While BBQ sauce might seem like the most important flavor component in your smoked or grilled meat meal, we'd like to nominate another contender in the MVP taste race: BBQ rubs. Since it's often ...

In a small bowl, combine the first the first eight dry ingredients (through black pepper). Mix well. Rub the dry mixture all over the ribs. Cover all surfaces of meat generously with the dry mixture.

A good brisket is a big slab of savory beef complete with a rich bark and a tender texture, which is why the dry rub should never include this ingredient.

You probably don't expect to keep onion soup mix dry, let alone rub it on another food. Yet that's precisely what you should do for flavorful meat.