Advice From My Butcher - 5 unforgettable BBQ marinades
- How to Make a Perfect Roast Every Time
- Filet mignon: different recipes for different cuts
- Guide to Cooking Beef
- Tips on How to BBQ Like a Pro
- 5 Ways To Reinvent the Burger
- Prepare and Cook Sausages
- Skewers Bar: Pile Up on Flavour
- 6 Pork Cuts You’re Sure to Love
- Spices to Flavour Meat
- Soul Food at Home
TopThe Secrets to Great Marinades
Dry or wet, a rub is a great way to enhance the flavours of your meat, fish, or meat substitutes before cooking them. A rub will also make them more tender and can extend their shelf life. Sweet, spicy, aromatic: there’s a rub for every taste!
Types of marinade
There are two types of marinades:
Wet marinade
The basic wet marinade always starts with an acid ingredient to break down the fibres and make the flesh softer:
- white or red wine
- unsweetened citrus
- apple or white cranberry juice
- flavoured vinegar
- beer
- yogurt
- mustard
- Tamari sauce
Oil and spices are added to this acid ingredient. Aromatic fruits and vegetables can also be added to the mixture.
Dry marinade
A dry marinade is used primarily to flavour and heighten the taste of meat without necessarily tenderizing it.
The basic dry marinade consists of herbs, spices, aromatic compounds mixed with a small amount of oil and, at times, alcohol.
The meat is not left very long in a dry marinade because its purpose is simply to perfume the meat.
Tips and advice
- The numerous herbs and spices available today provide endless opportunities when preparing a dry marinade.
- If you have more of a sweet tooth, add a little maple syrup.
- If you prefer spicy, add some Tabasco sauce, harissa, Worcestershire sauce or a little hot pepper.
- Soy sauce, tamari, Hoisin oyster sauce will add a salty taste to the marinade.
Expert tip
Calculate at least 250 ml (1 cup) of marinade per kilo (2.2 pounds) of meat.
Recipes for a successful BBQ
Basic principles of marinating meat
Containers
- Use glass, porcelain or stainless steel containers.
- Avoid aluminum, which will oxidize on contact with acid ingredients in the marinade and transfer a metal taste to your food. The same advice applies to tools and utensils.
- Place the meat in the bag, pour in the marinade, remove the air and set the bag in a bowl.
Techniques
- Refrigerate in an air-tight container to avoid any proliferation of bacteria and to protect other foods in the fridge from absorbing the aroma of the marinade.
- For thicker cuts of meat, it is a good idea to prick the flesh here and there to allow the marinade to better penetrate the meat.
- Never re-use marinade that has been in touch with raw meat. It should be discarded. If you would like to use it as a sauce to flavour the cooked meat, the marinade should be boiled for 10 to 15 minutes prior to serving.
Marinating time
- For best results, meat should be left to marinate at least one hour, which gives it time to absorb the flavour and become more tender.
- Results are even more satisfying when the meat is left to marinate overnight (depending on thickness) because the longer it marinates, the more flavourful it becomes.
- Marinating time should not exceed 24 hours however because after this time, the marinade will actually start to cook the meat.
STAY CONNECTED
Download the My Metro app.
Grocery list, flyer, coupons and points all at your fingertips!
Follow us
for more inspiration, recipes and exclusive offers.
