Simple Low FODMAP BBQ Rub

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There’s nothing better than a backyard barbecue with your friends and family members. But if you’re on a special diet – like the low FODMAP diet – there are lots of ingredients in popular backyard barbecue foods that you can’t enjoy, like garlic, certain types of bread and grains, and more.

But that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy high-quality barbecue ribs, steak, or other choice meat dishes. In fact, you don’t even have to forgo the barbecue rub that goes on the meat to add even more flavors before the BBQ ribs or chicken drumsticks are seared to perfection.

Today, let’s break down a low FODMAP BBQ dry rub that’s perfect for combining with barbecued meat at any backyard cookout. It includes an excellent blend of sweet and spicy flavors that go perfectly with pork, chicken, steak, and more.

Low FODMAP BBQ Rub Recipe

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 14kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoon kosher salt
  • 1 tablespoon smoked paprika
  • 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
  • 2 tablespoons light brown sugar
  • 1 tablespoon ground cumin
  • 1 tablespoon black pepper
  • 1 teaspoon chili powder or cayenne depending on your preferences

Instructions

  • This recipe is super simple! Just measure out each of the dry rub ingredients into a mixing bowl.
  • Then mix the ingredients together using a spoon. Mix for about one minute to make sure that each of the individual ingredients is spread evenly throughout the dry rub.
  • Try to use the dry rub immediately and pack it into meat like drumsticks or ribs that are about to be barbecued. Once the meat is done, add your favorite low FODMAP or vegan barbecue sauce and enjoy a tasty treat with your friends and family.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 14kcal | Carbohydrates: 3g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1165mg | Potassium: 45mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 584IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 12mg | Iron: 1mg

Notes & Tips

As with any dry rub or spice mix, there are lots of ways you can customize this recipe so it’s perfect for your unique tastes or preferences.

For example, you don’t have to use one full teaspoon of chili or cayenne powder. Instead, you can simply add these spices to taste if you prefer a little more or a little less for your sweet and spicy dry rub.

Additionally, there are lots of substitutions to check out (more on those below). But let’s break down some other tips you should keep in mind when prepping this dry rub.

For example, you can and should use your fingers or a very small spoon to break up lumps of brown sugar or other spices when mixing the ingredients together. This ensures that each spice will be spread relatively evenly throughout the mixture and will prevent any given bite of your delicious barbecued meat from tasting too much like any specific flavor.

Additionally, using your hands is ideal since you can rub the spices into the meat more deeply than with a tool. For red meat like beef or lamb, rubbing the spices into the meat will increase the flavor of the resulting barbecued dish.

As far as storage goes, you can store this low FODMAP barbecue dry rub recipe in an airtight container for up to about one week after making it. Be very careful not to let it get wet or you may spoil the flavors of the spices.

We’d also recommend making sure that each of your spices is fresh if possible. Some of the above spices will be easier to get fresh than others, but many of them can be procured at a local farmer’s market or smaller grocery stores. But if you can’t find a particular spice fresh, don’t worry too much; it’s still better to have the spices in some form than not at all.

Substitutions

As touched on above, there are lots of substitutions or replacements you can make to this recipe. In this way, you’ll make it truly your own! Some of the best substitutions include:

  • Dried rosemary. Just be sure to crush the leaves beforehand so you get all the oils out and enhance their flavor profile.
  • Ginger powder, about 1 tablespoon. Ginger powder is great if you like the taste of ginger or want at a little Asian influence in your low FODMAP barbecue rub.
  • You can also use granulated sugar instead of brown sugar. That said, this will result in a slightly sweeter barbecue rub, so only do this if you prefer your barbecued meat to be sweeter rather than more savory.

Common Questions

How do you know how much of the spice to apply to each piece of meat?

The above recipe should make about 12 servings in total. You can make sure that you apply enough spice to the meat by measuring it out in 2 teaspoons servings. Once you rub 2 teaspoons of the dry rub into your chosen meat, see if that looks like enough and add a little more if necessary.

Why are there two types of paprika in the recipe?

We use both smoky and sweet paprika to provide the dry rub with a distinct smoked and sweet flavor profile, which goes quite well with most types of homemade or bottled barbecue sauce.

Can you measure most of these ingredients to taste?

Sure, especially if you already have some experience in the kitchen! That said, we do recommend measuring out the cumin, chili powder, and paprika at a bare minimum to avoid overwhelming your taste buds. The same is true for the brown sugar.

Sides and Pairings

Naturally, this low FODMAP barbecue dry rub is best paired with meat about to be barbecued! It’s a barbecue dry rub because it goes perfectly with barbecue sauce, though the sauce should only be applied after the dry rub has been rubbed into the meat and the meat has been properly cooked.

That said, you can also try this dry rub by itself without a barbecue. In that case, simply rub the dry rub into your chosen meat and cook it as you would normally. Who knows? You might find this to be a perfect meat dry rub for everyday dishes like pan-seared steak, baked chicken thighs, and more.


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