Salt: the foundation
Ross calls salt, pepper and garlic possibly the holy trinity of barbecue, and his view is that understanding why it works is one of the fundamentals that will lift your cooking. He starts with salt, because salt is what's really seasoning the meat and pulling out its flavour. It goes into so many dishes, and in barbecue it's in everything.
He describes salt as a natural flavour enhancer that goes below the surface, and that's the key difference between salt and the other two. Given time, salt dissolves in the meat's surface moisture and moves inward, seasoning below the crust. It also loosens muscle proteins so they hold on to more of their own juice during the cook, the same principle behind a dry brine. Pepper and garlic mostly stay where you put them, on the surface.
On types of salt (granulated, coarse kosher, sea salt), Ross's take is that in general they all do the same thing. Chemically that's right: it's sodium chloride either way. The practical catch is volume. A spoonful of fine salt holds noticeably more salt than a spoonful of coarse crystals or flakes, so if you switch salts in a blend measured by the spoon, adjust the amount rather than swapping one for one.
Pepper: heat, aroma and bark
Coarse or granulated, Ross says pepper is super important. It adds a little heat, some spice and a lot of aroma, and he thinks it belongs on everything barbecue, especially when you're trying to build a bark.
He calls it the champion of Texas barbecue for brisket bark, and that's where coarse pepper earns its reputation. Central Texas brisket is traditionally seasoned with little more than salt and coarse black pepper, and over a long cook those coarse particles, the rendering fat and the smoke build the dark, crusty surface the style is known for.
Beyond brisket, Ross puts pepper on steak and really anything beef, and on chicken for the earthy taste it adds. He catches himself mid-thought for nearly leaving out pork, where he says salt and pepper go beautifully.
The heat comes mostly from piperine, the compound that gives black pepper its bite. The aroma comes from volatile oils that fade after the pepper is ground, which is why freshly ground or recently bought pepper tastes brighter than a jar that has been open for a year.
Garlic: depth and balance
Garlic is what Ross says adds depth and savouriness. Salt and pepper are good on their own, but garlic balances them. In his words it "triangulates" and evens things out, taking the blend from sharp to rounded.
Salt makes the meat taste more of itself and pepper adds bite, but neither brings the savoury background that garlic does. That's why the three together taste complete rather than one-dimensional.
Like salt and pepper, garlic comes coarse or granulated. Ross's personal preference in an SPG is granulated, though he says you can still use coarse if you like, and he always suggests experimenting. Granulated garlic coats the meat evenly and stays mixed through the salt and pepper, without clumping in the shaker the way very fine garlic powder can. Coarser garlic gives more texture and more distinct pockets of garlic flavour.
Why it works, and how to use it
Ross's short version: the salt enhances the meat, the pepper adds character and builds the body, and the garlic adds depth. Because each does a different job, none of them overpowers the others. They all, as he puts it, play in harmony.
That's why he calls SPG a perfect base layer for almost anything. It covers the fundamentals and leaves room for something on top: a sweet profile like a cherry dry rub, an all-purpose rub, or something specific to beef or pork. In his experience it usually balances out nicely with the SPG underneath. One caution when you layer: most commercial rubs already contain salt, so SPG plus a second salty rub adds up quickly. Go lighter with each layer.
His recommendation for where to start is beef and chicken, then pork and vegetables such as potatoes or corn. Put SPG down as a base layer on chicken thighs with another barbecue seasoning, or put it on a brisket on its own. That, he says, is all you're going to need for a savoury flavour profile.
His bottom line: SPG is the first seasoning you should be buying. You can add a little brown sugar to it if you want some sweetness, but on its own, he says, you are set. If you do add sugar, keep it for indirect or low-and-slow cooks, since it can scorch over high direct heat.
