The start of grilling season is finally here, which means months of juicy, flavorful meats will be hitting your dinner table in no time. Whether you’re cooking up a batch of homemade burgers for your family on a Friday night or smoking sticky-sweet ribs and brisket for a holiday weekend, one of the best ways to build flavor in your food is with dry rubs and marinades. Both can help transform an otherwise ordinary cut of meat into a truly special main course for summer entertaining. But each one has different benefits, depending on what you want the end result to be. Read on to learn the differences between dry rubs and marinades before your next grilling session.
What Is a Dry Rub?
A dry rub refers to any type of dried spice mix that is used to season meat, which can help improve both the texture and flavor of your cuts and chops. Ree Drummond’s go-to steak rub is made with a combination of salt, paprika, black pepper, garlic powder, brown sugar, onion powder, and cumin. “Ladd and I usually keep things simple when it comes to steak—just salt and pepper, or maybe a dash of lemon pepper. But this homemade steak rub? It’s a game-changer,” Ree says.
She recommends bringing your steak (or similar cuts of meat) to room temperature for about 30 minutes and seasoning with the dry rub. In that time, the spices will penetrate the meat and create layers of flavor in every bite. The sugar will also caramelize nicely on the grill, leading to a perfect outer crust.
Even if you don’t follow Ree’s recipe exactly, it’s a good idea to use a combination of salty, sweet, and spicy dried spices to create a well-balanced dry rub for your meat. Feel free to play around with some of your favorite spices and customize the blend based on whether you’re cooking red meat, pork, or chicken.
What Is a Marinade?
A marinade refers to any type of wet mixture that can be used to help penetrate different cuts of meat with layers of flavor. Whereas dry rubs should be applied shortly before cooking, meats can (and should!) marinate for several hours or even up to overnight for the best flavor, which makes them a great make-ahead option for dinner. The one exception to this rule is shrimp or thin-cut pieces of fish, particularly when using citrus-based marinades; you shouldn’t marinate those types of seafood for more than one hour or you may risk them becoming soggy and even potentially partially cooking in the acidic marinade (like ceviche).
Ree has shared a number of different marinade recipes including some for fajitas, steak, and chicken, which she makes using basic pantry staples so that they’re easy and all-purpose. Some cuts of steak are better candidates for marinating than others; she notes that flank steak, skirt steak, and sirloin are great options for marinades because they benefit from added flavor and tenderizing, but premium cuts like a ribeye or filet mignon don’t need to be marinated.
When you’re ready to cook, you can just throw the meat directly on the grill or skillet—no need to rinse it off!
