The Sauced Up Smokers (Carbondale, IL) have a hand in nearly every aspect of the BBQ business. The competition team has expanded to offer vending, catering, smoker rentals and their own line of retail BBQ products. Co-workers, Ben Mesiti and Leon Kaufmann, entered their first BBQ competition in 2007. While they didn't fare too well, they were undeterred. Ben and Leon decided to commit themselves to developing  their own competition quality sauce and rub.

The first product Ben and Leon developed was their dry rub, Ninja Dust. Their all purpose rub is packaged in 6 oz. shakers. The newly designed black labels look great. They make the rub very appealing.

Ninja Dust is a sweet and salty blend that can be used as a BBQ rub or an all purpose table seasoning. The rub is relatively high in sugar, containing both the white and brown varieties. This is something to keep in mind when cooking at high heats. The sugar will burn if overexposed to high temps. The salt content is moderate making the rub quite versatile. This also allows cooks to apply the rub liberally to most cuts of meat without the worry about them becoming too salty.

The Sauced Up Smokers' Ninja Dust is a tasty, traditional Midwestern spice rub. The flavors are mild, but diverse. As a rub, it pairs very well with chicken and pork. It's also the type of all purpose blend that I like to keep around the kitchen. Rather than using regular table salt, I prefer to add a dash of a quality all purpose BBQ rub to salads, vegetables and casseroles.

Click here to learn more about The Sauced Up Smokers. See how Ninja Dust rates on our "Product Reviews" page.