Santa Maria Dry Rub Recipe

Name: Santa Maria Dry Rub Recipe
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp salt; 1 tbsp black pepper; 1 tbsp paprika; 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (minced); 2 tsp garlic powder; 2 tsp onion powder; 1 tsp cayenne pepper ((optional))

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This Santa Maria Dry Rub can take your boring grilled meats (such as tri-tip or ribs) and transform them into delectable pieces of meat, exploding with flavor!

Why This Recipe Works

This Santa Maria Dry Rub really enhances the flavor of various meats thanks to the fresh minced rosemary, garlic, onion powder, sweet paprika, and a spicy kick of cayenne pepper.

It's a favorite among friends, so trust me, you'll want to make batches of this stuff and share it with your friends!

What Goes Into This Recipe

How to Make This Recipe

1. Measure out all the spices.

2. Mix all the ingredients until thoroughly combined.

3. Rub all over a tri-tip roast or pork ribs and cook using your preferred method (smoke, grill, or an Instant Pot).

tri tip roast smothered in dry rub on a white plate

4. Or store in an airtight jar for later use. If storing for later use, leave out the fresh rosemary and add prior to using.

Using Dry Rub on Smoked Meats

We recently purchased a new electric smoker to replace the smoker we wore out after years of use. Here are just some of the meats we've been smoking: fish, octopus, pork ribs, tri-tip, and brisket.

Each of the meats mentioned requires their own method of cooking. For example, using marinades, dry rubs, or even wet rubs.

Some of the meats require only a few hours to smoke, while others are smoked for 24 to 48 hours. However, when it comes to tri-tip or beef brisket, this Santa Maria Dry Rub is an absolute must.

The Origin of Santa Maria Dry Rub

Before we look at what Santa Maria dry rub is, let's look at where Santa Maria is.

The Santa Maria Valley is situated midway along California's Central Coast, in Santa Barbara County. This beautiful city is located approximately 3-½ hours north of Los Angeles.

Santa Maria is known for its wineries, breweries, recreation, and Santa Maria-style barbecue.

Santa Maria-style barbecue dates back to the mid-1800s when local ranchers cooked Spanish-style feasts for their Mexican ranch hands.

Recipe FAQs and Expert Tips

What is Dry Rub?

A dry rub is a mixture of spices and herbs, used to flavor meat. These spices are "rubbed" into the meat to impart their rich flavor.

Dry rubs usually contain some of the following spices: paprika, salt, pepper, garlic, onion powder, and chili powder.

Additionally, herbs used in dry rubs include sage, rosemary, oregano, and thyme. You can purchase dry rubs at your local grocery stores, or you can make your own mixture. However, you may not want to recreate the wheel, in which case, simply follow this easy, and versatile Santa Maria dry rub!

What is the Difference Between Dry Rub and Wet Rub?

The answer to this question might seem pretty obvious to some, but there are those who might need further explanation. Adding any liquid to dry rub instantly transforms it into a wet rub.

This includes adding a small amount of liquid to the rub which makes a thick paste. The paste is then smeared all over the meat to flavor it. The paste may also be thinned out by adding more liquid.

Some possible wet rub liquids include wine, beer, whiskey, vinegar, oil, and fruit juice.
You can easily add any of these liquids to this dry rub recipe to make a wet rub. How you use this recipe is totally up to you and your imagination! Personally, I use this rub on tri-tip.

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