A great summer on the grill starts with great seasoning in the cabinet. When the right BBQ rubs are already in your pantry, every impromptu cookout, weeknight grill session, and backyard gathering is ready to go the moment someone says “let’s fire it up.”
The blends you keep on hand shape the kind of cook or pitmaster you are all summer long—the smoke profiles you reach for, the bark you build on a long brisket, the way a simple grilled chicken thigh becomes something worth talking about.
To help you stock your grilling pantry, we rounded up our favorite BBQ rubs and seasonings for the summer, organized by protein, with a few ways to get extra mileage out of each blend along the way.
Best Seasonings for Burgers
For Smash Burgers & Backyard Cheeseburgers: West Coast Burger Blend
Most burger seasonings end up mixed into the meat, but West Coast Burger Blend was built for the outside—applied generously right before the patties hit a ripping-hot grill or griddle. Roasted garlic, toasted onion, sea salt, and two kinds of black peppercorns create a deeply savory crust as the burger sears, while a touch of sugar and citric acid add subtle brightness that balances the char.
The result is crispy, flavorful edges and bold flavor all the way through, without weighing down the beef. Works equally well on smash burgers, turkey burgers, and veggie patties.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Mix a teaspoon into softened butter, chill it, and slice onto hot burgers or grilled corn straight off the fire for an instant upgrade.
For Bold, Simple Seasoning: Santa Maria Butcher’s Rub
California’s Santa Maria BBQ tradition is built on restraint—coarse salt, cracked pepper, garlic, and parsley, applied generously and cooked over high heat. This blend follows that same philosophy. The coarse grey sea salt and large-cut black pepper create real texture on the surface of the meat, building a flavorful crust whether you’re cooking burgers, pork, or chicken.
It’s also one of the most versatile seasonings on this list. Keep it at the grill all summer and reach for it any time something needs bold, unfussy seasoning with no sweetness involved.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Try it as a dry brine—season burgers or chicken at least an hour before grilling and let the salt do its work before the heat does.
Looking for even more burger inspiration? Check out our burger seasoning guide for more grilling ideas, toppings, and cookout favorites.
Best BBQ Rubs for Chicken
For Classic Sweet & Smoky BBQ Chicken: Sweet Heat BBQ Chicken Rub
The sticky, caramelized exterior on great BBQ chicken isn’t an accident—it’s the brown sugar in a well-built rub doing exactly what it’s supposed to do over direct heat. Sweet Heat BBQ Chicken Rub brings together brown sugar, paprika, garlic, cayenne, and sea salt to build that lacquered, deep-color crust on chicken thighs, wings, and drumsticks that looks as good as it tastes.
The cayenne keeps things interesting without pushing the heat too far, making it an easy crowd-pleaser across a wide range of palates. Works grilled direct or smoked low-and-slow.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Stir a tablespoon into equal parts honey and apple cider vinegar for a quick glaze to brush on during the last few minutes of grilling.
If chicken is the centerpiece of your summer grilling, explore more flavors, ideas, and grilling tips in our guide to the best BBQ rubs for chicken on the grill.
For Bright, Citrusy Grilled Chicken: Pyramid Peak Lemon Pepper
Lemon pepper is a grill staple, but most versions stop at tart and peppery. Pyramid Peak goes deeper. Underneath the bright lemon and bold black pepper, there’s a full supporting cast—fenugreek, thyme, coriander, cumin, ginger, and a whisper of cinnamon—that adds aromatic warmth and keeps it from tasting flat. The result is a lemon pepper seasoning with real layers that holds up to the grill instead of fading into the background.
Use it as a dry rub on chicken thighs, wings, or spatchcock chicken, or as a finishing seasoning on anything coming off the grill that needs a bright, peppery lift.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Whisk two teaspoons with two tablespoons of vinegar and a third cup of olive oil for a lemon pepper vinaigrette that doubles as a marinade or salad dressing.
Best Rib Rubs for Summer Grilling
For Deep Smokehouse Flavor: Platte Smokehouse Rib Rub
Named after our original Platte Street spice shop in Denver, this is the rib rub that started a lot of conversations. Hickory smoke, warm spices, and a careful balance of sweet and savory build the kind of deep, lingering barbecue flavor that makes a rack of ribs taste like it’s been smoking for hours—because it has. The smokiness doesn’t overwhelm; it settles in and lets the pork stay front and center.
Beyond ribs, it pulls equal weight on pork shoulder, smoked chicken, and beef. One jar covers a lot of ground all summer.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Apply the night before and let the rub sit uncovered in the fridge overnight. The salt draws moisture to the surface and back in, seasoning the meat deeper before it ever sees smoke.
For Tennessee-Style Sweet & Savory Ribs: Memphis Rib Rub
Memphis BBQ has always been about the rub, not the sauce—and Memphis Rib Rubdelivers that tradition in a jar. Brown and white sugar form a sweet base that builds a beautiful caramelized bark over the smoker, while paprika, garlic, chiles, cumin, thyme, and rosemary layer in savory, herbal depth that keeps the sweetness grounded. It’s one of our Founders’ Favorites, and the blend they reach for most when smoking rib tips and spare ribs.
The sugary bark is the payoff here: when you pull the rack and it flexes just to the point where the meat’s about to crack, you’ll know it worked.
- Summer Grilling Tip: After the first two hours on the smoker, wrap the ribs tightly in foil with a splash of apple juice to lock in moisture, then unwrap for the final hour to let the bark firm up and set.
Want to go deeper on rib seasoning, smoking techniques, and flavor profiles? Explore our guide to the best BBQ rib rubs for smoking and grilling.
Best Seasonings for Smoking Brisket
For Texas-Style Brisket: Texas Brisket Rub
Texas brisket is built on simplicity—coarse pepper, salt, garlic, and time. This blend starts from that foundation and adds just enough to build bark without getting in the way of the smoke and beef. The extra-coarse black pepper creates real texture on the surface that holds up through a long cook, and the salt-forward profile pulls moisture to the surface in the first stages of smoking, creating the conditions for a thick, chewy bark as the brisket rides out the stall.
If you’ve been working toward a brisket that slices cleanly and has serious exterior color, this is the rub to have in your rotation.
- Summer Grilling Tip: This coarse rub also works beautifully on beef short ribs—season generously and smoke at 275°F until the meat pulls back from the bone and probes like butter.
For Building Better Bark: Cue Glue
Southern pitmasters have long used mustard as a binder—not for flavor, but for function. Cue Glue takes that tradition, inspired by Texas-style brisket slathers made with mustard and pickle juice, and turns it into something you can pull off the shelf instead of mixing from scratch. A thin layer before your dry rub keeps seasoning from sliding off during long cooks and helps lock moisture in the outer layer of the meat as the bark forms.
The tang disappears entirely during the cook, leaving nothing behind but better bark.
- Pitmaster Tip: Cue Glue works under any coarse BBQ seasoning on this list—try it under Memphis Rib Rub or Platte Smokehouse for an extra-set crust on ribs and pork shoulder.
Best Steak Rubs for the Grill
For Steakhouse Flavor at Home: Guard and Grace Steak Rub
Chef Troy Guard’s collaboration blend brings the balance that separates a great steakhouse rub from a generic one. Salt, pepper, garlic, and warm spices are expected—but the sumac is what makes this one different. Bright, lightly tart, and citrusy without adding any actual citrus, sumac keeps the rub from going too heavy while helping the sear develop cleanly over high heat. The result is a crust with real depth that works on ribeye, strip steak, and grilled vegetables alike.
Apply generously before the steak hits the grill and let the surface dry slightly for a cleaner sear and better crust formation.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Try as a finishing seasoning after the sear rather than before to preserve the brightness of the sumac and keep the citrus notes forward.
For Bold Montreal-Style Flavor: Hudson Bay Beef Spice
Montreal seasoning is one of the most enduring steak rub traditions in North America, and Hudson Bay Beef Spice is our take on it—built around sea salt, cracked black and white pepper, garlic, and onion, with coriander, caraway, rosemary, and thyme adding layers that a straight salt-and-pepper rub can’t match. The coriander in particular delivers bursts of flavor as the crust builds, making every bite slightly different. Plus it’s sugar-free, so there’s no risk of burning over high heat.
Works beautifully as a rub or a marinade base, and holds up just as well on tri-tip and prime rib as it does on a weeknight ribeye.
- Summer Grilling Tip: For a quick marinade, mix one to two tablespoons with a quarter cup red wine, a quarter cup balsamic vinegar, and a half cup of olive oil—great for flank steak or skirt steak going straight to a hot grill.
Best Seafood Rubs for Summer Grilling
For Cedar Plank Salmon & Smoky Seafood: Pearl St. Salmon Rub
Cedar plank salmon is one of the best things you can put on a summer grill, and Pearl St. Salmon Rub was designed specifically for it. Maple sweetness, smoky paprika, garlic, mustard, and chile heat come together in a blend that caramelizes into a beautiful lacquer as the salmon steams and smokes over the soaked plank. The sweetness plays off the smokiness of the cedar, and the chile heat cuts through the richness of the fish without overwhelming it.
This blend also travels well beyond the plank—try it on grilled shrimp skewers, scallops, and salmon burgers throughout the season.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Soak your cedar plank in water for at least an hour before grilling, then season the salmon generously and cook low and slow over indirect heat for 15-20 minutes. No flipping required.
For Bright, Tropical Citrus Flavor: Barrier Reef Caribbean Mix
Named for the Barrier Reef in Belize, this salt-free blend builds its flavor around a tropical trio: brown sugar, chile heat, and a layered citrus combination of orange peel, lemon peel, and makrut lime leaves. Nutmeg, mace, ginger, and cloves round it out with island-style warmth that works especially well on grilled fish, shrimp, and chicken. Because it’s salt-free, it layers easily over any base seasoning without risking over-salting—especially useful on delicate proteins.
The dried citrus peel rehydrates beautifully over the grill, blooming as it cooks and bringing brightness that feels fresh rather than heavy.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Stir a tablespoon of Barrier Reef into a splash of rum with a squeeze of fresh lime for a quick island-inspired glaze to brush on shrimp or halibut in the final minutes of grilling.
Best Seasonings for Grilled Vegetables & Other Sides
For Any Vegetable, Any Night: Pikes Peak Butcher’s Rub
Originally built as a butcher-style rub for beef and pork, Pikes Peak Butcher’s Rub earns its place in the vegetable section because the same qualities that make it great on meat—salt, pepper, garlic, green onion, herbs, and bell pepper—translate directly to the grill vegetables need. Zucchini, mushrooms, asparagus, eggplant, and thick-cut onions all benefit from a savory, herb-forward rub that doesn’t overpower their natural flavor.
Keep it at the grill all summer as a do-everything seasoning. It bridges the gap between your proteins and your sides so the whole spread feels cohesive.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Toss halved mushrooms and thick zucchini slices in olive oil and Pikes Peak Butcher’s Rub, then grill over medium-high heat until charred. Serve alongside whatever protein is already on the grates.
For Bright Herb & Lemon Flavor: Garden Harvest Seasoning
Garden Harvest keeps it simple: white onion, black pepper, lemon peel, salt, French thyme, and roasted garlic. That’s the whole list—and it’s exactly enough. The thyme and lemon brighten the onion base in a way that makes grilled vegetables taste more like themselves rather than like whatever spice blend happened to be nearby. It’s one of our Founders’ favorites for grilled sweet corn in the summer, and it shines on anything that comes straight from the garden to the grates.
Works on potatoes in any form, green beans, squash, corn on the cob, and fresh tomato slices. A seasoning that’s at home on the grill and the table.
- Summer Grilling Tip: Pull ears of corn from the grill, brush with butter, and shake Garden Harvest Seasoning directly over the top before serving. The heat from the corn blooms the herbs and garlic instantly.
Your Summer Grilling Pantry, Stocked
The best summer grilling doesn’t require a different rub for every occasion — it requires the right ones. A well-stocked grilling pantry gives you range: something smoky for low-and-slow days, something bright for weeknight chicken, something bold and simple for the days you just want to throw a steak on the grates and not think too hard about it.
Whether your summer leans toward backyard smoker sessions, fast weeknight grilling, or feeding a crowd with a spread that covers everything, these blends have the flavor range to go wherever the season takes you.
