20 Marinades, Rubs and Brines for Grilling Season!

A collection of 20 marinades, rubs and brines perfect for grilling season!

Whether you are grilling chicken, meats or seafood you'll find a marinade, a rub or a brine adds just so much flavor! Many tenderize, keep the food juicy and add flavor!

Best marinades for grilling.

Nothing beats an easy marinade to add so much flavor to food! While some of these might specifically say pork or chicken, you can use them on just about any protein and also on veggies!

Even though I do specify these for grilling, they are also amazing when you are planning on roasting your dinner.

1. Rosemary garlic marinade.

In my post I call this a rub, but since it does have some liquid, it really is a marinade.

It is amazing how much flavor you get when you combine garlic, rosemary, salt and olive oil.

2. Spiced, oregano and garlic.

This grilled chicken with mango watermelon salsa gets a lot of flavor from a quick marinade.

Oregano (either fresh or dried,) garlic, olive oil, chili powder, cumin and salt get rubbed on boneless, skinless chicken breasts. A little spicy, a little herby and a little garlicky!

3. Piri Piri Marinade.

This recipe for piri piri chicken is a real winner!

First the flavorful marinade which is made of garlic, crushed red pepper flakes, smoked paprika, lemon juice, red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper.

If that wasn't enough flavor for you, there is also a dip recipe included made out of green chilies, cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice, mayo, and sour cream. I love to serve this dip with rotisserie chicken too!

4. Tahini with coconut milk.

These grilled tahini pork skewers are going to become a summer staple at your house!

Pork only needs to marinate for 15 minutes to soak up all the flavors in this marinade.

Coconut milk, tahini, fish sauce, honey, lime juice and sesame oil create a sweet, salty, citrusy flavor explosion!

5. Mojo marinade.

Chicken only needs 2-4 hours to soak up all the flavor in this amazing marinade! I used it on these smoked chicken thighs, but you could just grill the thighs or even roast them in the oven. It's also amazing on pork.

With ingredients like orange zest, orange juice, lime juice, garlic, cilantro, olive oil, cumin, oregano and salt, you know it's a winner!

6. Teriyaki.

If you're looking for a kid pleasing marinade, this one is for you! I used it on smoked chicken legs, but I've also just roasted these in the oven - so good!

A classic with soy sauce, sake, mirin and sugar.

7. Lemongrass, honey and ginger.

This lemongrass, honey and ginger marinade is so lemony, sweet and just about perfect.

You'll need lemongrass (sometimes I buy those tubes of lemongrass paste if I can't find stalks,) garlic, ginger, honey and fish sauce.

I'm using it on pork skewers, but it's also great on chicken or beef!

8. Pineapple teriyaki.

One of my favorite bloggers, Urban Bliss Life, has this recipe for Grilled Pineapple Chicken that is in regular rotation at our house!

Pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, onions, ginger and garlic make for incredibly flavorful and juicy chicken!

9. Turmeric yogurt.

We are huge fans of turmeric at our house, not just because it's so good for you, we love the color and flavor that it brings to everything. So, when I saw these Turmeric Chicken Kebabs at Nourished Kitchen, we had to give them a try!

A tasty marinade of turmeric, avocado oil, yogurt, lemon, cilantro, garlic, turmeric, salt and pepper make the most tenderest, yummy chicken ever!

You're also going to love the yogurt herb dipping sauce!

10. Herb honey marinade.

This Herb and Honey marinade from Cook, Clean, Repeat will definitely be on repeat at your house!

It has all the classic ingredients: Dijon mustard, shallots, honey, olive oil, lemon juice, Herbs de Provence, rosemary and oregano!

Favorite rubs for grilling.

Rubs have a slight advantage over marinades in that you can make them ahead of time and store them in an airtight jar in your pantry. I currently have 6 jars of rubs in my pantry! They are perfect to add a lot of flavor, with the least amount of work!

11. 6 ingredient pork rub.

Only 6 ingredients and the perfect combination of sweet and spicy!

We love this on pork chops, tenderloin and shoulder. I also love it on salmon!

12. Chicken rub.

Another easy 6 ingredient rub! This is a favorite of ours for quick weeknight chicken grilling!

13. Grilled pork chops with espresso cardamom rub.

If you're looking for an unusual, but oh so flavorful rub, then this one is for you.

People love it and they love trying to guess what it is!

14. Chili rubbed salmon with toasted corn vinaigrette.

Hidden in the amazing recipe for salmon with a must make every summer corn vinaigrette is a chili spice rub that is perfect for salmon!

With chili powder, cumin, cinnamon and brown sugar it is sweet, spicy and scrumptious!

15. Caribbean pork rub.

This Pork Tenderloin with Mango Salsa contains a Caribbean pork rub recipe that is not to be missed!

Brown sugar, chili powder, paprika, onion powder, garlic powder, cumin and thyme create the most amazing rub! Loaded with flavor!

16. Dry rub for ribs.

I found this amazing dry rub for ribs at Basil and Bubbly!

With the smoked paprika, brown sugar and cayenne pepper and other ingredients it's sweet and spicy! The perfect blend! Everyone will want to know what you used on your ribs!

17. Spicy Latin rub.

This Grilled Steak with Spicy Latin Rub from Big Flavors From a Tiny Kitchen needs to be on your must-make list!

They aren't kidding when they say big flavors!

With chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, smoked paprika and fennel seed included in the list, you know it's going to be interesting!

The best brines for grilling!

Brines are a great way to get the seasonings really deep in the meat of whatever you are grilling. They also helps keep everything extra juicy.

You can use brines alone or in combination with rubs! If you are using a brine that is heavy on the salt, you probably want to cut back on the salt in your rub.

18. Pork chop brine.

One of the most popular posts on this blog and with good reason!

This easy three ingredient brine makes the most amazing pork chops. They are seasoned through and through and oh so juicy!

19. Herby thyme brine.

These Juicy Grilled Pork Chops with Black Olive Tapenade get a quick brine with the usual ingredients including thyme!

You won't believe the difference that even a quick 30 minute brine does for pork chops. No more dry pork chops at your house!

20. Chicken wings brine!

Aubrey's Kitchen calls this the best chicken wing brine and it is true!

What a combination of flavors including soy sauce, ginger, brown sugar and red pepper flakes! Sweet and spicy!

You'd better make a lot of these wings, because they go fast!