I get this question all the time, “How and what do you season your meats with for grilling and smoking?” So, here is my go to suggestions and what I do.

Focus on one ingredient spices.

In other words, garlic powder is just garlic. Or use real minced garlic. Just make sure you pay attention to the ingredient list on the container. If it’s one ingredient, go for it.

What type of spices do I usually use? I keep it simple! Onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, sea salt, oregano, basil, ground cumin, ground mustard, paprika, etc.

Marinades??

The same rules apply here too. Stick to marinades where you can pronounce and understand what is in them. I like to use Braggs Liquid Amino, soy sauce (low sodium), fresh squeezed lime or lemon juice, etc.

When I smoke my meats, I use dry rubs, never any sauces. Here is a secret though, use mustard as an adhesive. This will help all the spices stick to the meat and when its done, you will not taste the mustard at all. I coat the meat with mustard and rub it all around, add my spices, and rub it again. Its that simple.

What to not use:

Avoid using anything with these words in them.

-anything with hydrogenation, hydrolyzed, monosodium glutamate (MSG), sugar (especially if weight loss is your goal), artificial sweeteners, phosphoric acid, artificial flavors, colors and dyes, sulfites, nitrites, nitrates, sodium & calcium caseinate, etc. These are just a few of the big ones, but there are a lot, and now a days, they are in disguise. Just keep it simple, one ingredients.

Stay on the Hunt & Happy Cooking!