Barbecue rubs and marinades: explained

Barbecue season is well and truly upon us - you know what that means, it’s time to move outside and get grilling! This year, we’d like to encourage you to switch up your barbecue seasoning game. Of course, there’s absolutely nothing wrong with using the world’s favourite black pepper and fleur de sel - but perhaps you’re ready to take your barbecue seasoning skills to the next level? If so, keep reading..

Rubs and marinades are tremendous ways to amplify the flavour of whatever you’re grilling on the barbecue. The main difference is simple: rubs are dry and marinades are wet. However, there’s more to it.. Below we’ll explain more in depth the key differences between rubs and marinades and how to use them.

Rubs

Rubs are usually a combination of herbs, spices, salt or sugar which create a layer of delicious crust on top of whatever you’re seasoning. Rubs add flavour at a surface level, rather than a deeper penetration.

When to add a spice rub?

1) Apply the rub by sprinkling it over just before cooking. This will add a milder surface layer of flavour, and is ideal for delicate foods like as fish or barbecued veg.

2) Apply the rub several hours or days before cooking. This way, the flavours will penetrate deeper and is prefered for large pieces of meat and poultry. To apply the rub, gently massage or ‘rub’ it into whatever you’re seasoning.

What ingredients to use in your spice rubs?

Spice rubs are all about balancing sweet and savoury taste sensations. There are four key flavours which you should think about. We recommend starting with a 1:1 ratio, where one half is sugar and the other half is a combination of salt and other spices.

Sweet

It is incredibly popular to use sugar in spice rubs as it creates a caramelisation process which tastes utterly delicious. We recommend using Palmyra Flower Sugar as it not only tastes good, but it’s also the world’s healthiet sugar!

Savoury

When it comes to savoury flavours, there’s so much variety depending on your flavour preferences but aromatic spices are always a good place to start (cumin, coriander seeds, garlic powder, fennel etc).

Spices

This will totally depend on your taste buds! Adding heat can bring a rub alive, this includes anything from dried chillies, chilli powder and cayenne pepper to pepper, ginger powder and wasabi powder.

Salt

It is also recommended to add a good amount of salt to enhance the other flavours (but this can be missed if you need to reduce your salt intake).

Marinades

Marinades are all about the liquid - this involves soaking your meat, fish or veggies in a seasoned liquid before cooking. Unlike rubs, they don’t create an external layer of seasoning - instead, they penetrate deeper beneath the surface level. Marinades help to add moisture and flavour to your meat.

While rubs are all about the sugar, marinades are all about using acidic flavours, including citrus juice, vinegar, or soy sauce. Marinades work best for tougher cuts of meat which need breaking down.

When to use marinades?

You can leave your meat to marinate for anywhere between 20 minutes and 24 hours. But you must be careful with soaking overnight because too much acid will start to denature the meat.

Because the marinade doesn’t create an external layer, you can include more potent flavours and spices. For example, whole crushed garlic cloves,

Try our artisinal barbecue sauce

Our Shibanuma's yakiniku barbecue sauce is absolutely heavenly, you’ll fall in love with it from the very moment it touches your lips. The term “yakiniku” in Japanese means grilled meat but it’s perfect for marinating a variety of foods including meat, fish, tofu and vegetables.

Created at one of Ibaraki prefecture's famous breweries and made from an exclusive blend of rich wood-barrelled raw soy sauce with onion, apple and sansho Japanese pepper, this decadent barbecue sauce makes for a key component in perfecting Japanese grilled barbecue.

Yakiniku barbecue sauce can be applied before or after cooking, and it can be used on the barbecue or on the griddle. Whether you’re new to marinades or not, this is an absolute must-try product.

Ingredients:

Soy sauce (SOY, WHEAT), mirin, sugar, onion, distilled vinegar, apple, garlic, chicken extract, salt, pepper, white sesame, black sesame, red pepper, seasoning