If You’re Grilling, Dry Rubs Are KING!

When it comes to grilling and marinades, flavor is only skin deep.

Most people believe that meat and marinade is a natural pair. Marinades are supposed to add flavor, tenderize the meat and help it endure the grilling process.

But that’s really only partially true. Marinades add subtle flavor, which is usually lost in the grilling process. If you want big flavors, you won’t get it from a marinade. And while it’s true that a marinade tenderizes meat, it can only tenderize what it comes into contact with. Chicken (for example) isn’t porous, which means the inner portions of the meat aren’t getting tenderized. After marinating, most meat comes off the grill with a slightly mushy texture. Now you can see why marinating is not necessarily the way to go.

Instead, what you want to do prior to grilling is use a dry rub. Since dry rubs are made up entirely of spices and herbs, you get the full flavor you’re looking for without compromising the texture of the meat. Since they’re dry, they stick and get “drawn into” the meat. This ends up helping tenderize and breaking down the proteins and creates a nice crust during grilling. An added bonus is many rubs are low in salt, allowing you to reduce your sodium intake and use as much as you want for that big flavor. A good rub will also be low in sugar so it doesn’t burn during high heat grilling or searing of meats like steak.

I’m not suggesting you give up on marinades entirely. Rather, use them after you’re done with your primary cooking as a finishing sauce. You’ll get the best of both worlds – a well-seasoned piece of meat with a nice smoothness to it from the sauce.

It’s time to bring out the flavor with dry rubs and put down the marinade. To view our dry rubs, visit our dry rubs product page.