Mouth Watering Grill Seasoning Recipes You Can Make At Home

Summer is here and it is time to up your grilling game! After months of tasty crockpot recipes and soups consumed during the winter it is time to bust out the grill and enjoy cooking outside once again. Nothing beats the smoky flavor of fresh off the grill food whether it is chicken, beef or even pizza!

For years I used a gas grill and was fairly happy with the results....until I switched to a charcoal grill. 

Wow what a difference! 

There are pros and cons to both methods of grilling but in my opinion the charcoal grill is king. If you are the type of griller who likes to turn on the gas, push a button and wallah you are ready to start cooking, a charcoal grill is not for you.

Honestly, when I first started using a charcoal grill it really tested my patience! It takes time for the charcoal to really heat up to the desired temperature so you have to plan ahead a little to make sure the grill is ready to cook your food. 

I would pile up the charcoal briquettes in the bottom of my grill, squirt a little liquid lighter fluid on them, light a match and hope for the best. Nine times out of ten this resulted in a little smoke and nothing else especially no hot coals. I was frustrated to say the least.

...But then my sister-in-law introduced me to a game changing charcoal grill tool that make things much easier!! The charcoal grill chimney fire starter.



This tool is amazing and really gets the coals red hot and ashy quickly which is exactly what you want. If you have never used one of these before here is how you do it:

HOW TO USE A CHIMNEY FIRE STARTER TOOL

• wad up some newspaper and shove it in the bottom of the chimney fire starter
• pour in your charcoal briquettes
• place the chimney starter in your grill on top of the bed where the hot coals will go once they are hot (you do NOT want to start the chimney starter outside of the grill - this could start a fire!)
• douse the charcoal briquettes with lighter fluid and then use a lighter to get the fire going. 

In addition to lighting the lighter fluid on fire I also like to ignite the wadded up newspaper in the bottom. To do this I just stick the end of the lighter into the chimney starter and touch the flame from the lighter to the paper.

The briquettes will smoke and eventually start to turn a little gray and ashy and in the middle there will be a hot red center which is exactly what you want. Now all you have to do us grab the chimney handle (which isn't hot!) and carefully pour the hot coals into a heap in the bottom of the grill. 

You can spread them out a bit too if you don't want the heat centered in one spot. I find it is nice to have the briquettes in one spot which allows for a hot section of the grill and a less hot section. This is helpful when you are grilling different kinds of foods at the same time.

Most grills have an external thermometer so you can monitor the internal grill temp to know when it is time to begin grilling your food. The vent on your grill is helpful when you want to let in more oxygen to increase the temperature or close it a bit to reduce the amount of oxygen which in turn will decrease the internal grill temp. Play around with this to find the ideal venting for your grill.

Now that you have your grill smoking hot it is time to start grilling! Besides hot coals, you want to make sure your meat or vegatables are well seasoned with the right mix of seasonings. Mixing your own grilling seasonings is easy and fun! 

Beware, once you make your own seasoning mixes you will never return to the store bought pre-mixed packets! Here are some recipes and ideas to get you started:

Make Your Own Seasoning Mixes - 

Mouthwatering Homemade Recipes 

You Will Love

A well seasoned steak or chicken breast tastes amazing when cooked on a grill! One of my favorite things to do when grilling is to doctor up the seasonings. Even store bought seasonings can be enhanced to your liking. It is so much fun playing around with different flavors, spices and rubs knowing that the combinations are endless and the results are so tasty!

If you have never made your own seasoning mix I highly suggest you give it a try. My family's favorite seasoning mix is the fajita southwest mix that I use in everything from tacos and fajitas to pot pie and soup. Yep, it is that versatile!

To get you started making your own grill seasoning mixes here are nine fabulous mix recipes you can start with thanks to Gifts.com. Once you've whipped up a few different mixes make sure you store them in an airtight container so they stay fresh longer. This handy set of spice jars comes with airtight shaker lid perfect to store your homemade mixes.

Gifts.com also included seven useful hacks to improve any seasoning which is at the bottom of the handy info graphic so be sure to check it out or Pin for later.

DIY Grill Seasoning Mixes Make Great Gifts

Now that you have mastered the mixing of your own seasonings why not share your creations with others? Package up your latest mix, add a label to the container and give them as gifts to your friends and family. These seasoning mixes make great gifts anytime of the year. Gifts.com has created free printer jar labels and gift tags along with instructions on how to make your own. Click HERE for the link to the labels and gift tags.