National BBQ Month

July is National BBQ Month — and if you live in Nebraska, that doesn’t need much of an announcement. The grills come out in May and don’t go back in until the weather forces it. But July is peak season: longer evenings, family cookouts, the smell of charcoal and smoke drifting across the yard. It’s the month when outdoor cooking stops being a weekend thing and becomes a way of life.

There’s also a shift happening in the seasoning aisle. Demand for no-MSG, low-sodium dry rubs is growing fast among home cooks who are paying closer attention to what’s actually in their seasonings. We’ve been doing it that way since 1976 — because Dad built Sandhill Ben’s Original around one idea: bring out the flavor of the meat, not cover it up.

A Few Rules for Grilling This July

Let it rest. Pull meat from the fridge 20–30 minutes before cooking, and rest it at least five minutes after. Flavor stays in the meat, not on the cutting board.

Season ahead when you can. For thick steaks and roasts, applying your rub the night before makes a real difference. The seasoning works its way in and you get a better crust when it hits the heat. For fish and thin cuts, right before cooking is fine.

Use your heat zones. Sear over direct heat for your crust, then finish over indirect heat. Patience on the grill pays off every time.

Go lighter than you think. Over-seasoning is far more common than under-seasoning. Start with less, especially over smoke — the wood chips are already doing work.

For a crowd, go mild. Let people add heat on their own plates. Sandhill Ben’s Original is built for exactly this — flavorful enough for everyone, approachable enough for the whole table.

Good seasoning doesn’t compete with what it’s on. It supports it. That’s what Dad figured out on the Nebraska plains, and it’s still what goes into every bottle.