Spice up your barbecue with your own herb blend: the base is garlic, onion, and herbs

Barbecues are an integral part of summer. They are usually social events centered around enjoying delicious food. We can grill various types of meat and vegetables. To bring out their flavor, we use all sorts of barbecue seasonings, which we usually buy at the store. But be careful—they’re full of all sorts of preservatives, colorings, and chemicals that aren’t exactly good for our health. Yet you can make your own natural barbecue seasoning mix, which will give your grilled dishes an extraordinary flavor.

Be Careful with Salt

The base of most store-bought barbecue seasonings is salt and pepper. If you decide to mix your own blend, it’s best to go easy on the salt or skip it entirely and use dried onion and garlic as the base for your homemade seasoning. You’ll achieve an unbeatable flavor mainly by using individual types of herbs.

How to prepare a barbecue seasoning mix?

When mixing your own barbecue seasoning, you can use a combination of herbs you like, and trust that they will give the final dish an irresistible and unique flavor. Try, for example, mixing a barbecue seasoning for meat. You’ll need half a teaspoon of pepper, 2 teaspoons of smoked paprika, 1 teaspoon of dried garlic, 1 teaspoon of dried onion, 1 teaspoon of dried thyme, and half a teaspoon of brown sugar. Mix all the ingredients together and store them in a well-sealed jar. You won’t need any salt at all in this case. If needed, mix the blend with a little oil and you can marinate the meat. To enhance the flavor of the meat, we recommend using fresh thyme as well.

Photo: Radek Stepan

Spice up your vegetables too

Do you love grilled vegetables? The best types for grilling are undoubtedly zucchini, bell peppers, eggplant, onions, and mushrooms. You can enhance the flavor of vegetables and mushrooms with your own seasoning. Mix 1 teaspoon of dried basil, 1 teaspoon of marjoram, half a teaspoon of lovage, and a pinch of ground white pepper. Don’t forget to add a teaspoon each of ground garlic and onion. If you like a spicy flavor, you can mix in a pinch of cayenne pepper or hot red pepper flakes.

If you have a herb garden, always use fresh herbs for your barbecue marinade. The most popular include basil, marjoram, thyme, and oregano.

FAQ – Frequently asked questions about grilling

What spices can be used as a substitute for salt?

Dried onion and garlic.

Which herb enhances the flavor of meat?

Thyme.

Which vegetables are best suited for grilling?

Zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, onions, and mushrooms.

Sources: Author

Featured photo: Pixabay