re: What is your go to rub?

For Pig and Chicken I use variations of Memphis BBQ Company's rub as a base.

I vary the sugars mixing in different types of brown sugars, but keep the total at around 1 1/2 cups. I mess with the peppers and always use smoked paprika that I smoke. Do some other different adds and subtracts, it's a decent base to work with.

1 cup turbinado sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup kosher salt
1 TBS onion powder
2 TBS granulated garlic
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 tsp black pepper finely ground
2 tsp dry mustard
1/4 cup chili powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/3 cup paprika

Brisket is mostly salt and pepper, but I will add different peppers like cayenne and some other spices. I haven't really found something I really like homemade. I do occasionally use Salt Lick's rub for brisket instead. I don't buy into the Franklin S&P only nonsense, based on his recipes he puts out about what he uses in his restaurants and trying his brisket, I think he lies about what he uses in his rub.

I don't know that I avoid anything, I like trying different.