Get Ready for Grilling: 3 Homemade Seasoning Blends

Editor’s Note: All I can say is YUM! I cannot wait to try the 3 recipes Anglea, from Joyously Domestic, is here to share with us today. We just fired up the grill (and saw our lawn without snow on it) for the first time this week.

For much of the country, the temperature outside has begun to warm up now that spring is officially upon us. Grilling season is right around the corner!

There’s nothing quite like enjoying a summertime meal that has been cooked on the grill. Spice blends and seasoning mixes can bring a ton of zip and flavor to grilled meats and veggies. I rarely use store-bought seasoning mixes and opt, instead, to make them from-scratch.

Why Make Your Own Seasoning Blends?

Making your own homemade spice blends ensures that you’ll know exactly what ingredients you’re including in the meals you serve your family. If you pay close attention to the ingredients in most store-bought seasoning or spice mixes, you’ll often find MSG, additives and anti-caking agents galore.

Making your own homemade spice blends, also, allows you to control the ingredients and adapt them to your liking. If you’re a real garlic lover, go heavy on the garlic salt, powder or flakes. If you like things nice and spicy, add in a good amount of cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper flakes.

Make small batches of spice mixes as you need them or make up large batches, so you’ll have what you need on hand for grilling season.

The Best Places to Shop for Spices

If you can find a reputable health-food store or a co-op that sells spices in bulk in your area, shopping for spices there is the way to go in my opinion. You can purchase exactly what you need in the quantities needed (and they are often less-expensive compared to typical grocery store prices). For example, I purchased around a half-cup of dried lemon peel for only seventy-two cents. There are also many online bulk spice stores.

How to Store Spice Mixes

I prefer to store my homemade spice blends in mason jars. It’s the same way I store all of my dried herbs and spices. I converted my spice collection over to a Mason jar storage system last month and it’s made a world of difference for me.

Just be sure to label the jars with the type of spice mix and any instructions for use as applicable. Glass shaker spice jars can, also, be purchased online and in kitchenware stores.

My Top 3 Seasoning Mix Recipes

Below you’ll find the three spice mixes that I tend to keep on hand year round, which are heavily used during grilling season in the Joyously Domestic household. The recipes can easily be doubled or tripled to make enough mixes for several uses. How much seasoning mix you’ll need each time you grill will, obviously, depend on what you’re grilling and the size/quantity of ingredients being grilled.

Basic Grill Seasoning Blend

This works well as a basic seasoning mix for most any type of grilled steaks, chops, chicken, fish or even veggies. I use it mostly as a dry rub, but sometimes sprinkle some into a blend of olive oil and fresh citrus juice to make a wet marinade.

1/8 cup kosher or other coarse salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 tablespoon onion powder

1 1/2 tablespoons garlic flakes

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon red bell pepper flakes*

1 tablespoon parsley flakes

*BONUS TIP: Make your own red bell pepper flakes by coring and seeding a red bell pepper, then dicing into small pieces. Spread the pieces onto a parchment-lined baking sheet in an even layer and allow to dry out for a few hours in the oven set to its lowest setting (mine is around 150 degrees). Rotate pan a couple of times throughout the drying process. Once the peppers appear nearly dry, turn off oven and open the oven door. Allow peppers to rest in oven for about another hour. Be sure they are completely dried prior to adding them to the spice mix or storing. One pepper yields about 1/4 cup of dried flakes. If you desire the flakes a little smaller once dried, they can be smashed a bit with a rolling pin or mallet while in a plastic food storage bag. Dried red bell pepper flakes can also be purchased.

Spice Blend for Fajitas

This works great on grilled skirt steak, chicken or shrimp to be used for fajitas. The chicken, steak or shrimp can also be used in a taco salad or Mexican rice bowl. I often squeeze fresh lime juice onto the meat, then rub on this spice blend prior to grilling.

2 tablespoons mild chili powder

1 tablespoon kosher or other coarse salt

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne (or a hearty pinch of crushed red pepper flakes)

1 teaspoon dried oregano (I prefer Mexican oregano)

1 teaspoon onion powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 tablespoon onion flakes

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

Pinch of ground cloves

Seafood Seasoning Blend

This is fabulous for grilled fish or shrimp. Grilling fish can be tricky, so I often opt for using a grilling basket or use skewers for shrimp.

1 tablespoon kosher or other coarse salt

1 tablespoon black pepper

1 teaspoon paprika

1 teaspoon garlic flakes

1 tablespoon lemon peel

1 teaspoon dried dill weed

Directions for Making and Using Seasoning Blends: Combine ingredients until well-blended. (Optional: pulse the ingredients in a small food processor or spice mill if you’d like a less-coarse blend. I sometimes use my mortar and pestle for this task.) Store in an airtight container until ready to use. Rub or sprinkle onto meat. Allow meat to rest in fridge (for a few hours or up to overnight) with spice mix applied prior to grilling. The spice blends can, also, be added to an olive oil and fresh citrus juice blend to create a wet marinade. (Oil grill grates as needed prior to grilling.)

NOTE: These spice blends, also, make great gifts for the avid griller in your life. Just package the spice blends up in Mason jars (with homemade tags) and include them with some grilling utensils, an apron, a meat thermometer and/or some good-quality bottled grilling sauces.

For more recipe inspiration, check out Joyously Domestic’s Recipe Index to browse through a listing of Angela’s recipes by category. You may, also, want to check out one of her latest posts, Mexican Pulled Pork, to see how she used her homemade Spice Blend for Fajitas to make tender, fall-part pork for tacos in the slow cooker.