Food Trials - McCormick Grill Mates review

Last year I reviewed some athletic wear from old Navy as part of my membership with Crowdtap.  I am a big fan of that community and the opportunities it has given me. Recently I had a chance to sample some new items from McCormick thanks to Crowdtap. In order to get the items, I simply had to host a party, use their samples to cook some yummy food and have people taste it and let me know what they thought. This was perfect because I have been wanting to get into grilling more but was at a loss for how to make yummy food but have it be simple. The kit came with:

• Grill Mates® Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade
• Grill Mates® Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub
• Grill Mates® Montreal Steak Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Molasses Bacon Seasoning Blend
• Grill Mates® Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce

I had tried the Montreal Steak seasoning before and frankly, wasn't really impressed but I was very excited to try the newer items. When they arrived I was surprised and delighted to see that they were full size items so I would have plenty left over for future grilling endeavors.We knew that we were going to have a small crowd at the party so Mac and I went shopping for a few items to use with each seasoning. I wanted to go with leaner cuts  and healthier options so we picked up some center cut pork chops(fat trimmed), a couple filet mignons and some ground turkey for turkey burgers.

The kit came with a booklet that had a recipe for turkey burgers in it that I really wanted to try. We didn't make the sauce that they suggested but the burgers were very good. You added the Molasses Bacon seasoning to the meat along with crushed pineapple to keep the burgers nice and juicy and give it a Hawaiian flare. They were very tasty but I think I will add more seasoning next time because there just didn't seem to be quite enough.

We used the center cut pork to test out the Spiced Brandy & Herb Marinade, the Slow and Low Memphis Pit BBQ Rub and the Brown Sugar Bourbon BBQ Sauce. We followed the instructions on each packet to prepare them. I really liked the flavor of the brown sugar bourbon sauce but I wish I had started basting the pork sooner to give it a better kick of flavor(I got distracted and almost forgot it) The spiced brandy was good but not really my favorite. You could really taste the kick of brandy at the end which some people loved but I could live without. The Memphis rub was good but powerful. It definitely had a kick and made it a little hard for some people to taste some of the other flavors after eating it. I think in the future I will use less rub( I really laid it on there) and baste it with the brown sugar sauce just before it is done. I think the sauce will help balance out the flavor and add something really nice to it.

Finally, we used the Montreal Steak Seasoning on the filets. I decided to use the recipe on the bottle that suggested you use it as a marinade since I have used it before as a straight seasoning and wasn't impressed. The recipe called for the seasoning, oil(I used olive oil) and soy sauce but I used a splash of Worcestershire sauce instead and we popped them in the fridge to marinate for about an hour. The filets ended up being the over-all, hands down, absolute favorite of the night. They were AMAZING. It added so much flavor and they were so tender and juicy. I was shocked because I had used the seasoning on filets before but using it as a marinade really put them over the top. I am so glad that I tried it as a marinade and I know I will be doing it again. I am going to try it on chicken sometime to see if it is just as magical on it.

I think all and all it was a huge success. All of the recipes were very simple and I found some really awesome new dishes that I can use this summer to help me eat better but not lose out on flavor. I'm really excited to keep experimenting with these products to find new recipes to add to our kitchen.

Here's a look at all of our tasty foods and the products used with them. 

If you would like to be a part of Crowdtap, just click here and sign up. It really is a great way to give your input to companies and get the opportunity to sample some great items.