Fire Up The Flavor: The Ultimate Summer BBQ Spice Guide

Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company · Summer Grilling Guide

Fire Up the Flavor: The Ultimate Summer BBQ Spice Guide

Seven exceptional spices and finishing salts that will transform everything you put on the grill this season.

Summer 2026 · 8 min read

Summer and the grill are inseparable, but the real secret to memorable barbecue isn't technique alone — it's what you reach for before the coals even turn white. The right spice rub deepens a sear, a finishing salt makes a grilled steak sing, and a perfectly balanced seasoning blend can transport a backyard cookout to somewhere far more interesting. At Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company, the spice rack is built for exactly this kind of adventure. Here is a tour through seven of our most essential summer barbecue spices and finishing salts, along with exactly how to use each one to its fullest potential.

Finishing Salt · Signature Blend

Viking Smoked Salt Blend

There is no faster shortcut to deep, wood-fired complexity than a great smoked salt — and the Viking Smoked Salt Blend delivers it with serious character. Cold-smoked over hardwoods, each crystal carries a campfire richness that works on everything from thick-cut ribeyes to grilled vegetables and even buttered corn on the cob. Use it as a finishing touch, pressed lightly into the surface of meat just as it comes off the grill, so the flavor blooms without getting lost in the heat. A small pinch goes a long way, making this one of the most transformative jars in any summer grilling pantry. It also pairs beautifully with a drizzle of good olive oil over a platter of grilled summer squash or halloumi.

Best for: Beef · Corn · Grilled Veg · Finishing

Rub · Caribbean Heat

Jamaican Jerk Rub

Authentic Jamaican jerk is one of the great barbecue traditions of the world, and Sullivan Street's Jamaican Jerk Rub captures its essential character: the warm burn of scotch bonnet, the herbal lift of thyme, the sweet depth of allspice, and that unmistakable aromatic backbone of cinnamon and clove. It is an assertive rub that rewards patience — apply it generously to chicken thighs, pork shoulder, or shrimp at least 30 minutes before grilling, or ideally overnight, and let the blend penetrate deep into the meat. On the grill, the sugars in the rub caramelize into a beautiful, slightly charred crust that is both spicy and subtly sweet. Serve with fresh mango salsa or grilled pineapple to lean into the tropical contrast.

Best for: Chicken · Pork · Shrimp · Overnight Marinade

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Seasoning · Bright & Zesty

Lemon Pepper Seasoning

Do not underestimate Lemon Pepper — in the right hands, it is one of the most versatile and crowd-pleasing seasonings for summer grilling. Sullivan Street's version layers bright, dehydrated lemon zest with cracked black pepper and a carefully balanced blend of aromatics that keeps things lively without overpowering. It is the go-to for lighter proteins: salmon fillets, chicken breasts, swordfish steaks, and grilled asparagus all benefit enormously from its clean, citrus-forward punch. For a quick weeknight grill, coat chicken wings generously in Lemon Pepper, grill over medium-high heat, and finish with a squeeze of fresh lemon. It also makes a surprisingly good popcorn seasoning for your guests while they wait at the grill.

Best for: Fish · Chicken · Asparagus · Seafood

"The difference between good barbecue and great barbecue is almost always in the seasoning — and almost always decided before the fire is lit."

Blend · Deep South Heat

Cajun Spice Blend

Few spice traditions are as exuberant and deeply satisfying as Cajun cooking, and Sullivan Street's Cajun Spice Blend brings the full bayou energy to your backyard grill. Built around paprika, cayenne, garlic, onion, oregano, and thyme, this blend creates a bold, slightly smoky, moderately spicy crust on anything it touches. It is exceptional on burgers — pressed into the patties before grilling — and absolutely essential for a classic Cajun blackened fish. Try it on corn rubbed with butter and then rolled in the blend before hitting a hot grill, or stir it into softened butter to baste over a spatchcocked chicken as it roasts. The complex heat here builds gradually, making it appealing across a wide range of heat tolerance at any cookout.

Best for: Burgers · Blackened Fish · Corn · Whole Chicken

Blend · French Mediterranean

Herbs de Provence

While most summer spice guides focus on heat and smoke, some of the most elegant grilled dishes are born from restraint and aromatics. Herbs de Provence — a classic blend of lavender, thyme, rosemary, savory, marjoram, and fennel — is the choice for anyone who wants their grill to transport guests to the south of France. It is particularly beautiful on lamb chops, which you simply press into the herb blend and grill over high heat to a rosy medium-rare. But it also works brilliantly on whole fish, zucchini, tomatoes, and chicken thighs, and it makes a superb base for a compound butter that melts over grilled bread or vegetables at the table. The floral lavender note is subtle — present, but never soapy — and it provides a sophisticated contrast to the smoke of the grill.

Best for: Lamb · Whole Fish · Grilled Tomatoes · Compound Butter

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Beyond the rubs and herb blends, the right finishing salt is what separates a well-seasoned dish from a truly memorable one. While table salt seasons food uniformly from within, finishing salts are applied at the very end — and their unique textures, mineral characters, and visual drama are all part of the experience. Sullivan Street carries two finishing salts that are particularly well suited to the summer grill.

Finishing Salt · Dramatic & Mineral

Icelandic Black Lava Salt

Harvested from the geothermal sea waters around Iceland and finished with activated charcoal, Icelandic Black Lava Salt is as visually striking as it is delicious. The deep black crystals look extraordinary scattered over a platter of sliced steak, a grilled white fish, or even a slice of watermelon with mint and chili. The flavor is clean and mineral, with a slightly earthy depth that adds complexity without competing with the food beneath it. Use it as a showstopper finishing salt — a small, deliberate pinch pressed gently into the surface of the protein just before serving. It also adds a beautiful textural pop when paired with flaked grilled salmon or sprinkled over halved grilled avocados.

Best for: Steak · Salmon · Avocado · Plated Presentations

Single-Origin Pepper · Cambodian Heritage

Black Kampot Peppercorns

If you have only ever seasoned grilled meat with everyday supermarket pepper, Black Kampot Peppercorns will be a genuine revelation. Grown in the Kampot province of Cambodia under a Protected Geographical Indication, these peppercorns are harvested at full maturity and sun-dried, developing a complex aroma that is floral, fruity, warm, and intensely peppery all at once. They are best freshly cracked in a mill or crushed in a mortar just before use — their volatile aromatics are what make them special, and grinding them to order ensures nothing is lost. Press coarsely cracked Kampot pepper into the fat cap of a grilled strip steak, fold it into a classic compound butter, or finish a grilled peach dessert with a few cracked corns and a drizzle of honey. These are a pepper to be tasted, not just used.

Best for: Steak Crust · Compound Butter · Grilled Fruit · Fresh-Ground Finishing

Grillmaster Pro Tips

Apply dry rubs like Jamaican Jerk and Cajun Spice at least 30 minutes ahead — or overnight in the fridge — for maximum flavor penetration.
Reserve finishing salts (Viking Smoked, Icelandic Black Lava) for after the grill, not before, to preserve their texture and character.
Always grind Black Kampot Peppercorns fresh. Pre-ground pepper loses its floral, fruity notes within hours.
Herbs de Provence and Lemon Pepper work beautifully blended into olive oil as a quick marinade for fish and vegetables.
Mix Cajun Spice Blend into softened butter, roll in cling wrap, freeze, and slice off rounds to melt over grilled corn or steak tableside.
Store spices away from direct sunlight and heat — not next to the grill — to protect their potency through the whole summer season.

Summer barbecue is one of those rare cooking traditions where the line between casual and extraordinary is surprisingly thin. The quality of your spices and finishing salts is nearly always the deciding factor — not the grill, not the cut of meat, not even the technique. Sullivan Street Tea & Spice Company's commitment to sourcing exceptional, small-batch ingredients means that every jar in this lineup is built to make a genuine difference on the plate. Whether you are hosting a weekend cookout for twenty or quietly grilling for two on a Tuesday evening, these seven spices are the summer shelf you deserve.

Stock the pantry, fire up the grill, and let the seasoning do the storytelling. That is, after all, what great spices are for.