Basic Seasonings For Your Grilling Arsenal
Basic seasonings for grilling arsenal
Does your spice cabinet look like this? If so, we put together a must have list for your grilling needs to help clear some space!
Whether you’re working with steak or fresh vegetables, you want to bring out the best flavor to your meals. Fire and smoke can create a lot of great flavor, but the right seasoning combos can go a long way.
So what kind of spice should you use when you’re grilling? There are endless options to choose from — you’ll want to pick something that comes to life on an open flame. To make your choice a little easier, we broke it down for you by the key flavor elements: salt, sweet, savory, and heat. These elements allow you to create any flavor profile for your palate.
Salt: There are a few different salt forms out there. For seasoning we use kosher salt the most. Many professional kitchens use kosher salt because it has a lower salinity, which makes over-salting more difficult. You can also use sea salt when grilling more delicate foods like fish and shellfish.
Sweet: Adding a little sugar to any cook helps caramelize, especially on longer cooks. For most homemade rubs and seasonings, we choose to go with brown sugar. When selecting the type of brown sugar, we tend to go with dark brown sugar because it has molasses incorporated. Molasses deepens the caramelization and can help offset any heat flavors you incorporate. Sugar does burn quickly, so make sure to watch your cooks if you are going high heat.
Savory: This includes dried herbs and dried spices. Granulated garlic, garlic powder, and onion powder are other examples that can overlap and mimic salty flavors. Here is a list of some go to savory seasonings
Heat: The most common heat elements we use for grilling and bbq are coarse ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. It’s a good rule of thumb to buy black pepper in bulk. Other heat elements can include red chili pepper flakes or dried chili powders such as ancho and chipotle. We like to go light on the heat to keep the meat as the main star of the meal.
Dried spices also work well in seasoning rubs, brines, marinades and sauces, giving you room to experiment. Mix and match these basic, but essential grilling spices to discover new ways to shake up your BBQ game.
But, if you want to keep it really simple, you can always use our premade seasonings and rubs for your cooking needs!
What did we miss? What is your go to seasoning? Let us know in the comments!
Does your spice cabinet look like this? If so, we put together a must have list for your grilling needs to help clear some space!
Whether you’re working with steak or fresh vegetables, you want to bring out the best flavor to your meals. Fire and smoke can create a lot of great flavor, but the right seasoning combos can go a long way.
So what kind of spice should you use when you’re grilling? There are endless options to choose from — you’ll want to pick something that comes to life on an open flame. To make your choice a little easier, we broke it down for you by the key flavor elements: salt, sweet, savory, and heat. These elements allow you to create any flavor profile for your palate.
Salt: There are a few different salt forms out there. For seasoning we use kosher salt the most. Many professional kitchens use kosher salt because it has a lower salinity, which makes over-salting more difficult. You can also use sea salt when grilling more delicate foods like fish and shellfish.
Sweet: Adding a little sugar to any cook helps caramelize, especially on longer cooks. For most homemade rubs and seasonings, we choose to go with brown sugar. When selecting the type of brown sugar, we tend to go with dark brown sugar because it has molasses incorporated. Molasses deepens the caramelization and can help offset any heat flavors you incorporate. Sugar does burn quickly, so make sure to watch your cooks if you are going high heat.
Savory: This includes dried herbs and dried spices. Granulated garlic, garlic powder, and onion powder are other examples that can overlap and mimic salty flavors. Here is a list of some go to savory seasonings
- Paprika
- Thyme
- Garlic Powder
- Onion Powder
- Cumin
- Chili Powder
Heat: The most common heat elements we use for grilling and bbq are coarse ground black pepper and cayenne pepper. It’s a good rule of thumb to buy black pepper in bulk. Other heat elements can include red chili pepper flakes or dried chili powders such as ancho and chipotle. We like to go light on the heat to keep the meat as the main star of the meal.
Dried spices also work well in seasoning rubs, brines, marinades and sauces, giving you room to experiment. Mix and match these basic, but essential grilling spices to discover new ways to shake up your BBQ game.
But, if you want to keep it really simple, you can always use our premade seasonings and rubs for your cooking needs!
What did we miss? What is your go to seasoning? Let us know in the comments!
Leave a comment