FANCY HANKS: BBQ Pepper Seasoning – 90g

Two ingredients. That's the whole trick.

Black pepper and sea salt. Nothing else, nothing hiding. This is Dalmatian rub — the Texas standard — and it's what Fancy Hank's use as the dry rub on their smoked brisket. In cooking, as in life, the simple things are usually the ones that work. If your beef is good, this is all it wants.

The flavour

Salt first, then pepper — warm, woody and floral, with that slow bite that builds across the back of the tongue. There's no sugar to burn, no filler to muddy it, and no spice blend competing with the meat. What you taste is beef, salt, pepper and smoke, in that order, which is exactly the point.

How to cook with it

• Coat a whole brisket the night before and smoke it low and slow until the bark goes black and craggy.
• Season a steak heavily on both sides, rest it fifteen minutes, then sear hard in a screaming pan.
• Rub it into a lamb roast just before it goes in the oven — no oil, no marinade, no fuss.
• Use it as the base layer under a sweeter rub so the salt draws moisture before the sugar arrives.
• Season a bloody mary with a pinch of it and let the morning sort itself out.

In the shaker

Coarse, black-and-white speckled, and unmistakably just what it says. The grind is big enough to build bark rather than dissolve into the meat.

Ingredients & Dietary

Ingredients: Black Pepper, Sea Salt.

Dietary: Vegan. Preservative free. No gluten. May contain traces of sesame, mustard, celery and soy. Always check the physical label.

The Rub Smuggler's Verdict

Two ingredients and a Texas reputation — nothing to declare at the border and nothing to apologise for either. If you want more going on, layer John Henry's Texas Brisket Rub over the top of it, or inject the flat with Smoke on Wheels BBQ Marinade the night before. Salt goes on twelve hours early. It needs the time to work its way in.

Questions answered

What's actually in it?
Black pepper and sea salt. That's the entire ingredient list.

What's a Dalmatian rub?
The Texas name for a salt-and-pepper-only rub, after the black-and-white speckle. It's the classic brisket seasoning.

Is it the restaurant's brisket rub?
Yes — Fancy Hank's use this as the BBQ dry rub on their smoked brisket.

Is it hot?
Only pepper bite. No chilli at all. On Hub Heat it rates 1/11.

When should I apply it?
The night before for big cuts like brisket, so the salt has time to work in. Fifteen minutes ahead for a steak.

Is it gluten free?
It's labelled no gluten. Always check the physical label if you're coeliac.