Trader Joe's Fans Are So Excited For Its New BBQ Seasoning Blend

The list of our favorite Trader Joe's spice blends was already getting pretty long — Everything But The Bagel for our avo toast, their Umami blend for mixing into soups, South African Smoke for our mac n' cheese. And when autumn rolls around, we start adding their Pumpkin Spice blend to everything. Well, now we need to make even more space on the spice rack because there's a new seasoning blend available at Trader Joe's, and it just appeared on store shelves this week! 

The name of the new spice is BBQ 101 Seasoning Blend. @Traderjoesaficionado, one of the TJ's disciples that updates fans on new products, shared pics of the new spice on their Instagram page. It's a vibrant, orangey-red blend in a glass bottle with a black and white, chalk art-style label. The blend promises to bring "the basics of BBQ" to your dishes and meats. Here's what's in the new seasoning blend, and how it's different from Trader Joe's other popular BBQ spice.

BBQ 101, the new spice blend from Trader Joe's, has a flavor that's "a little smoky with a balance of sweet and salty," according to Instagram account TraderJoesAficionado. The ingredients include brown sugar, smoked paprika, roasted garlic, and red chile peppers. Trader Joe's fans are probably wondering if this new blend is any different from their other popular blend, the BBQ Rub and Seasoning with Coffee & Garlic. According to Trader Joe's Reviews, the two blends share some ingredients, like paprika and sugar. However, the coffee in that rub brings a heavier flavor and some bitterness. The BBQ 101 is a simpler blend of seasonings, one that will give foods a zestiness and that recognizable "barbecue" flavor.

So what exactly is "barbecue 101"? The Spruce Eats goes over the ingredients typically used to create barbecue rubs, which starts with a balance of salt and sweet ingredients, like brown sugar. For spice and flavor, there's usually chili powder, paprika, onion, black pepper, and garlic. These spices are exactly what Trader Joe's has packed into their BBQ 101 Seasoning Blend. Instagram user @TraderJoesNew, who found the new product, says they're excited to use it on chicken. Others commented that they'll use this spice as a dry rub and for their next batch of grilling.