If you have a favorite rub or rubs, is there any reason or not, to try an other?    Some  reasons being the clutter and cost of a once tried product and/or being happy with what you have, having tried several rubs only to find one or a few to be good.. The other

side of the coin is somewhat like gambling, you never know until you try, hoping for the ultimate prize.

 

In the storebought arena -
The Bone Suckin Sauce brand has a BBQ rub that's actually very decent.
It's readily available and is a suitable backup for my homemade concoction.

I am always trying something new, but do go back to a few things.  I like to experiment.

I've made all sorts of rubs over the years, but after using Mike's rubs at Oakridge BBQ I stopped wasting my time and money. The reasoning is that not only are their rubs great tasting, but they have IMO a PERFECT grind. The particles are all very similar in size and that makes for a really nice coverage and layering.

Now, besides Oakridge BBQ rubs I DO have a few favorite single rubs from other companies based solely on their flavor even if their grind(or salt content) is less than ideal. Those are Simply Marvelous pecan rub, Plowboys Yardbird and Sucklebusters Hog Waller. I've got lots of others but the Oakridge lineup plus those three are the ones I stock and restock.

My homemade rubs are two and are very simple. A Salt Pepper Onion Garlic rub for general purpose and a rosemary, thyme, salt, pepper and garlic rub for beef roasts and lamb. 

When I’m cooking the basics more often, I’m usually trying more rubs looking to add variety. Most of them end up getting tossed after sitting in the cabinet for 2-3 years after the initial try. However, we have found a couple that we keep using like Oakride Black Ops. That stuff is great!

I happened to stumble on a good basic rub years ago when I started with a propane smoker even. It’s just paprika, chili powder, Lowry’s, and cayenne, but it works on everything. For beef, i just use coarse pepper under the rub and a little more on top. My family and friends love the food and it’s easy, so I use it a lot.

Poultry is where I’m constantly trying new things trying to get more variety trying to excite myself to eat it more than all the red meat.