There’s a time and a place for subtlety in cooking—but grilling is not one of them. Oversized flavors go well with oversized cuts of meat and overgrown summer produce, so season with gusto.
Grill masters know how to play with flavors. If you’re unsure where to start, the easiest thing is to grab a prepared rub or sauce, light up the grill, and experiment. Here are 10 rubs and sauces you should add to your pantry this summer.
Stubbs Moppin’ Sauce
C.B. Stubblefield is a barbecue legend in West Texas, an area that knows its smoked meats. This is what Stubbs uses to baste his meats as they cook. Technically, moppin’ refers to the way he’d mop the sauce onto the meat as he worked, but it might as well refer to the way you’ll mop up every last drop from your plate. Use it to marinate, baste, or finish ribs, pork shoulder, or brisket.
Cimarron Doc’s Gourmet & Bar-B-Q Seasoning
Pro chef John Delpha, of Rosebud American Kitchen in Somerville, Massachusetts, makes a house rub for the meats he serves. The next best thing, he says, is this . It’s the right combination of sweet and salty, according to Delpha. Longtime competitive barbecue team Larry and Mary Koch created the rub and have won gobs of awards with it. There’s nothing totally unusual about it—it’s just perfectly balanced.
Sosu Srirachup
Leave it to San Francisco to make craft sriracha a thing. is the perfect marriage of ketchup and sriracha. It has a strong tomato base and tons of heat, and the sriracha is much fruitier and fresh tasting than the kind you find in a megamart. Your burgers will never know what hit them.
Charles Vergos Rendezvous Rub
The used at the iconic Memphis rib joint, this is about as classic as it gets. Technically, it’s considered a “finishing rub” that you’re supposed to apply toward the end of cooking, preferably mixed into a vinegar-and-water solution. Make sure you read the directions to get it right.
Big Bob Gibson’s Original White Sauce
In Memphis, the sauce is sweet. In the Carolinas, it’s vinegary. And in Alabama? In Alabama, it’s . Which sounds weird, but if you’re an Alabamian, it’s the only way to go. For non-Alabama natives, this is definitely a love-it-or-hate-it thing. It’s quite vinegary, with horseradish and lemon juice rounding out the intense flavor profile. It meshes best with grilled chicken and fish, less so with pork.
Elvio’s Chimichurri
is sometimes called the ketchup of Argentina, but it’s way more sophisticated. Full of robust herbs, garlic, and fruity olive oil, chimichurri is served alongside prime cuts of grilled meats in South America, not squeezed out of packets at the local fast-food joint. Dip your steaks or grilled veggies in this, or use it as a marinade—just make sure your significant other does the same: It’s got a serious garlic afterburn.
Spiceologist Cowboy Crust Espresso Chile Rub
Espresso and coffee grounds are becoming a popular rub ingredient for the deep, earthy flavors they impart (also, most of us have no shortage of them on hand). combines Thomas Hammer Fireball Espresso grounds with cayenne, coriander, ancho chiles, sugar, and salt. It’s especially good on lamb, venison, and elk.
Penzeys Berbere Seasoning
This fiery is often used in doro wat and other traditional Ethiopian stews, but it’s also delicious when rubbed directly on meat. Sprinkle onto lamb chops or a butterflied goat leg during the final few minutes of grilling.
Blues Hog Barbeque Sauce
Created in the hills of Tennessee, is one of Delpha’s two favorite sauces. Actually, he likes to mix an equal portion of this sauce with . “Together, you just get a really good balance,” he says.
Hela Curry Gewurz Ketchup
Delpha says the Germans are onto something with their . He likes to use this as a marinade, and then finish the meat with a curry-based sauce. It’s also awesome on grilled sausages and hamburgers. “Curry just adds this interesting flavor,” he says, adding that he thinks curry ketchup may be America’s next obsession.