Hey Brisket Lovers, Check Out Stevens New Texas Brisket Rub

What makes a killer barbecued brisket? It starts with the meat—a generously marbled, judiciously trimmed full packer brisket. The cooker matters—a properly fired stick burner or smoker. You can’t make great brisket without wood smoke—preferably from slow smoldering oak or hickory, dosed steadily throughout the cook. A consistent low temperature (Steven recommends 225 degrees) melts the tough collogen, while a wrap in butcher paper once the brisket reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees seals in moistness. And of course, you need patience, because a 2-hour rest after a half day cook brings your brisket to meaty perfection.

The one element we haven’t yet mentioned is the rub. The classic Texas rub calls for salt and pepper, and damn little more. The salt should be coarse; large crystals help form a crusty bark. The pepper should be 12 mesh or coarser—large enough to sink your teeth into, but fine enough to merge with the meat. A hint of garlic helps, er, beef up the flavor (pun intended)—you should sense it more than taste it. Finally, a whisper of cayenne—enough to raise the heat, but not so much you scorch your tastebuds.

Stevens Texas Brisket Rub

If this sounds like the brisket of your dreams, we’re pleased to announce the arrival of Steven Raichlen’s Planet Barbecue® Texas Brisket Rub. Finally! It took two years to source the right pepper, find the right manufacturer, and achieve the perfect ratio of salty to spicy to aromatic. Yes, it’s intense: a brisket rub should be intense. We dare say it will help take your next brisket over the top.

But brisket is only the start, because Planet Barbecue® Texas Brisket Rub turns ribs into racks of distinction and gives steaks the electrifying finish you’d expect at a marquis steakhouse. Use it to season burgers; invigorate lamb chops; and spice up your favorite steak sandwich. Hell, one guy we know (that would be Steven) stirs it into sour cream to make a topping for baked potatoes.

We’ve packaged Steven’s new Planet Barbecue® Texas Brisket Rub with two other righteous Raichlen seasonings: Malabar Steak Rub and Kansas City Smoke Rub. The former contains Indian peppercorns and powdered Worcestershire sauce (among many other seasonings)—there isn’t a steak or chop in existence that wouldn’t triumph in its presence.

As for Steven’s Kansas City Smoke Rub—it starts with the seasonings you’ve watched Steven use on ribs in his Project Smoke and Planet Barbecue TV shows. Thanks to a proprietary manufacturing process, it actually incorporates wood smoke directly into the spice mix.

Armed with the three ribs, you can grill or smoke any imaginable meat, from brisket to ribs to steaks. Prime rib? Absolutely. Santa Maria tri-tip? Just try it. And now you can order the set of three rubs for only $19.95.

Below are some recipes to get your started. Show us how you use these rubs! Please post photos of your barbecue masterpieces on Steven’s Instagram and Facebook pages.