The warm summer months are prime time for firing up the grill and cooking tasty meats and veggies outdoors. But you can take your grilling game to the next level with flavorful homemade spice rubs. These easy dry rub recipes add lots of flavor with little effort.
Lemon-Pepper Rub
This zingy, lemony rub is fantastic on chicken, pork chops, shrimp and white fish like tilapia or cod. The tart lemon and pepper provide the perfect counterpoint to the charred smokiness from the grill.
To make the **lemon pepper spice rub**, simply mix together:
– 2 tablespoons lemon zest
– 2 tablespoons coarse black pepper
– 1 tablespoon kosher salt
– 1 teaspoon garlic powder
– 1 teaspoon onion powder
Rub it onto meat or seafood about 30 minutes before grilling. The rub helps form a tasty crust while infusing tons of bright flavor.
Cajun Spice Blend
Transport your tastebuds to New Orleans with this bold **Cajun spice rub recipe**. It’s excellent on steak, chicken, pork and seafood like shrimp or catfish. The blend of paprika, garlic, onions and pepper packs some serious heat.
Mix up a batch by combining:
– 2 tablespoons paprika
– 1 tablespoon garlic powder
– 1 tablespoon onion powder
– 1 tablespoon dried oregano
– 2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
– 1 teaspoon black pepper
– 1 teaspoon white sugar
– 1 teaspoon salt
Generously coat your protein of choice for a down-home Southern flavor.
Coffee-Chile Rub
This unexpected blend of sweet coffee and spicy chile is crazy good on beef. The rub caramelizes beautifully on grilled steaks, burgers and ribs.
Whip up this easy **coffee spice rub** by mixing:
– 3 tablespoons ground coffee
– 2 tablespoons brown sugar
– 2 tablespoons chili powder
– 1 tablespoon kosher salt
– 2 teaspoons ground cumin
– 1 teaspoon cinnamon
The coffee adds wonderful smoky, bittersweet notes while the chili powder brings on the heat.
Jerk Spice Rub
Transport yourself to the Caribbean with the help of this zippy **jerk spice recipe**. It contains the iconic warm flavors of Jamaica: allspice, cloves, nutmeg, garlic, chiles and more.
Mix up this island-inspired spice blend:
– 2 tablespoons brown sugar
– 2 tablespoons dried thyme
– 1 tablespoon garlic powder
– 1 tablespoon onion powder
– 2 teaspoons ground allspice
– 1 1⁄2 teaspoons cayenne pepper
– 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
– 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
– 1 teaspoon ground cloves
– 1 teaspoon salt
– 1 teaspoon black pepper
It’s dynamite on chicken, pork, shrimp, scallops and firm white fish. The spice rub also makes a great marinade when mixed with oil and lime juice.
Steakhouse Rub
Get that classic steakhouse flavor at home with this umami-packed spice blend. It contains lots of savory ingredients like garlic, onion and mustard powder which get absolutely addicting when charred over an open flame.
Whip up a batch by mixing:
– 1⁄4 cup coarse sea salt
– 2 tablespoons garlic powder
– 2 tablespoons onion powder
– 2 tablespoons mustard powder
– 1 tablespoon black pepper
– 2 teaspoons paprika
– 1 teaspoon celery salt
Generously season your favorite cuts of steak with this rub at least 30 minutes before grilling. It forms a flavorful, textured crust on the exterior while keeping the inside nice and juicy.
So fire up the grill and get ready to take your grilling recipes to all new heights of flavor with these fast and easy **spice rubs for grilling**. The possibilities are endless when you use homemade rubs to add lots of flavor without much effort. Give them a try this summer!
