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Homemade Dry Spice Rubs

By Yvette Marquez

5 (1 rating)

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Updated Mar 02, 2025, Published Jun 12, 2017

Why are men so difficult to shop for? This Father’s Day we searched high and low for a unique DIY gift idea that men will actually use. Since we don’t want to donate yet another bad Father’s Day tie, my partner, Thrifty Rehab, came up with something that they will enjoy – actually, the whole family can enjoy. Yummy homemade rubs for our grillin’ savvy men.

These homemade rubs are a dry mixture of salt, pepper, and spices that you use to flavor food before cooking. Use rubs to add flavor and texture—the seasoning helps to form a crispy crust.

These rubs work best with beef, chicken, lamb, pork, poultry, and shellfish.

Look at these simple store-bought beef shish kabobs. All I did was drizzle a bit of olive oil and sprinkled them with the ancho chili rub and grilled. Super simple and delicious!

These decanters turned out colorfully adorable. If the men don’t love them, I know plenty of women who will.

Below you’ll find a list of the ingredients to make these tasty treats.

What is the best Father’s Day gift you’ve given or received?

Supplies:

• 3 bottles
• Small funnel
• Sticky labels
• Sharpie
• Small metal or wooden basket
• Spanish moss

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5 (1 rating)

Homemade Dry Spice Rubs

By Yvette Marquez

Total Time: 5 minutes mins

Yield: 1 jar

Prep: 5 minutes mins

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These homemade rubs are a dry mixture of salt, pepper, and spices that you use to flavor food before cooking. Use rubs to add flavor and texture—the seasoning helps to form a crispy crust.

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Ingredients 

1x2x3x

Smoky Paprika Rub:

• ▢ 4 tablespoons smoked or Spanish paprika
• ▢ 3 teaspoons sugar
• ▢ 3 teaspoons chili powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• ▢ 1 teaspoon ground red pepper

Ancho Chili Rub:

• ▢ 4 tablespoons ground ancho chili powder
• ▢ 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• ▢ 4 teaspoons unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

Tasty Turmeric Rub:

• ▢ 3 tablespoons ground turmeric
• ▢ 4 tablespoons minced garlic
• ▢ 2 tablespoons onion powder
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• ▢ 2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon of ground cloves

Instructions 

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl, use funnel to fill each bottle.
• Label each jar and arrange nicely in a basket.

Notes

• These rubs work best with beef, chicken, lamb, pork, poultry, and shellfish.
• The nutrition facts are for the smoked paprika mix.

Nutrition

Serving: 1jar mix | Calories: 158.72kcal | Carbohydrates: 33.79g | Protein: 5.43g | Fat: 4.95g | Saturated Fat: 0.88g | Sodium: 118.96mg | Potassium: 848.84mg | Fiber: 13.41g | Sugar: 15.55g | Vitamin A: 16402.32IU | Vitamin C: 1.53mg | Calcium: 101.64mg | Iron: 7.35mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Tried this recipe?Mention @muybuenocooking or tag #muybuenocooking!

Photography: Jenna Sparks & Yvette / DIY: Thrifty Rehab