Mike’s BBQ Pork Rub

4 TB paprika
3 TB dark brown sugar
2 TB chili powder
2 Tb garlic powder
2 TB kosher salt
3 tsp onion powder
3 tsp black pepper
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp cumin

If I were only smoking pork for myself I would add some additional flavor to satisfied my palate. CAUTION – cayenne pepper goes a long way, don’t use too much. When having guests over, I would scale back or eliminate these spices…  

1 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp dark chili powder  

When mixing my dry rub for pulled pork, I use the cayenne pepper due to the size of the meat. 7-9 pounds with a picnic shoulder (fat trimmed) and 4-5 pounds with a boston butt. When using a smoker box, I add onion, celery, thyme sprigs, rosemary sprigs and lemon slices to the water as well as 1 cup of apple juice. In addition, I always spray pork with 1/2 apple juice and half water every hour. When smoking beef I use 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 apple cider vinegar.