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What do you get the guy who has everything?
Hello, homemade spice rubs!

My dad is the king of hobbies. The man can do pretty much anything. It’s a little obnoxious. Buying presents is a real challenge because he either already owns it, has tried it, or figured out how to do it his own way. He doesn’t need any more tools, duct tape, or hunting paraphernalia. “Here’s another box of zip-ties, because one can never have too many, right?” Ugh. Oh, and don’t stress about him seeing this before Christmas. His internet surfing consists solely of scrolling through KSL looking for Jeep parts. Unless my mama shows him, he won’t even know.

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Now back to the post…

I realized I’d have to get a little creative this year but just wasn’t quite sure what to do, until my blog friend Susie posted a photo to Instagram. Susie is a world record BBQ queen and the mastermind behind the blog Hey Grill, Hey. Every one of the recipes I’ve ever tried from Susie’s site has been a success. She’s that good, you guys. Anyway, she posted a pic of one of her homemade spice rubs and the proverbial light bulb turned on in my brain. Hallelujah! A basket full of homemade BBQ spice rubs! My dad fell down the pellet grill smoker rabbit hole last year, so spice rubs are right up his alley.

To start off, I scoured Hey Grill, Hey for Susie’s best rub recipes. Then I perused Pinterest for a bit until I found a couple more to round out the flavor variety. I found a sweet, spicy, steak, herb, and even a veggie rub!

Here are links to all the recipes I used…

Hey Grill, Hey | Sweet Rub, South of the Border Spice Rub, Homemade Steak Rub, and Homemade Veggie Shake

That Susan Williams | Slap Yo’ Mama Butt Rub

Kiss My Smoke | Italian Herb Rub

Make the Rubs:

First, I pulled out some pint and jelly jars from my canning hoard. I gave them a good washing and set them aside to dry while I got out the ingredients.

I buy my herbs and spices in bulk so I had everything on hand, which made my day.

You can make as much or as little of these rubs as you need.

I knew that my dad would love the sweet rub so I doubled that batch and put it in a pint jar. I made single batches of some of the others so he could test them out to see if he liked them before I went gang-busters. That way he wasn’t stuck with a big bottle of rub that he won’t use. The other great thing about making your own rubs instead of buying from the store is you can personalize the blends. My mother hates cilantro, so I left out the coriander seeds. It’s all good. When I talked to Susie about it, she said to replace them with cumin or cardamom. Do what makes your taste buds happy.

Making the rubs is seriously so simple. Just put the ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk them up. For the recipes that call for brown sugar, you’ll have to break up the clumps a bit but it’s really no big deal.

When your recipe is mixed up, pour it into your jar and put a lid on it. I had some cool little chalkboard stickers to label my jars, but you could use stickers, permanent marker, paper labels, or even make your own chalkboard lids with paint like I did HERE. Tip: If you go that route, use a can of spray chalkboard paint. It’s soooooo much easier than using a paintbrush.

Gift Basket

Once all the rubs were packaged up, I put all the jars in a basket with some crinkled paper and tied on a bow.

Speaking of bows, have you ever wondered how to make a cute messy scrap bow? They take 5 minutes tops, you guys! All you need is some ribbon and a pair of scissors. Add more ribbon for a thicker bow or less for a thinner one. But, leave your perfectionism in the other room when you’re making these though. Remember, they are “messy” bows. They are supposed to have character, that’s what makes them fun.

Here’s a quick tutorial!

Dad’s gift is ready and I think he is totally going to love it!

Homemade spice rubs would make a great gift for Christmas, Father’s Day, birthdays, or even just for fun. There are hundreds of rub recipes out there to fit every taste, budget, and cut of meat. Thanks to the 3 cute gals who created the recipes I used! It’s rad to see ladies rocking the grill and I’m grateful to be able to learn from what they share on their sites! If you mix up one of their rubs, be sure to comment on their site and say thanks!

Well, off to finish up the rest of my Christmas gifts and shopping.
Happy gift giving!