Marinades for beef, lamb, pork, chicken, and seafood add more than just good taste. They also tenderize tougher cuts of meat and help seal in juices. In addition, they keep the food from sticking and protect tender food surfaces from intense heat when grilling.
The essential ingredients of a marinade are:
- Acid to tenderize: vinegar, citrus juice, tomatoes, wine or yogurt
- Seasonings for flavor: herbs and spices, garlic, chilies, citrus zest
- Oil to protect: olive oil, vegetable oil
To marinate, mix the acid, seasonings and oil together in a small bowl. Place a whole cut of meat or smaller pieces in a shallow dish. Brush the marinade over the whole piece of meat, turn and brush on the other side; if using smaller pieces, drizzle with the marinade, then toss the pieces with a spoon to coat. Cover with plastic wrap. If marinating longer than 1 hour, refrigerate. Turn the meat a few times during marinating.
Timing: The amount of time to marinate depends on the type of food and the size of the pieces. Dense, hearty meats like beef and lamb need a long time to absorb the marinade’s flavor and tenderize the meat. Lighter meats like poultry and pork don’t need as much time as red meat. Lighter, delicate fish and seafood need much less time. Small pieces will need less time than large pieces. Here are some guidelines to help you time it just right:
- Beef, lamb: marinate for 2 to 24 hours, depending on the size of the pieces of meat
- Chicken, turkey, pork: 1 to 6 hours
- Fish, seafood: 30 to 60 minutes
- Vegetables: just a few minutes to coat
Safety First: Boil, Don’t Spoil
Raw juices containing harmful bacterial will seep into marinades while the meat or poultry is soaking. To keep the dish safe, you should not baste the meat with raw marinade during the last 5 minutes of cooking or grilling. And if you’d like to use leftover marinade as a sauce, you must cook the marinade to avoid any bacterial contamination: Simply transfer the leftover marinade to a small saucepan and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 3 minutes.
Shortcut Marinades
Doctor up bottled dressing or sauce for easy, in-a-flash marinades:
Italian Marinade: Add 2 chopped garlic cloves and a dash of hot pepper sauce to 1 cup Italian salad dressing.
BBQ Marinade: Chop 1 small onion and 2 cloves of garlic; sauté in a little oil. Stir into 1 cup storebought BBQ sauce. Add 2 tablespoons orange juice, a dash of hot pepper sauce, or 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel.