All great BBQ begins with one thing: fresh, quality meats. Start there, and you’re already ahead of the game. If you want to take your BBQ to the next level, shift your focus away from the everyday and consider infusing your next cookout with flavors from the old country.

Although Italian seasoning is not typically associated with traditional BBQ, when incorporated creatively, it can quickly turn a good BBQ into a great BBQ.

Italian Herb Dry Rub

One of the more common ways to use Italian seasoning into your BBQ is with a dry rub. A good dry rub will combine oregano, thyme, basil, onions, dried bell peppers, garlic, salt and pepper to create a moist, flavorful, great looking piece of meat.

Some recipes recommend rubbing olive oil on your chicken or pork before applying a drub rub and letting it sit for a few hours to marinate. Ideally, when grilling meats with dry rub, you want to split the cooking time fairly evenly between direct and indirect heat to avoid burning the meat and charring the seasoning.

Italian Salad Dressing & BBQ Sauce

That’s right. Italian dressing is not just for salad. The process is not complicated at all, but when the flavor profile hits your taste buds you will definitely think otherwise.

Simply combine equal parts of your favorite BBQ sauce and Italian dressing, pour it over your chicken or pork, and let it marinate. All you’ll need is about 30 minutes before it’s ready to hit the grill.

Classic Italian Marinade

Marinades are a classic way of infusing powerful punches of flavor into your food and Italian balsamic marinades are no different. From steaks to skewers, Italian dressing marinades are a mainstay of countless establishments across the Northeast.

The key to creating a great classic marinade, beyond using fresh herbs and spices, is lemon and vinegar. The combo of these two ingredients do a great job of tenderizing the muscle fibers in the meat and helps to create that classic “falling off the bone” effect to your steak or pork chop.

Dry Italian Dressing Mix

If you’re looking for a quick way to add Italian seasonings into your burgers, try using a dry Italian dressing mix to the recipe. You won’t need much else because these dry seasoning packets are packed with tons of concentrated flavors. Incorporate it directly into your ground beef, form your patties to the size and shape of your liking, and let the grill do the rest.

Italian Balsamic BBQ Sauce

Doesn’t this sound amazing already? A great change of pace from traditional store-bought BBQ sauces, we promise that you won’t be disappointed with this BBQ game changer. Incorporating a host of Italian seasonings along with vinegar, Worchester sauce, mustard and brown sugar, this unique sauce will definitely bring a different dimension to your BBQ.