Marinade
Marinating meat and fish is a very popular way of improving the flavor and tenderizing the food prior to cooking on a BBQ or outdoor grill, and there are lots of exciting and simple marinade recipes you can try experimenting with. Most marinade recipes are easy to throw together and even if you are short of time, there are bound to be plenty of ingredients readily available in your kitchen store cupboard that are ideal for a simple marinade.
For some, rolling out the BBQ at the start of summer means an unwelcome return to the joys of blackened sausages, charred chicken wings, and steak so tough even the dog turns its nose up. But BBQ food does not have to be a disaster on a plate—experimenting with some new marinades can add a whole new depth of sophistication to your outdoor dining experience.
A colorful marinade can liven up just about any meat or fish dish and even the toughest cuts of beef can be miraculously transformed into mouth-watering fillet steak tenderness with the addition of a well considered marinade. And the best bit? You can use almost anything in the kitchen as a marinade, from a can of beer or a bottle of wine, to some natural yogurt and a dose of white wine vinegar and olive oil.
What exactly is marination?
A marinade is a combination of liquid and seasoning that is used to soak meat, fish, and any other food you can think of. The practice of marinating food has taken place for centuries, mainly as a way of prolonging the shelf life of meat and fish, but also as a method of tenderizing tough cuts of meat and improving the sometimes suspect flavor of cheap meat of unknown provenance.
In pre-Columbian Mexico, it was discovered that wrapping meat in papaya leaves helped to tenderize the meat before cooking thanks to the active enzymes in papaya called “papain”. Today we understand more about how the process of meat tenderization works and we can use the natural enzymes of plants and fungi to our advantage when making marinades for the BBQ.
The liquid part of a marinade should be either acidic or enzyme based as both types of ingredients will help break down the tough meat fibers and make the meat proteins easier for the body to digest. Acidic ingredients in a marinade can include vinegar, lemon juice, or wine, whereas enzyme based marinades are typically based on pineapple, papaya or other fruits.
Unfortunately, the downside to tenderizing meat with the aid of enzymes is that the process by which meat is broken down also allows the juices to flow out and the meat to dry up. So marinating the meat must also serve another purpose—it should help to seal in some of the moisture.
How does marination work?
In order for the marinade to actually do its job, it has to come into direct contact with the meat. Marinades work best with smaller cuts of meat because there is a limit on how far the marinade is able to penetrate the meat. With large cuts of meat, it is possible to end up with a tough centre and a mushy exterior. Therefore it is better to marinate thinner cuts of meat such as steaks and chops—and in any case these cuts are more suitable for the BBQ.
Why are seasonings and flavorings added to the marinade?
Seasoning is added to the liquid content of the marinade to enhance and further bring out the flavor of the meat. Seasonings can include all kinds of herbs and spices, from garlic to cumin, paprika, sage, thyme, salt and black pepper. In fact, there really is no limit to what seasoning you can add to a marinade.—the only limit is your imagination!
What makes a good marinade?
You might assume that to make a good marinade, all you have to do is toss some wine and a few spices into a bowl, add the meat, and then leave it for a few hours before cooking on the BBQ. In fact, while this method might work reasonably well, you are far more likely to achieve a better result if you plan your perfect marinade with greater care.
The perfect marinade contains a fine balance of herbs, spices, acidic liquid, and oil. If you add too much acidic liquid, the meat can become mushy and will fall apart as soon as you add it to the BBQ, but conversely, if you get the balance of spices wrong, the meat will taste odd and nobody will enjoy their dinner.
It is also worth considering the calorie content of the marinade if you or your guests are on a diet. There is little point in carefully weighing a piece of steak down to the last gram if your marinade contains several thousand calories of oil and cider. So for the purposes of a diet, consider what goes into the marinade and reduce the amount you intend on using accordingly—as long as the meat is sufficiently covered in liquid, the marinade will do its job.
What happens if I am not ready to cook my meat yet?
Marinated poultry can be stored for up to 48 hours prior to cooking and red meat such as beef and lamb can be kept refrigerated for up to five days before it needs to be cooked. However, once meat has been marinated, it should not be frozen as the marination process can break down the surface of the meat and leave you with a nasty piece of mush.
How do I make a marinade?
For the lazy cook, making a marinade is as simple as 1-2-3. You simply pop along to the local supermarket and pick up a sachet of marinating herbs and spices, or buy a jar of pre-made marinade containing the correct blend of spices to help you turn your cheap chicken breasts into Cajun Chicken so authentic your guests will be convinced you were born and bred in New Orleans as opposed to Butt Cheeks, Michigan.
Unfortunately, many commercial marinades contain high levels of proteases, a type of enzyme that breaks down the fibrous connective tissues in meat (those bits that turn stewing steak into chunks of boot leather). While this is great for tenderizing meat, such marinades can be rather too successful for their own good if you are not careful with the amount you use as well as the length of time you leave the meat stewing in it.
But for the aspiring chef, making an excellent marinade is a great way to experiment with your herbs and spice rack. You will undoubtedly discover through a process of trial and elimination what works best with different cuts of meat. For example, a spicy marinade that gently enhances chicken breasts might have very little effect on a tough cut of beef rump steak.
What are the most popular marinade ingredients?
Different cuts of meat benefit from different flavors, and therefore the marinade that greatly enhances a prime rib-eye steak will not necessarily do much for a fresh piece of salmon. So with this in mind, think carefully about what herbs and spices are likely to improve or enhance the dish you are creating a marinade for.
Beef rib is a popular BBQ dish as it is easy to prepare. For the purpose tenderizing the meat prior to cooking on a BBQ or outdoor grill, a simple marinade of lemon juice, white vinegar, olive oil, garlic, cayenne pepper, some honey and seasoning will keep your ribs nice and moist as they cook on the grill. Ideally, marinate the ribs overnight to achieve the best results.
Beef brisket is another popular cut commonly cooked on the BBQ, but since it can be rather tough without the benefit of some tenderization, a marinade made from red wine, olive oil, lemon juice, wine vinegar, horseradish, mustard, cayenne and onion powder will add some spicy flavor as well as keep the meat tender. As with all tougher cuts of beef, marinade overnight for optimum results.
For a Mexican theme to your BBQ cook-out, consider making a Mexican marinade for the meat. The addition of some fiery spices and flavorings can greatly enhance the flavor of many meat dishes without being too overpowering, although if you add too much chili you might need to up the alcohol quota to sooth burning taste buds. Mexican themed marinades can be made from vinegar, olive oil, garlic, lime juice, cumin and cilantro, and are suitable for beef, pork, lamb, poultry, or fish.
For a Greek themed cook-out, make a delicious Greek style marinade from lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, oregano, and seasoning. Lamb is the meat of choice for Greek dishes and this marinade is perfect for all cuts of lamb, although larger lamb joints will need to be marinated longer in order to bring out the flavor.
And if you fancy a marinade with a touch of Eastern promise, mix up sugar, soy sauce, rice wine, sesame oil, garlic, onions, sesame seeds and seasoning and use it to marinate beef steak. A similar marinade made from soy sauce, sake, chili, ginger, garlic and brown sugar can be used with cuts of pork for a sweet and spicy flavor. Marinate the meat for a few hours prior to cooking on the BBQ and you can enjoy the delicious flavor of the Orient while sipping a nice glass of wine.
Alcohol based marinades are always a popular choice and with a fine selection of beer, wine, cider and spirits to choose from, you are bound to find the perfect liquid accompaniment to your cut of meat. Beer is always a good choice for beef based dishes, and when mixed with mustard, soy sauce, and garlic, you have the basis of a divinely flavored enhancement for any good steak. Alternatively, try making a cider based marinade for your pork chops—cider, cider vinegar, and mustard will be complimentary to the flavor of pork.
For those with a sweet tooth, fruit based marinades act as natural tenderizers and are the perfect accompaniment to pork and chicken dishes. Pineapple mixed with soy sauce, honey, garlic, cider vinegar, ginger and cloves will be a lovely sweet and fruity flavor enhancement for pork and chicken, although be careful not to marinate the meat for too long or it will turn mushy.
How are marinades best used with seafood?
Most types of seafood can be successfully cooked on a BBQ and although seafood is not tough, it can always be enhanced with the addition of a marinade. However, you should be wary of over marinating a seafood dish or it will soon become a pile of mush that is suitable for nothing but a soup pan. It is even possible to toughen seafood by leaving it in the marinade too long. Seafood should only be marinated for around thirty minutes. This will be plenty long enough to add a little flavor to the seafood prior to cooking on a grill or BBQ.
What should I do with leftover marinades?
Any leftover marinade that has been exposed to meat or poultry should either be discarded or cooked. This is because the marinade has been in contact with raw meat and is therefore potentially contaminated with harmful bacteria such as salmonella. If you intend on using the left over marinade as a basting solution or as a sauce, always boil it for at least five minutes to ensure you have killed any residual bacteria. The marinade will be no good as a tenderizing agent, but it can still add flavor to your BBQ dishes and you can turn it into a delicious sauce.
Hopefully, with some careful experimenting and a steady stream of willing victims to try the end results, you can create your very own signature marinade dish capable of turning sow’s ear into a silk purse. So do some research into marinade recipes and have fun in the kitchen!
