I love the fact that Woolies has a wide variety of spices and rubs always available on shelf; all the classics and some more exotic. My favourite spice has to be sumac, I would put it on everything if I could! And I love their barbeque spice mix, it makes a great meat rub.

Even though I’ve got a world of options on shelf, I still like preparing my own spice rubs, especially as gifts. This is my classic steak rub that I use in everything from steaks and stews to sauces to lift the flavour.

To make it, place 3 T treacle sugar, 1 T sea salt, 2 t mustard powder, 1 t dried oregano and dried basil in a jar. Add 1 T smoked paprika, 1 T ground sumac, 1 t cayenne pepper, 1 T garlic salt and 2 t freshly ground black pepper. Shake and seal with a lid. It will keep for two months if properly sealed.

It’s great with beef, lamb, chicken or vegetables. If you’re braaiing chops or steaks, give the meat a generous coating of the spice and marinate for 30 minutes before placing over the coals.

To make a BBQ sauce, mix some of the dry spice mix with your favourite BBQ sauce.