Anyone try the McCormick line of rubs?

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mummel

Master of the Pit
Original poster
Apr 8, 2015
2,294
64
Massachusetts
I was at our local store this weekend researching rubs.  All they had were some McCormick Grill Mates rubs.  Are these any good or is it cheaper / best to make your own?  TY.
 
I use the grill mates Montreal steak rub on steaks, burgers or any type of beef when I'm in a hurry. It's not my go to but it's not bad. I would assume that the others would be OK. It's not cheaper to make your own, but you don't buy a Mercedes for the gas mileage. I like to make my own because I can tinker around with the recipe. Jeff's rub and sauce are some of the best anywhere, but I still tweek them to better suit my family's taste. At the end of the day, it's all personal preference. Joe
 
My go to is SPOG (salt, pepper, onion, garlic) sometimes I throw in some Paprika and Cayenne pepper. Jeffs rub's and sauces are great too. I did use McCormick when I first started this hobby but when I read the ingredients some of them are WTF? so I stopped.

I mainly cook beef and pork, sometimes chicken, and when my wife and daughter ask I cook them fish. There are a ton of rub recipes on this site that others have posted for just about anything you can think of. IMO homemade rubs are the best because they don't have all that crap that commercial ones put in for filler, preservation, etc....
 
Well said, Tom. I forgot about my SPOG. it's always there. Sometimes my wife likes baby backs with just a little SPOG.
 
I've used McCormick's a number of times, and it was always good, but expensive.

I use very little Rub, because I don't do a lot of Pork or Chicken, and I only use Worcestershire, and POG on Beef.

The very little Rub I use on Pork & Chicken is usually from a Buddy of mine.

Bear
 
The Montreal is way too salty for my tastes anymore I can't hardly stand it.

I use a lot of garlic pepper as its a great mix then I'll add other stuff to it plus it has a little salt.

Of course I mostly am seasoning Steaks and haven't smoked much recently. Another one I found at sams club is seasoned pepper it's just a straight pepper blend no slat at all. Was great on my jerky.

Another new one I'm playing with is siracha garlic I think it's tones it has almost replaced garlic pepper in my house
 
 
Bear if you had to pick one of these for ribs, which one should I grab?
Awww, That's hard to say---Probably the Applewood Rub, but I'd only use any of them for Pork or Chicken---Never for Beef. Nothing with a lot of sugar in it on Beef.

Also I've tried Montreal a couple times, and we here at the Bear's Den think it tastes like Salty Cardboard.

Bear
 
Hi The Montreal seasoning and the Cowboy rub  are good briskets .. The pork rub is very good for ribs n butts. Tried the Apple one time don't remember the out come.I wish they made larger sizes.Basically rubs are very subjective, depends on what your taste are.

Dan

PS $2.32 for 4oz is a good price.
 
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These are some other options.  What do you guys think will be best to try for ribs?






I've tried the sweet and smokey rub a long time ago on ribs. Didn't care for it. It was good at first but the more I ate of it, the more I tasted cinnamon.

I used to use the cowboy rub on pork chops/chicken on the grill. That one I liked. I liked the bitterness the ground coffee imparted on the meat. It gave a nice little smokey char taste without being burnt.

The applewood would be good on ribs, I liked that one the best of all.

But these days, I try to stick to homemade rubs to control the salt content. I pretty much have a walk-in spice cabinet at my house, there isn't much I can't make!! Lol, my wife gets mad because every time we shopping, because a jar/bottle of something makes its way into the cart.
 
Very rarely o I use a Store bought Rub . Not only too much Salt , but the flavor is off ( probably because it has set for X  amt of time ) .

I either use a Rub of my own and know it's fresh , or a sample I get off the Web. Look around , they're out there...

Have fun and . . .
 
Mummel , when at the Mkt , read the list of ingredients on the Containers . Copy the ingredients and avoid the oddball stuff and lower the Salt . Get

fresh Spices and do your own. go by how they had it , or customize your own . . .

Will have a better Rub . . .
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I have used them all for various meats and they do in a pinch but making your own is better. The like the cowboy rub the best
 
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