Tips for ribs and anything else

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I have been using Obie-cue's rubs for about 10 years.
Found this guy when I lived in Texas. His rubs are all I use
really like the BBQ bomber for most but have not found a bad rub. Time to order more!!
Here is a tip I got from his website
www.obiecue.com

COOKING TIPS FOR RUBS

ALL-PURPOSE INFO
Pick a Flavor:     As noted, rubs come in quite a range of flavors. Taste the rub to see if it's gonna give you what you want for the particular dish you're preparing. I make some rubs that I like on everything, and some others that are much more specialized. Don't be afraid to try new combinations, but pay attention to your individual taste preferences. For example, the more sugar in a rub, the more likely I am to use it on pork and less likely to use it on beef, (with exceptions, of course!). Utilize the great variety of flavors available to you in rubs to tailor your BBQ to your personal palate.
Rub Early: Give the flavors an hour or two to penetrate, if you can. I usually rub before I start the fire.
Salt Penetrates, Sugar Seals: Salt helps carry flavor into the meat better than sugar but it doesn't give much protection against moisture loss. (Sometimes, Dry is good: see Smooth Moove label for Idiot Proof Jerky). If your cooking technique seals the meat (searing, deep frying, etc.) then use a rub with more salt than sugar. (See Steakmaker label for Steak) Likewise big thick chunks of meat don't dry out quickly and are hard to penetrate so look to more salt than sugar once again. . Sugar will melt and glaze which effectively seals the meat, so sugar based rubs are perfect on meats that tend to dry out, like chicken and pork.

SMOKING (Cooking with indirect heat)

Once is good, twice is better: Two moderate rubbings are usually better than one heavy coat. My rule of thumb is, "If I can't see the meat, then the smoke can't either". Only season the meat moderately when you start cooking, because a thick coat of rub will give you a layer of splendidly smoked seasoning on relatively plain meat. I put on enough to give color, but I can still see the meat through the rub. Cook the meat to desired smokiness, (In a good smoker, meat often gets enough smoke flavor before it's through cooking.) then pull it off the pit and season it again with a much heavier sprinkling of rub on all sides. Next either transfer the smoked meat to a non-smoky oven to finish cooking or protect the meat from further smoking by wrapping it in aluminum foil and put it back on the pit. Foil-wrapping the meat also helps to tenderize without drying by steaming the meat in its own juices. (See Sweet 'N Heat label for ribs)