I am sure you have asked yourself why this rub is called D-dog’s or who is D-dog? Well even if you haven’t I am going to tell you anyway. D-dog is a nickname I have had since high school. My friends and family members still call me by that nickname. So when it came time to name my rubs it was only natural to call it D-dog’s BBQ Rubs.

 

That covers why the rubs are called D-dog’s, but who is D-dog? I am a BBQ addict. I have had a love for all things BBQ since I was very young. I remember being in elementary school and the teacher asking the students in the class what their favorite foods were. Each student said the usual kid foods, Mac and cheese, peanut butter and jelly and such. When the teacher got to me I said BBQ ribs. The teacher was surprised and said that she liked them to. I ate at tons of BBQ joints growing up to get my BBQ fix. As I got older I started grilling. I liked the BBQ I made there but I knew I could take it to another level. That is when I discovered I could make slow smoked authentic BBQ in my own backyard! This started the next phase of my addiction. I wanted to make the best BBQ ever. In my attempts to do this I was not satisfied with the store bought rubs I was using. I decided the only way I was going to make the worlds best BBQ was to make my own rubs. I spent many years of trial and error making my own rubs. Then I hit gold! I came up with the right blend of spices to make whatever I was cooking taste great!! I started giving rub to friends and family. Then I started getting asked by others if I would sell my rub. So that is when I decided to start selling my rub and share my love of BBQ with everyone.

 

On a personal note away from BBQ I am a family man. My beautiful wife and 3 children are the loves of my life. They help to keep me grounded and focused on what is important. They also have been the best and most patient taste testers any BBQ addict has ever had!!

 

 

 

That is when I decided to start making my own rubs. It took me 2 and half years to come up with my original rub. I made a lot of bad tasting rubs before I got it right. What was I looking for? A rub that had balance. Balance between spicy and sweet. I wanted something that tasted good and would make any meat that you put it on taste better. I finally got it right.

 

Then I went on to create an apple rub and a maple rub. Those two were a challenge because I wanted the apple and the maple to enhance the flavor of the rub and not to turn it into BBQ candy. After trial and error I was able to make the rubs so there was just a hint of the apple and a hint of the maple. Both flavors enhance but do not overpower the rub. Again the balance I was looking for in my rubs was there.

      

 

 

The judging process is one where the chef cooks your recipe and then they take the food out to a judges table. The judges are people who are involved in all aspects of the food business. They take a taste test and then score your rub. This is done a month or so before the awards ceremony so you have to wait to find out how you did.    

 

 

 

They finally got to the BBQ rub category. They called out that my Maple rub had won second place! I was so excited and I walked up to have my picture taken with my award. While I was standing at the front having my picture taken the announcer said that my Original rub had won first place! That was such an awesome feeling! I then received a nice trophy and took some more pictures. I was so happy to have done so well against some great rub companies. I think I floated back to my seat!