10 Essential Marinades, Brines, and BBQ Rubs You Can't Miss

There’s no excuse for cooking a premium cut of meat without seasoning. Adding a burst of flavor to your favorite dishes can completely transform your meals.

For those who plan meals in advance, marinades are an excellent choice for grilling. Typically composed of vinegar or wine, oil, spices, and herbs, they are used to soak meats, seafood, and poultry for hours—sometimes even a full day—before cooking. Brines, which are water-and-salt mixtures infused with spices and herbs, work best for meats like pork or turkey that tend to dry out on the grill or in the oven. Dry or wet rubs, made from spices and occasionally oil, are applied directly to the meat to enhance flavor and tenderness.

Whether you're a beginner in the kitchen struggling with dry meats or a seasoned chef with years of expertise, these 10 essential marinade, brine, and rub recipes are a must-have for every cook.

10: Steak Marinade

This straightforward steak marinade is both delicious and convenient. Perfect for those who don’t enjoy planning meals in advance, this recipe requires just five common ingredients: garlic, onion, steak sauce, lemon juice, and vegetable oil. With no need for a grocery run, you can effortlessly prepare a flavorful, well-seasoned steak.

A top-rated recipe from Marinade.com suggests coating your meat in the marinade and letting it sit overnight. Grill the London broil the following day, or use the marinade as a finishing sauce to enhance the flavor of cooked steaks.

Ingredients

Directions

Combine garlic, onion, lemon juice, steak sauce, and vegetable oil in a bowl. Let the London broil soak in the mixture overnight for maximum flavor.

9: Chicken Skewers with Peanut-ginger Marinade

This marinade offers a delightful blend of sweet, tangy, and salty flavors, thanks to fresh ingredients like orange zest, pure orange juice, and grated ginger. For a quicker or more budget-friendly version, substitute store-bought orange juice, use a fine cheese grater for zest, and replace fresh ginger with powdered ginger. These adjustments maintain the marinade's appeal while simplifying preparation.

The Food Network's Aida Mollenkamp suggests serving chicken skewers with her peanut-ginger marinade for a flavorful twist.

Ingredients

Directions

Blend orange juice, orange zest, peanut butter, sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes until smooth. Place the chicken in a sealed plastic bag with the marinade and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes, but no more than eight hours.

8: Barbecue Chicken Marinade

The Barbecue Chicken Marinade from Recipe Source combines sherry, dry vermouth, and a blend of herbs for a rich flavor profile. Opt for high-quality sherry, though cooking sherry works as a substitute. This marinade requires only a few hours to infuse the chicken, unlike others that need overnight soaking. It can also double as a serving sauce or basting liquid, but be cautious when basting, as the vegetable oil in the mixture may ignite on hot coals.

Ingredients

Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and let the chicken marinate for approximately three hours before placing it on the grill.

7: Teriyaki Marinade

This teriyaki marinade from Cooks.com is a timeless favorite, suitable for cooks of all skill levels. With just four simple ingredients, you can create a versatile marinade perfect for stir-frying, grilling, or baking. It pairs wonderfully with onions, bell peppers, pineapple, beef kabobs, burgers, tofu, and chicken. For baked chicken, let it soak in the marinade in a pan for tender, juicy results.

Ingredients

Directions

Mix all the ingredients and let your meat or vegetables marinate for at least one hour.

6: All-purpose Brine for Smoked Meats

Brines are renowned for enhancing the tenderness and juiciness of meats, and this all-purpose brine from Stephan Pyles' cookbook "The New Texas Cuisine" is no exception. Ideal for smoking large quantities of meat, it requires a 24-hour marination in the refrigerator to ensure the meat stays moist during smoking. Adjust the salt level to your preference, or experiment with ingredients like sugar or bay leaves to customize the flavor.

Ingredients

Directions

Combine all ingredients in a pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and let the mixture simmer for five minutes. Cover the pot and allow it to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, add the meat and refrigerate for 24 hours.

5: Honey Brined Turkey

This Honey Brined Turkey recipe from Culinary Cafe makes turkey a dish worth enjoying beyond Thanksgiving. Its unique blend of ingredients—two bunches of fresh thyme, eight garlic cloves, and a generous amount of honey—creates a flavorful brine that deeply infuses the meat during the marinating process.

Ingredients

Directions

Mix the ingredients thoroughly, ensuring the salt and honey dissolve completely in the water. Place the turkey in a plastic bag, pour the brine over it, and seal the bag. Let it marinate in the refrigerator for 12 to 18 hours.

4: Pork Brine

While salt and sugar are common in brines, this pork-specific recipe stands out with apple cider vinegar as its star ingredient, adding a unique tang. Suitable for any pork cut, it requires just 15 minutes of prep and two hours of marinating, making it ideal for quick grilling or pan-frying. According to Allrecipes.com, each serving is a healthy 311 calories, 5.7 grams of fat, and 100 mg of cholesterol, offering a lighter alternative to calorie-laden store-bought sauces.

Ingredients

Directions

Heat the vinegar until it boils. In a separate plastic bowl with a lid, mix salt, brown sugar, peppercorns, and mustard powder. Pour the hot vinegar into the mixture and stir until everything dissolves. Let it steep for 10 minutes, then add ice cubes and stir until melted. Place the meat in the bowl, seal it, and refrigerate for two hours.

3: Caribbean Wet Jerk Rub

Some key ingredients in this Caribbean rub, like Jamaican pimento, English thyme, and Jamaican scallions, might be hard to find locally but are essential for authenticity. Jamaican pimento, similar to allspice but more intense, and the specific varieties of thyme and scallions add unique flavors that set this rub apart.

In their book "Traveling Jamaica with Knife, Fork & Spoon: A Righteous Guide to Jamaican Cookery," Robb Walsh and Jay McCarthy provide the recipe for Caribbean Wet Jerk Rub. This rub not only delivers authentic flavors but also has a long shelf life, lasting for months. It’s perfect for making in bulk or gifting in a decorative jar for a thoughtful, personalized present.

Ingredients

Directions Combine all ingredients into a thick, chunky paste. Store the rub in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three months.

2: Chipotle Rub

This Chipotle Rub, also known as Mexican Potpourri, gets its distinctive flavor from fried chipotle peppers. To avoid bitterness, fry the peppers briefly, turning them once and removing them once they puff up (about a minute). A food processor and a coffee grinder or spice mill are essential for grinding ingredients like garlic, oregano, and salt.

Epicurean.com's Chipotle Rub is versatile, perfect for enhancing seafood, pork, corn, green beans, and more. It also adds depth to sauces, stews, and salads. Since the recipe yields only 1/2 cup, consider making extra to keep on hand.

Ingredients

Directions

Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat. Fry the chilies until they puff up and turn brown. Remove excess oil and let them cool. Grind the chilies into a powder, then blend with salt, oregano, and garlic in a food processor. If the mixture is wet, spread it thinly on a baking sheet and bake at 150°F (65°C) for one hour. Store the rub in an airtight container at room temperature.

1: All-purpose Rub

An all-purpose rub is a kitchen essential for enhancing grilled foods, as it pairs well with almost anything. This recipe from Real Simple magazine and Recipes.com combines cumin, mustard, cinnamon, oregano, and other spices. It’s easy to prepare and cost-effective, using dried spices instead of fresh herbs. Mix with a bit of olive oil to create a paste ideal for rubbing on raw meat, under chicken skin, or on seafood like fish, calamari, or crab.

Ingredients

Directions

Mix all the ingredients in a small bowl. To create a wet rub, add olive oil until the mixture forms a paste.