Meat Marinades 101

Time for Lisa's Soap Box again. Today's subject: marinading meat.

A marinade is a flavorful liquid that you soak meat in. It tenderizes the meat, adds juice, and really affects the flavor. Wonderfully, marinades can be incredibly tasty while being incredibly healthy as well. Plus, they are relatively simple to create, and make you look like a rock-star on the grill.

Marinades have 3 basic parts: an acid, an oil, and seasonings. Unlike salad dressings, the ratio doesn't have to be very precise. I'd do about a 2-1 acid to oil ratio, though. Add as much or as little seasoning as you like.

Acids: Help to break down connective tissue and tenderize the meat, as well as driving other flavors into the meat deeply and quickly.
-Vinegar (red wine, rice wine, apple cider, balsamic--anything except distilled)
-Juice (lemon, lime, orange, apple, etc)

Oils: Lubricates the meat and prevents sticking or burning. Also adds to a juicy mouth feel.
-Vegetable oil
-Extra-Virgin Olive oil (my favorite)

Seasonings: Time to get super creative!
-Salt and Pepper are a must.
-Garlic or garlic juice
-pull out your spice cabinet! ginger, cardamom, cumin, chili flake, or paprika are all classic
-Worcestershire sauce
-soy sauce (careful, this is salty)
-honey or molasses
-hot sauce
-herbs like thyme, rosemary, oregano, sage, or basil

Try to pick things for your seasonings that compliment each other and compliment your acid. Last night we did an asian-inspired marinade: orange juice, olive oil, soy sauce, fresh oregano, and ginger. It was fantastic.

Assemble your marinade and pour into a ziploc bag. Add the meat. Any kind of meat--chicken breasts, pork chops, steaks--can benefit from a good marinade. Depending on how much acid you use depends on how long it will need to sit. I'd shoot for no less than 30 minutes, though up to 4 hours is fantastic. Then grill up the meat on a grill or under a broiler. DISCARD ANY REMAINING MARINADE. Leftover marinade is not for basting, and is most definitely not a sauce. It has done its job, and you will not be sorry for using it, I promise.

Meat temperatures are this, and I would not recommend grilling without an insta-read thermometer. They are very cheap and can be purchased at most grocery stores. Ground beef, chicken, pork, fish: 160 degrees Farenheit. Beef Steak: 140. If you go over these temperatures by more than 10 degrees, you'll really start to notice a difference in juiciness. If you've always had overcooked meat, you're really missing out! Properly cooked meat should be quite juicy. And don't freak out if you've never eaten pink steak before. Brown steak is burnt. End of story.

Correctly used, marinades can really benefit your weekly cooking, and can change your eating and cooking habits. Plus, if you're just a beginner cook, or not very creative in the kitchen, marinades are a great place to start, because they're hard to mess up, and really taste great, and can turn a cheaper cut of meat into a really awesome dinner. Good luck, and be creative!