Stock the Pantry Before Your First Cook
The cleanest, best-maintained smoker still needs the right flavor on the meat. Before your first cook, stock the pantry with starter rubs, sauces, sausage making supplies, fuel, and the basics that turn a routine cook into something you'll want to cook again.
Start With One Rub That Matches Your Protein
For your first cook, pick the rub that matches the meat. PS Seasoning's BBQ rub lineup covers the four major regional styles:
- Notorious P.I.G. Pulled Pork Rub. Sweet-heat profile with brown sugar and chipotle. Built for pork shoulder, Boston butt, pulled pork, ribs, and grilled pork chops.
- Blue Ribbon Competition-Style BBQ Rib Rub. Sweet-smoky Kansas City-style competition rib rub. Built for baby back ribs, BBQ chicken, and burnt ends.
- Rodeo Rub Texas Brisket Rub. Brown sugar, spices, and hickory smoke. Built for brisket, beef ribs, and tri-tip.
- Jackpot Honey Mustard Rub. Carolina Gold-style. Built for pulled pork, grilled chicken, and roasted potatoes.
If you're not sure where to start, the rub that matches the protein you're smoking is the right rub.
One Sauce, Two If You're Curious
A sauce isn't required, but it's how a lot of cooks like to finish ribs and pulled pork. PS Seasoning's sauce lineup pairs cleanly with the rubs:
- Blue Ribbon Competition-Style BBQ Sauce for Kansas City-style ribs
- Memphis King Tangy BBQ Sauce for vinegar-forward Memphis ribs
- Jackpot Carolina Gold BBQ Sauce for Carolina pulled pork
- Bee Sting Hot Honey Chipotle BBQ Sauce for sweet heat
Sausage Making Made Easy
If you're a beginner with sausage, snack stick, or jerky making, might we suggest our kits that take the guessing out of the process. Once you've put in the practice, you can start looking at bulk seasonings, inclusions, and more adventurous formats.
Fuel: Start With Hickory
Hickory is the best starter wood. It works as a versatile, rich smoke across beef, pork, poultry, sausage, and wild game. Stronger smoke than apple or cherry, lighter than mesquite. You can't go wrong.
PS Seasoning carries Pro Smoker's Sawdust in Hickory plus Cherry, Applewood, Mesquite, and Mixed Hardwood blends. Premium Smoking Wood Chips are also available if you want faster, more aromatic smoke. As you build experience, you can start matching sweet woods (apple, cherry) to sweet flavor profiles, but hickory is the no-fail default for cook one.
Read the Smoking 101 hub for the full beginner's guide.
