

1
Choose ³⁄₄ inch (1.9 cm) thick cut steaks. The flavor of very thin steaks can easily be overwhelmed by a dry rub. Choose steaks that are at least ³⁄₄ inch (1.9 cm) thick. Look for cuts of steak that are well marbled with little or no connective tissue. Great choices are ribeye steaks, t-bone steaks, New York strip steak, and sirloin steaks.^{[1]
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- Thicker steaks may take longer to cook.
2
Put your dry rub ingredients in a container that can be sealed with a lid. Pour all of your dry rub ingredients into a container. Brown sugar, paprika, cumin, onion and garlic powder, mustard powder, chili flakes, cayenne, and thyme are some of the herbs and spices most commonly used in a rub. Add 1 tbsp (15 g) of each ingredient if you're creating a custom recipe.^{[2]
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- You can also follow one of the included recipes.
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3
Shake up your dry rub to combine the ingredients together. Put a lid on your container and make sure it is sealed. Shake up your rub to combine the spices together. Make sure they are combined evenly.^{[3]
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- Use a fork to whisk the ingredients together if you are worried they did not get evenly combined.

Part 2

Part 2 of 2:

Flavoring and Cooking Your Steaks

1
Apply a generous amount of rub to each side of the steak with your hands. Work with 1 steak at a time. Grab a generous amount of spice rub from the bowl. Rub it into 1 side of the steak using your fingers. Cover the entire side of the steak evenly. Turn the steak over and apply the rub to the other side as well.^{[4]
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- If you have a large cut of meat, use a spoon to sprinkle dry rub over it before rubbing it in instead of taking small handfuls at a time.
2
Rub dry rub on the sides of the steaks. Pinch a small amount of dry rub in between your fingers. Drop it carefully over the sides 1 steak. Use your fingers to rub the spices into the meat. Make sure all of the steak is covered, leaving no meat untouched. Rub spices onto the sides of the other steaks as well.^{[5]
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- The more you rub your spices into the steak, the more flavorful it will be.
3
Let the steaks sit in the fridge for at least 40 minutes or overnight. Depending on how much time you have, let the rub sit on the steak for at least 40 minutes or overnight. 40 minutes will allow the salt from the rub to soak into the meat, while letting it sit overnight will allow the steak to absorb more of the flavor and spice from your rub.^{[6]
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- Cover the steaks in foil or plastic if you will be leaving it in your fridge overnight.
4
Cook the steaks until they are to your liking. Use a grill, oven, or pan to cook your steaks. Flip the steaks about halfway through your cook-time to make sure they get evenly cooked throughout. Steaks can be rare, medium-rare, or well-done.^{[7]
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- Save the rest of your dry rub for up to a month in an airtight container as long as it has not touched raw meat.

Community Q&A
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Question

Is it necessary to apply rub on a steak? Or is it better with only salt and pepper?

wikiHow Staff Editor
Staff Answer
This answer was written by one of our trained team of researchers who validated it for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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Staff Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this staff-researched answer.

Dry rubs add more flavor than salt and pepper will. If you just want to enhance the natural flavor of your steak, you can stick with just salt and pepper.
Question

Is it better to use liquid marinade or a dry rub on BBQ?

Community Answer

It depends on your flavor preference. I prefer rubs to liquid marinades because the rubs will soak into the smoke ring.
Question

Do you eat the cooked steak with rub on it or do you shake it off before eating?

PolishGenius

Community Answer

You eat the steak with the rub on it; if you shake off the rub, your steak will not have flavor.