Bad Byron's Butt Rub

Bad Byron's Butt Rub may be the most widely available commercial barbecue rub, so it stands to reason that if you've not tried it, it should be pretty easy to get your hands on some.
Most prevalent to the nose are serious hints of garlic and pepper. Taste-wise, it's a lot saltier than I generally prefer my rub, and it's easy to over-do it.
There's no sugar in the rub, so it's more of a Memphis-style rub that what you are likely prepared for.
I don't have a test smoke review for you because I have used this stuff for years, and I've used it on practically every cut of meat imaginable.
With that said, this wouldn't be on a list of 100 things I would put on a brisket, and it probably wouldn't make the top 90 on a pork butt or ribs.
Butt Rub tends to lose a lot of its potency over an extended cook. This isn't unique; all rubs do. But as pronounced as the pepper and heat are right out of the bottle, they almost vaporize on the smoker.
Personally, I don't care for it as a barbecue rub, but it's not bad as a seasoning salt or on cuts of meat that don't require a long cook time; like chicken wings or pork chops. It's great on salmon.
Similar to my previous review of Pig's Ass, I use Bad Byron's on fries, baked potatoes and in hamburger meat. It's also a key ingredient in my chili.
Pig's Ass and Butt Rub share a remarkably similar flavor profile, but Butt Rub has heavier tones of paprika.
I've almost always got some Bad Byron's on-hand, but I don't give it any consideration for my barbecue.

MY RATING:

WHY DIDN'T IT GET 5 STARS: Way too salty. Produces a really middle of the road, black pepper heavy flavor on barbecue and loses flavor too quickly. If this was a seasoning salt, I would score it much higher.

BANG FOR THE BUCK: You can get a 4 ounce bottle for around $5, which makes it a reasonable value considering how versatile it is.

Pig's Ass Rub

Depending on where you live (and possibly the political leanings of your grocer), this rub may have a different name.
I'll be honest. I bought this rub because it was called "Pig's Ass." It's hard to ignore a label like that, at least it is for me.
If you can't find Pig's Ass, look for the logo. What's in the bottle hasn't changed.
This is a Memphis-style rub, so it is very pepper and cumin-heavy; like knock you down kind of heavy.
This isn't an amateur rub. It has an aggressive flavor profile. You're either going to love it or hate it.
Or you could be like me and; meh ... I don't care for this rub on smoked pork, but my background is in Kansas City-style Q.
My test smoke was on an ass ... I mean butt. I rubbed the ribs liberally and let rest overnight. In all the rubbed butt rested for a little more than 12 hours. The butt smoked for 8 hours over hickory. The end result was less than spectacular.
You'd think something called Pig's Ass would be choice No. 1 on pork, and it probably is for some people. But it's not for me.
On my list it would be closer to last. It's more of a personal flavor and expectations kind of thing (again, Memphis-style vs. KC-style), but that doesn't mean I don't like it. I love it.
I gave the rub a few second chances, just not on a butt. It's awesome on french fries.
On grilled pork chops, it's great.
On smoked chicken wings. Wow.
It's a great and more flavorful substitute for salt on just about anything.
But by far my favorite use for Pig's Ass: fried chicken.
It has a very complex flavor profile and it is rich, peppery and salty. If you mix a liberal dose with flour, you wind up with some KFC-worthy fried chicken.
Also, its low sugar content doesn't easily burn in the grease.
The first time I smelled this rub, the first thing that popped into my mind was fried chicken. Maybe they should repackage this stuff as "Chicken's Ass."

MY RATING:

OFFICIAL RUB REVIEW: A good Memphis-style rub but doesn't produce spectacular BBQ. If this was a fried chicken seasoning, I would give it 11 stars. 

WHY DIDN'T IT GET 5 STARS? Something called "Pig's Ass" should be other-worldly on pork. This under-delivers. It also clumps-up in the bottle, which is a huge pain in the Pig's Ass.

BANG FOR THE BUCK: You can find a 6.5 ounce bottle of this rub for $6 or less, which makes it a good value. It's definitely worth a try. You can do way worse for $6 but you can do better, too. 

Arthur Bryant's Meat & Rib Rub

Arthur Bryant is BBQ royalty, and in Kansas City's he's a BBQ god. It's hard to cook for the masses. Since everyones' tastes differ, the easiest way to please the most people is to be mediocre. Most people don't really appreciate good BBQ. They don't understand what it takes to craft a BBQ flavor profile and to layer flavors with just the right amount of smoke. Arthur Bryant's takes some of that guess work out with their rub.
You can't paint the Mona Lisa with poor quality paint. Ditto for BBQ. If you use a poor quality rub, you lost the battle before the first shot was fired.
Arthur Bryant's rub isn't overly complex but it has an outstanding sweet and smoky profile.
Primary flavor tone is paprika, but there are subtle notes of ground mustard and pepper.
My test smoke was on three slabs of ribs that I cut to St. Louis-style. I rubbed the ribs liberally with Arthur Bryant's and put them in the refrigerator in plastic wrap overnight. In all, the ribs were rubbed for a total of 16 hours. I had very little rub left in the 6 ounce bottle, but I probably could have done one more slab.
The ribs smoked for four hours over hickory. I wrapped them in foil after 2 hours.
I'm always very skeptical with commercial rubs, but this was great. I was pleasantly surprised.
The only issue I have with this rub is the price. If you can get it for under $1 per ounce, it's a steal. But that's not easy. Depending on where you live, you may have to order it from the company's website.
A 2-pack of 6 ounce bottles from their website will set you back $24.50. It's simply not worth that, and I really like this rub.

MY RATING:

OFFICIAL RUB REVIEW: If you're a BBQ amateur, this is a fast way to feel (and cook) like a pro. The flavor profile will take you to a new level. Not sugar-heavy, so it doesn't burn on the smoker. Not to hot and not too sweet. It will be a crowd pleaser.

WHY DIDN'T IT GET 5 STARS? It has an intense smoke flavor, which surprisingly doesn't come across as artificial. I like to leave the smoking to the wood and the flavoring to the wood.

BANG FOR THE BUCK:  If you can get a 6 ounce bottle for around $6, jump on it. Get more than one. You won't regret it. Much more than that, the value just isn't there.