AI-generated illustration of grill pantry staples. The spread shows the ingredients, not how they should be stored.

A lot of what gives you great grilling flavor is already in your kitchen. With oil, vinegar, mustard and a few spices you can get far when mixing a rub, a marinade or a BBQ sauce. Start with what you use often and top up when a recipe calls for something more.

Start with a small grill pantry

This is a practical starter list. You don’t need to buy every variety in each group.

  • Oil: canola oil or olive oil.
  • Acid: apple cider vinegar or red wine vinegar.
  • Mustard: regular mustard or dijon mustard, depending on what you like and what the recipe calls for.
  • Tomato products: ketchup and tomato paste for sauces.
  • Sweetness: granulated sugar, brown sugar or honey.
  • Basic spices: salt, black pepper, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder.
  • Heat: chili flakes or cayenne pepper.
  • Herbs: thyme, oregano or rosemary.

Pick a few flavors you actually like. A smaller collection that gets used is more practical than a shelf full of jars that never get opened.

Stock up based on the recipes you cook

Once the basics are at home, you can build on them. Here are more of the flavorings that belong in a grill pantry:

  • For sauces and marinades: soy sauce, hoisin sauce, Worcestershire sauce, hot chili sauce, tomato sauce and horseradish.
  • More oils and vinegars: sesame oil, balsamic vinegar, rice vinegar and white wine vinegar.
  • More sweet ingredients: apple juice, maple syrup and molasses. They give different flavors, so follow the recipe at hand instead of swapping them one for one.
  • More dried herbs: basil, bay leaves, dill, marjoram, parsley, sage and tarragon.
  • More spices: cumin, cilantro, mustard powder, celery seeds, fennel seeds, ginger, turmeric, curry, Chinese five-spice, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, white pepper, chili powder and sesame seeds.

Beer, cola, stock and cocoa can also turn up in BBQ recipes. Buy them when you have a dish in mind. For vegetarian food, choose vegetable stock and check that the ready-made sauces suit the diet you’re cooking for.

How to use what you have at home

For a rub: pick a recipe with clear amounts and mix the dry ingredients. If you want to get started, we have our recipe for Bone Dust BBQ rub. Follow the recipe’s amount and type of salt when specified. Kosher salt, sea salt and other salt varieties don’t need to be bought as separate must-haves for your basic pantry.

For vegetables: use oil and a few of your favorite spices. Start with, for example, bell peppers, zucchini or onion, and use our guide to grilling vegetables for preparation and cooking.

For a cold sauce: season in small steps with acidity, sweetness, saltiness and heat. Only taste a clean sauce that has not been in contact with raw meat, fish or chicken.

For a sweet glaze: brush it on toward the end of grilling and keep an eye on it. Sugar-rich sauces can burn. Let excess marinade drip off before the food goes on the grill, so it doesn’t drip down and make the coals flare up. Aim for a golden-brown surface, not a burnt one.

Read the label and keep your utensils clean

Check the ingredient list when you cook for someone with an allergy. Mustard, celery, sesame and soy, among others, can be found among the flavorings. The allergens that must be labeled are required to be emphasized in the ingredient list. Spice blends and ready-made sauces need to be checked too.

Pour what you need into a separate bowl before you start handling raw meat. Use clean utensils for finished food and don’t pour used marinade back into the bottle. Marinade that has been in contact with raw meat should not be used as a cold sauce for the finished grilled food.

Store your staples so they last

  • Store spices dry, cool and dark.
  • Keep oils in the dark, and preferably cool.
  • Follow the packaging instructions for opened sauces, mustard, tomato products and other flavorings. Something that could sit in the pantry unopened may need the fridge once it is opened.

Look through what you already have before your next shopping trip and top up whatever is starting to run low. That makes it easier to pick tonight’s grill recipe without first having to buy an entire new pantry.

Sources and safety advice

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