When my friend wanted my competition chicken rub after I won our local cook-off

I worked for years on my chicken rub and it finally paid off with a win at our local event. Afterward, my closest friend in the BBQ circle asked for the exact mix. I had always said I'd keep it to myself for competitions, so I hesitated. In the end, I gave him a modified version, which felt like a fair middle ground.

3 comments

3 Comments

carr.lee6d ago

Heard about a buddy who won a rib contest with his own dry rub. His neighbor kept pestering him for the full recipe after the win. He finally wrote down the list but changed the amounts of three ingredients. The neighbor tried it, said it was good but never placed in the top spots again. My buddy called it a friendly adjustment to keep things interesting. Your chicken rub story feels pretty familiar, honestly.

patlopez5d ago

Ever wonder if your buddy's neighbor ever figured it out later?

leemorgan5d ago

@carr.lee, your buddy's story is spot on. I faced the same with my award winning barbecue sauce. When a cousin begged for the recipe, I gave him one with less brown sugar and more pepper. He made good sauce but never matched my contest results. Holding back a bit let me share without giving away my secret touch. It keeps the fun in cooking and competing.