Making your own mesquite seasoning at home is very easy to do and it adds the best smokey flavor to chicken, pork chops , baked pork tenderloin and beef (hello brisket!) Since not everyone has access to mesquite wood, this mesquite seasoning recipe uses smokey spices that will achieve the same flavor and it is so easy. This mesquite mix is really delicious and once you try it, you will be hooked!
Now living here in Texas, mesquite is a very popular flavoring in all of our BBQ. Mesquite seasoning is a delicious smokey seasoning that will really enhance any meat that you add it to.
It takes an ordinary cut of meat and makes it extraordinary. Trust me.
What is Mesquite?
If you are not familiar with mesquite, it is actually a type of tree, the mesquite tree and it grows all over Texas and the Southwest. The bark of the mesquite tree is the mesquite flavor in so many BBQ dishes.
The wood is chipped up and soaked then added to a BBQ grill under the meats which in turn imparts a smokey flavor in the meat when it is cooking.
In addition to the bark of the mesquite tree being used to flavor meats and veggies, the pods of the mesquite tree (the fruit) is prized as well. The pods are dried then ground up into a mesquite flour that is actually very sweet and has been used for generations by the Native Americans.
You can buy mesquite flour online and it actually makes a great addition to chocolate or baked goods. Really!
Ingredients Needed
- Chili powder
- Light brown sugar
- Sweet paprika
- Smoked paprika. If you do not have smoked paprika, there are some great subs in the recipe below.
- Kosher Salt
- Onion powder
- Garlic powder
- Cumin
How to make the mesquite seasoning mix
Making this mesquite seasoning is very easy since we are using all dried spices. We are taking the hard step of using mesquite wood out of the equation but still keeping that delicious smokey flavor (aka - this is a McCormick mesquite seasoning copycat recipe).
Since not everyone has time to smoke their meats over mesquite wood, this mesquite mix makes the perfect quick alternative.
To make this mesquite mix just measure out all of your spices into a small bowl and mix well. That is it!
What goes well with mesquite seasoning
Is everything an acceptable answer 🙂 Seriously, I do love just about anything with a mesquite flavor but my absolute favorite thing in the whole world is my juicy boneless pork chops recipe.
These pork chops taste like they came from a fancy steak house and you paid a hefty price for them. They are magical with this seasoning.
This seasoning also goes really well on any pork, chicken, beef or veggies. You can add this to my brisket recipe and just omit the seasoning in the recipe and it will taste like real Texas BBQ!
More homemade seasonings you may like
More Texas recipes
- Texas Chili
- Borracho Beans
- Poblano Cream Sauce
- Pulled Pork and Sides
- Spanish Rice
- Peach Cobbler with Pie Crust (peaches are the state fruit in Texas!)
- Rice and Bean Burrito
- Chicken Fajita Tacos
Homemade Mesquite Seasoning
Tried the Recipe? We Would Love To Hear From You In The Comments Below!
Ingredients
Mesquite Seasoning
- 3 tablespoon brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon smoked paprika if you do not have smoked paprika you can use chipotle powder, ancho chili powder
- 2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon sweet paprika
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon chili powder
Instructions
- Add all of the spices for the seasoning to a small bowl and mix well.3 tablespoon brown sugar, 1 tablespoon smoked paprika, 2 teaspoon kosher salt, 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon chili powder
- Use right away or store in an air tight container for up to 6 months.
Nutrition
Nutrition Values are estimates only.
See full nutrition disclaimer here
Richard says
Why not substitute the brown sugar with mesquite flour?
Melissa says
Hi Richard. You can definitely use mesquite flour in place of the brown sugar! If you have mesquite flour this would be a great way to use it.
Most people do not have access to mesquite flour so brown sugar makes a great ingredient addition for this recipe to help out the everyday cook wanting to make a mesquite blend.
Brandy says
This was very easy to make. We used it on chicken sandwiches and it was a hit.
Dean says
We made this mesquite mix to go with your pork chops and WOW! It really is amazing.