Meat Rubs and Spice Blends for a Gift

August 15, 2014 8:43 PM

Please recommend me your favorite meat rubs and spice blends (pre-packaged, not homemade) that will make grilled or braised meat taste AMAZING.

My brother has really taken up a love of grilling, and is slowly turning into a foodie when it comes to meat. He mostly eats red meat, and pork (braised pork belly is a favorite). He's never been an adventurous eater, and still isn't, but... if you put it on a steak he'll probably eat it.

I want to gift him a collection of different rubs and spice blends. I don't grill at all, don't eat red meat very often, and always season everything myself so I don't have any favorites. I normally get my spices from Penzeys and noticed they have a number of steak seasoning blends, but I'd rather get personal recommendations from food-loving mefites than guess.

(I don't want to make spices/rubs from scratch, so I'm not looking for recipes. Just favorite purchased items. Thanks!)

posted by subject_verb_remainder to Food & Drink (12 answers total)

The Savory Spice Shop has a number of rubs. My sister gave me this gift pack for my birthday. The 'Pikes Peak Butcher's Rub' was particularly good.

For pre-packaged, I've had good results recently with the basic Stubbs rub (http://www.stubbsbbq.com/) from Whole Foods.
posted by dws at 9:19 PM on August 15, 2014

I like World Spice's blends a lot. Here's their "good on beef' selection. I've used many of them-- baharat, smokey bbq, the chili powders, Quebecois steak mix. They're all good. They also have gift packs.
posted by sevenless at 11:10 PM on August 15, 2014

Red meat? Grilling? Get him some baharat. You'll find it in spice shops or middle eastern markets.
posted by Trivia Newton John at 11:26 PM on August 15, 2014

Oh my gosh, this here Char Crust is heavenly and delicious that I'm salivating just thinking about it.

Roasted Garlic Peppercorn is so, so, so good!

I should work for them, that's how much I love it.
posted by DeltaForce at 12:12 AM on August 16, 2014

Santa Maria spice rub, for central California style tri-tip, is my favorite grill spice BY FAR.
posted by sleeping bear at 1:11 AM on August 16, 2014

Head Country for beef, pork, or chicken. Top Secret Fish Rub for chicken or fish.
posted by neushoorn at 2:03 AM on August 16, 2014

I have a soft spot for Paul Prudhomme's Poultry Magic and always have it in my kitchen. If your brother would like to burn some fish on the grill (because who doesn't like to burn stuff?), the fish blackening mix is great, too, even though it is out of fashion. Fuck fashion.
posted by Foam Pants at 4:08 AM on August 16, 2014

jer's rubs!
posted by nadawi at 6:34 AM on August 16, 2014

Look for a list of the most famous, delicious barbecue restaurants and then order the rubs/sauces from their websites. I got a jar of Oklahoma Joe's All Purpose BBQ Seasoning the last time I was in Kansas City.
posted by CathyG at 8:45 AM on August 16, 2014

Midyett Premium Rub.
posted by FrauMaschine at 5:51 PM on August 16, 2014

Everything I've had from The Spice Hose has been good. This is probably a good gift for your brother.
http://www.thespicehouse.com/spices/grill-and-barbecue-gift-box#content
posted by Morydd at 5:21 AM on August 17, 2014

We like the Weber Grill spices here. I've gotten them at Costco and Sam's. Traeger also makes some good stuff, but I've only ordered from their online site. And if he likes grilling, Traegers are a-maz-ing. It's a wood pellet grill. We use ours multiple times a week.
posted by kathrynm at 9:56 AM on August 17, 2014