Everyone has their own preferences about how to season a slab of meat. Two of the most popular methods for adding bold flavors to your food are using a dry rub or marinade. Both of these seasoning techniques have their own advantages and will transform your dish in a unique way. When it comes to rubs and marinades, it’s all about your personal taste. In this guide, we’ll break down some of the best tips and tricks of seasoning, show you the difference between dry rubs vs marinade, and then you can add your own signature style to your upcoming meals on the grill.
What is Marinade?
This is a liquid mixture full of bright flavors from seasonings, sauces, and other goodies. You can splash a marinade on anything you grill: meat, poultry, seafood, or even veggies. A marinade is supposed to help infuse the dish with your desired flavor profile. Liquid marinades are popular with tough cuts of meat because the meat will tenderize as it soaks up the moisture and seasoning. When you want a juicy, deeply flavored final product, a marinade is an ideal option. Plus, a well-balanced marinade is a perfect way to make use of simple, everyday ingredients that you likely already keep in the kitchen.
What is a Dry Rub?
On the flip side, a dry rub is a dry seasoning that blends herbs, spices, and salt to be directly rubbed onto the surface of the meat. A dry rub is different from a marinade because it does not rely on liquid to infuse and tenderize the raw ingredients, but instead forms a flavorful crust around the food as it cooks on the grill. You can make a bold, mouth-watering dish with a dry rub seasoning. It’s a quick and powerful way to add an extra layer of texture and flavor without making considerations for extra prep time.
A common dry-rub base includes:
- Salt and pepper
- Garlic and onion powder
- Paprika
- Brown/cane sugar
- Herbs like rosemary, thyme, and oregano
Key Differences Between Marinade and Dry Rub
Depending on what you’re trying to achieve, you could benefit from using a dry rub, marinade, or even both to bring out the best flavors in your dish. Some of the main differences between the two seasoning methods include:
- Purpose: While a marinade will tenderize and penetrate layers of flavor into the food, a dry rub will only season the surface. Even so, a dry rub offers a bold, savory crust that delivers plenty of taste in every bite.
- Ingredients: You can use dry spices and herbs in a marinade, but it is still a liquid base. However, dry rubs exclusively use dry ingredients.
- Best for: A marinade will elevate lean cuts of meat that need moisture, and a dry rub will provide a nice bitey texture to juicer, fattier meats.
- Time needed: Typically, you’ll want to start marinating ingredients 6-12 hours before cooking so that the flavors have time to infuse into the food. On the other hand, dry rubs should be applied shortly before cooking to get the best crust.
- Cooking method: While both methods are great for grilling, marinades are excellent for broiling and roasting, while dry rubs work best for smoking and oven-roasting.
Pros & Cons of Dry Rubs and Marinades
Pros & Cons of Dry Rubs
A good dry rub can change the grill game, adding texture and char to soft meats and raw veggies. Some of the major pros about dry rubs include:
- Ease of application
- Minimal time commitment
- Flavorful crust
- No extra moisture interferes with searing
However, there are some disadvantages to consider when weighing your options:
- Won’t tenderize tough cuts of meat
- Can burn if sugar content is too high or cooked too long at high heat
- Requires careful temperature control to avoid bitterness from overcharring
Pros & Cons of Marinades
Marinades are generally bright and full of flavor. Some of the best advantages to marinating raw ingredients before grilling include:
- Tenderize tough cuts
- Easy to prepare and customize
- Food retains moisture while cooking
- Depth of flavor
Some of the cons to using liquid marinades include:
- More planning time to allow ingredients to infuse flavor
- The surface of the meat can get soggy if over-marinated
- Acid-heavy marinades can break down meat if left to sit too long
When to Use a Dry Rub vs. Marinade
Dry rubs and marinades can add both flavor and texture changes to raw ingredients before you throw them on the grill. And, in some cases, they work together deliciously.
Use a Dry Rub When:
- You’re cooking fattier cuts ike ribs, pork shoulder, or brisket
- You’re smoking, grillling, or roasting on a high heat
- You need to season quickie without waiting for hours
- You want to highlight the natural flavor of the meat, not infuse or mask it
Use a Marinade When:
- You have a tougher cut to tenderize, like flank steak, skirt steak, or chicken thighs
- You’re grilling, roasting, or broiling
- You want the flavor to sink through the meat
- You’re cooking lean proteins that dry out easily
- You have the time to let the ingredients soak in the marinade
Use a Combination of Both When:
- You want both — deep flavor and a bold crust
- Start by marinating to tenderize and infuse flavor
- Afterwards, pat the meat dry and apply the dry rub shortly before cooking
- This works best for large cuts of meat like brisket, pork butt, or whole chickens
Rubs and Marinades FAQs
Does dry rub tenderize meat?
No. You won’t get any tenderizing effect from a dry rub. A marinade can tenderize meat because of the liquid breaking down the tough fibers while it soaks up. Dry rubs are meant to season the surface of the meat, creating a flavor-filled crust that elevates the natural taste of the meat.
Can you use marinade and dry rub together?
Totally! Why compare dry rub vs marinade when you can get the best of both worlds? It may feel a bit unorthodox, but it is completely possible. Using a mixture of a marinade and a dry rub is a unique technique that may take practice to get just right. The goal of using both seasoning methods is to infuse flavor while also maintaining the signature char from a dry rub.
Is it better to marinate or dry rub brisket?
Great question. Generally, dry rub is preferred because it builds the flavorful “bark” that you expect from a smoked or roasted brisket. Although some people marinate brisket hours before cooking to add an extra depth of flavor that the dry rub can’t accomplish on its own.
