Grilling Up Goodness With McCormick Grill Mates Seasoning

It’s no secret that Mr. Houseful and I love to grill. Like, we REALLY love to grill. It is not uncommon during the summer to see us cooking our meals on the grill every day during the week, and coming back for more on the weekends. That’s why when I was offered the opportunity to host a sample & share McCormick Grill Mates party through Crowdtap, the answer was – Ummm, YEAH! 

I’m all about rubs, and marinades for meat, and great seasonings that aren’t overpowering when adding flavor to my grilled items. The one that I’m going to focus on in this post is the Tennessee Smoke BBQ Rub. 

I started with six cornish hens that I spatchcocked (cutting the backbone out completely and flattening) and spread the Tennessee rub all over. It has a hint of whiskey in the rub, and Mr. Houseful pointed it out while I was seasoning the hens. It was definitely a great scent emanating from the birds, even though we don’t drink whiskey – and probably don’t want to – anytime soon, but it was key ingredient in getting a great flavor on the birds. 

 

 

I contemplated putting a bit of the Montreal Steak sauce on it, but didn’t want to compete with the flavors of the Tennessee rub, so I nixed it. It does pair well with steak cooked just to medium. 

Getting a snazzy McCormick apron helped to get me in the grilling mood as well. Spatchcocking the birds also allowed us to get our birds grilled and onto our plates in record time, because we weren’t having to rotate the hens often to have even cooking. Laying them as flat as possible allowed them to cook and smoke and the flavor wasn’t lost during grilling. I used an indirect grilling method for the birds for the most part, but did let them sear on top of the coals for about 15 minutes. You can also see that a little bit of rain doesn’t stop me from getting my grill on. It actually helps dissipate a lot of the smoke that comes with lighting the grill (hint, use a charcoal chimney to evenly heat the coals and you’re already light years ahead.) 

 

The golden brown color of the hens made me want to pull the birds apart and eat before allowing to cool. We did grill them for about 45 minutes to get them cooked all the way through, and then we had dinner! 

Are you a griller? Do you use rubs, or marinades? Let me know your favorite ones, and I’ll continue to update you all on the use of my McCormick Grill Mates!