Chefs share their favourite homemade BBQ rubs and marinades

"The sight and smell of mouthwatering charcoal-grilled barbecued chicken [pictured top] is common in Palestine. On sunny days, every household begins barbecuing whole chickens marinated in local flavours. My version of the rub includes a selection of spices, including loumi, which is dried lime and a personal favourite flavour of mine! In a large bowl, mix together 80ml extra virgin olive oil, 60ml lemon juice, 6 garlic cloves, 1 tsp salt, 1 tbsp ground sumac, 1 tsp dried red pepper flakes, 1/2tsp ground cumin, 1/4tsp ground cinnamon, 1/4tsp ground all spice and the peel of 1 white loumi (grated with a microplane). Add to the whole chicken and rub until fully coated all over, then place the chicken on the barbecue, skin side up (legs on the hotter side), cover, and grill for around 45 minutes. Flip it over and place skin side down for another 10-15 minutes to crisp it up!"

“Because my wife – Kitchen Table co-founder Sandia Chang – is Chinese, our BBQs at home tend to always lean towards Asian flavours. One of our favourites is a spicy Sichuan BBQ spice rub mix that can also be used to season noodles and stir fries. This rub is especially good for BBQ lamb skewers, lamb chops, chicken wings and sausages. Just mix together 4 tbsp mild chilli powder (substitute for non-spicy to keep spice level low), 4 tbsp chilli flakes, 1.5 tbsp ground cumin, 2 tbsp Maldon sea salt, 2 tbsp roasted sesame seeds, 2 tsp Sichuan peppercorn powder, 1.5 tsp garlic powder, 2 tsp sugar, 1.5 tsp sugar and 1.5 tsp ground white pepper.  You can also add in an optional 1.5 tsp chicken bouillon powder and 2 tbsp ground peanut powder, if you like. Keep this mix in a sealed dry jar in a cool place for up to 3 months.”

^{Photo by Marcus Cobden}

“I like to use a yoghurt marinade when cooking veal chops on the barbecue. It’s very simple – for 4 veal chops, take Greek yoghurt (200g), chopped rosemary and thyme (20g), a pinch of salt, garlic (10g) and honey (80g). Mix all the ingredients in a bowl and marinate the veal for 24 hours before cooking.”

_{Photo by Paul Winch-Furness}

“I love this rub recipe. You have spicy elements from the cayenne and sweetness from the sugar along with the warmth from the coffee. Mix 60g coffee grounds, 40-50g chilli powder, 50g smoked paprika, 150g dark brown sugar, 40g caster sugar, 80g garlic powder, 30g cumin powder and 40g cayenne pepper. The recipe makes enough rub for a ‘regular’ sized brisket (around 2.5kg usually). I like to marinate it for 24 hours but two is fine if you’re in a rush. Once the brisket has been marinated, it can be smoked at 70/80°C for 8-10 hours. If you don’t have a smoker, you can cook it in the oven – pop the brisket on a rack with tin foil and then slow roast at 160°C for four to six hours. The rub is also good for pork shoulder.”