Taste test - BBQ rubs
Dry rubs are becoming a very popular way of flavouring barbecue food. Simply rub the powdered mix into your food and throw it straight on the barbie. No fuss, no preparation time, no mess - just great tasting food. But which work best? We decided it was time to find out.
On test:
 A bumper taste test saw us test EIGHT rubs, spice mixes and seasonings readily available at your supermarket. We used chicken breasts and thin cut beef steaks to try out the following:
Flava-it Barbecue Marinade Mix
Tesco Hot Spiced Seasoning Rub
Schwartz Chargrilled Chicken Seasoning
Fiddes Payne American Steakhouse Seasoning
NoMu Barbecue Rub
FlavorMagic Spice Sheets - Memphis BBQ
Schwartz Jamaican Jerk Seasoning
Tesco Italian Seasoning
How it worked:
The very nature of these products meant that little preparation was necessary. We waited for the sun to shine, then stole our opportunity to fire up the Weber Baby Q and get cooking.
We tested five rubs on fresh chicken breasts, and the remaining three on thin cut steaks, to give each individual product its best chance to shine. The taste and texture of the meat was not taken into consideration during testing - only the flavour created by the rub or seasoning.
Of the panel of judges, some were fans of spicy food while others preferred more delicate flavour, so no one product was at an advantage from the start.
Scoring was carried out according to the following criteria: Flavour, Ease of Use and Appeal.
All marks given were out of 5, with all judges voting on flavour and appeal, and the chef giving his marks for ease of use. Ease of use marks were given for ease of application and ease of cooking - that is, whether the seasoning burned or stuck to the grill.
Appeal concerns the visual impression, smell and general desirability of the product before, during, and after cooking.
When the scores were added up, each contender was allocated a star rating based on its result - five stars being the highest score possible, and one the lowest.
The results:
Flava-it BBQ Mix |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Result |
Judge 1 |
2 |
3 |
1 |
29/55
|
Judge 2 |
1 |
- |
1 |
Judge 3 |
2 |
- |
3 |
Judge 4 |
4 |
- |
4 |
Judge 5 |
4 |
- |
4 |
COMMENTS: The Flava-it mix caramelised nicely during cooking, but did stick to the grill considerably - costing it vital marks for ease of use. |
Tesco Hot Spiced Rub |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Score |
Judge 1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
33/55 |
Judge 2 |
2 |
- |
2 |
Judge 3 |
3 |
- |
4 |
Judge 4 |
4 |
- |
4 |
Judge 5 |
3 |
- |
4 |
COMMENTS: Does exactly what it says on the tin - one for those who like things hot and spicy! |
Schwartz Chargrilled Chicken |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Score |
Judge 1 |
4 |
3 |
3 |
40/55 |
Judge 2 |
5 |
- |
4 |
Judge 3 |
4 |
- |
4 |
Judge 4 |
3 |
- |
3 |
Judge 5 |
4 |
- |
3 |
COMMENTS: Stuck to the grill - but tasted fantastic once it had been pulled from the bars! One for the more mild palette. |
Fiddes Payne American Steakhouse Seasoning |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Score |
Judge 1 |
2 |
4 |
3 |
33/55 |
Judge 2 |
4 |
- |
3 |
Judge 3 |
2 |
- |
2 |
Judge 4 |
2 |
- |
4 |
Judge 5 |
3 |
- |
4 |
COMMENTS: Very aromatic and came off the grill nice and easy - judges split on the taste though. |
NoMu Barbecue Rub |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Score |
Judge 1 |
1 |
4 |
2 |
25/55 |
Judge 2 |
1 |
- |
1 |
Judge 3 |
2 |
- |
1 |
Judge 4 |
3 |
- |
4 |
Judge 5 |
2 |
- |
4 |
COMMENTS: Caramelised nicely on the barbecue, but lacked the wow factor in the all important taste category. |
FlavorMagic Memphis BBQ Spice Sheet |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Score |
Judge 1 |
3 |
4 |
3 |
33/55 |
Judge 2 |
4 |
- |
4 |
Judge 3 |
3 |
- |
2 |
Judge 4 |
2 |
- |
3 |
Judge 5 |
2 |
- |
3 |
COMMENTS: Ingenious sheets made things very easy in the preparation, but flavour could have been stronger. |
Schwartz Jamaican Jerk Seasoning |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Score |
Judge 1 |
4 |
4 |
4 |
WINNER!
41/55 |
Judge 2 |
3 |
- |
4 |
Judge 3 |
3 |
- |
4 |
Judge 4 |
4 |
- |
4 |
Judge 5 |
3 |
- |
4 |
COMMENTS: A deserved winner. Coarse rub made for great texture, and the strong fiery flavour proved a hit with the judges. |
Tesco Italian Seasoning |
Taste |
Ease of Use |
Appeal |
Overall Score |
Judge 1 |
1 |
4 |
3 |
31/55 |
Judge 2 |
2 |
- |
4 |
Judge 3 |
2 |
- |
2 |
Judge 4 |
3 |
- |
4 |
Judge 5 |
3 |
- |
3 |
COMMENTS: Easy as you like to lift off the grill and perfectly pleasant to taste - but lacking that something special. |
The summary
 Out of the eight rubs tested, our judges ruled Schwartz Jamaican Jerk seasoning to be the best on test. In fact Schwartz made it a famous one-two, with the understated chargrilled chicken seasoning finishing just one point behind.
The coarser jamaican jerk coating seemed to make things easier on the grill - the chargrilled chicken stuck a little - and that proved the difference on the day.
None of the rubs on test disgraced themselves, and all faired reasonably well in the taste department, which is of course the big one! FlavorMagic Spice Sheets get an honourable mention in equal third place as they were the only contender that allow you to keep your hands clean during preparation!
A special mention also for Fiddes Payne American Steakhouse Seasoning - the best of our beef rubs according to the judges.
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