One problem most people have when they cook meat is either over-seasoning where the spices and herbs overpower the flavor of the meat or they under-season to where the meat has very little flavor. Different meats require different amounts of spices and seasonings and that will mostly be a personal preference. Generally speaking when it comes to steak or burgers I don’t really want any other seasonings than salt and pepper. But chicken and pork (depending on the cut of course) can usually benefit from some seasonings.
Spicely.com recently sent me a sample pack of a few of their different seasoning blends. (DISCLAIMER: Spicely.com gave me these products to review and if you buy them through the links on this site I will make a few bucks but this review is unbiased and is 100% my real thoughts on their products). The gift pack came with some Beef and Burger seasoning, Fish Grill and Broil seasoning, Chicken Kabob seasoning, and Barbecue Seasoning. All Spicely’s spices and seasonings are organic and they have a number of different certifications you can check out.
I am usually a huge fan of buying spices online. You can usually save a LOT of money compared to buying the $6 or $7 jars of spices at the grocery store. If you have a local grocery store that sells spices in bulk that is usually the best way to get them (you can get enough to refill your spice jars for usually under $1) but if you don’t have a store like that ordering online is the next best thing. Keep in mind that you don’t want to order more than you can use in a reasonable amount of time so you probably don’t need a pound of turmeric or cayenne pepper.
I was cooking up some chicken this evening and decided to give a couple of these seasoning blends a try. Obviously the Chicken Kabob seasoning was used but I also tried the Barbecue seasoning. I basically sprinkled some of the seasoning on the chicken breasts and cooked them on the charcoal grill. Nothing fancy or elaborate with this one. I just wanted to see if the flavor of the seasoning blends from Spicely enhanced the meat and added some good flavor or just got in the way of the meat.
Chicken Kabob Seasoning – This seasoning blend contains paprika, onion, garlic, pepper, mustard, cumin, basil, and sumac. The flavor I got on this was almost all paprika. Paprika is a pretty standard spice to use in standard seasoning salts, bbq rubs, and other seasoning blends but it needs to be balanced with other flavors. One thing I first noticed is there is no salt in this seasoning blend so be sure you salt your meat or your final product will be a bit flat.
Overall I wasn’t a huge fan of this one. Like I mentioned it could really benefit from some salt and maybe a bit more pepper. Since it is a “kabob” seasoning I would have liked a bit more middle eastern flavors like a bit more cumin, some lemon, some more garlic, and maybe even something like a bit of cinnamon.
Barbecue Seasoning – I also gave the barbecue seasoning a shot and that one contains paprika, onion, garlic, pepper, mustard, cumin, and cayenne. As you can tell by the spices in this blend it is fairly similar to the chicken kabob seasoning but the cayenne makes it taste quite different. The extra kick is a very welcome addition.
Once again, don’t forget to add your own salt to your meat if you use this blend. The salt helps mellow some of the paprika flavor but brings out some of the other spices. I don’t think I would ever really use this for a bbq rub for ribs or brisket or anything like that but if you are looking for quick, easy to season up some chicken breasts or pork chops I think this blend is pretty solid.
Beef and Burger seasoning and Fish Grill and Broil seasoning – These two I really had a problem with. Look at these pictures:
Look how chunky these seasonings are. Some of the biggest chunks in both of these are rosemary. Personally I am not a rosemary fan. There are also some big chunks of mustard seed, dill seed, coriander, and black pepper. One huge problem I see with this is if you were to put this on a steak or piece of fish and throw it on the grill you will scorch the big chunks and that will ruin your piece of meat. You will be left with a bitter taste of burnt spice which isn’t good. And I am really not too sure how you are supposed to get chunks like that to stick to your meat in the first place.
My overall recommendation??? Skip these spice blends and just buy your own spices and mix them yourself. You will be able to get the flavor you want without all the extra stuff in it. Buy some paprika, black pepper, mustard, garlic, onion, and cayenne and make your own BBQ seasoning. Buy some garlic, lemon peel, and black pepper and make your own seafood seasoning. Spicely.com sells all these spices separately along with pretty much every other seasoning, herb, and spice you might want.
