A grilling marinade is a very simple way to add flavor and moisture to grilled items. If you follow these basic rules, you’ll be able to create a long list of unique combinations of ingredients and invent your own grilling marinade.
Any grilling marinade will be made of three basic ingredients; Oils, Acids, and Seasonings. These three categories are the beginning of a grilling recipe that you create. Oils will not penetrate meat, they’ll simply coat the surface. This is why I usually don’t include oil in my grilling marinades unless I choose a highly flavored oil like walnut or sesame oil. However, many of the most flavorful oils have lower temperature “smoke points”, not the best choice for the grill, so I omit oil altogether.
Acids and seasonings will dictate the flavor of your grilling marinade. Acids are used because of their ability to tenderize items. This is largely overstated, though. Acids have a SLIGHT tenderizing effect, but not enough to make a big difference in your grilling marinade. The acids most effective at tenderizing tough cuts of meat are from tropical fruits like mango and papaya, but most often tomato products, vinegar, wine, or soy sauce are used.
Choosing the right cut of meat to marinate is the most important step. A cup of ketchup in a marinade will not make a tough cut of meat magically tender. Don’t expect your grilling marinade to turn tough beef into filet mignon, it won’t happen. Acids will break down connective tissues, but it’s the intense direct heat of the barbeque grill that will toughen and dry meats quickly. That’s why it’s important to choose a tender cut of meat to grill, because the cooking method of grilling won’t tenderize your item, regardless of which grilling marinade you choose.
The general rules of marinating are easy:
1) Longer = Stronger. The longer you marinate something, the stronger the flavor
2) Thicker = Longer. The thicker the product, the longer you’ll need to marinate it.
3) Tender = Shorter. A tender product will not need to be marinated as long.
4) Cooler = Cooler. ALWAYS marinate under refrigeration to keep bacteria growth down.
5) Acid resistant container = No Brainer. ALWAYS marinate in plastic or glass, never in copper or reactive metals.
A grilling marinade is perfectly matched for a dry cooking process like grilling. The marinade will add flavor and moisture for the quick, intense heat of the barbeque grill. You can create your own complex flavors of oils, acids and seasonings and invent the latest grilling marinade. A Grilling Rub is also considered a marinade, but made of dry instead of wet ingredients.
How do you feel about adding oil to a marinade? For it or against it? Leave your comment below.
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SarahJane-
It sounds like you've got a lot of common sense. Now, some specific cooking method knowledge and you'll be cooking like a chef at home in no time!
Thanks so much for all this great info! I've enjoyed reading/watching your blog!
I like to make my own marinades and have been unknowingly following your "oils, acids, seasonings". Being a beginner, this made me excited!
Dario-
I'll agree with you that a "flare up" gives a nice show. That nice show will cost you consistent heat, and probably over-cook your steak. It's tough to control a "flare up".
I think you're using the word "emulsify" incorrectly. Emulsification is the mixing of two unmixable items, joined by a liason or emulsifying agent. The most common is egg yolks.
Acids do not emulsify oil and water. Try it. Put some oil and water in a glass and then pour vinegar or lemon juice on top. They'll always separate. Also notice that they separate into small balls of fat and acids, they don't even mix consistently. So, they're not giving your meats an even oily coat either.
Lastly, basting with a marinade is a potentially dangerous practice. Don't forget the marinade is RAW. It's had a RAW item soaking in it.
If you use the marinade to baste and it is not brought to 140F (60c) to reduce bacteria, you can cause foodborne illness.
Remedy this by either simmering the leftover marinade, or being sure that you cook for a period of time after basting to "sanitize" the marinade.
Knowing the characteristics of the ingredients will empower you to create even better meals.
I like using oil in my marinades because the acids will emmulsify the oil and water based liquid somewhat so that meats have an even oily coat. Also the left over marinade is great to baste with and now the oil is infused with flavors. Besides, a gental flare up when placing on the grill can provide a little bit of 'show'.
Thank you!! Sometimes being a chemist pays off. I love to cook and love to entertain, but I truly believe you have to know your ingredients and their properties to get their full flavor potential!! And I should add that for the water soluble herbs and spices, very rarely (almost never) would I ever add plain water to a marinade, rather i would use a water-based liquid (broth, soy sauce, wine,etc). Save the "plain" water for drinking.
I like the scientific examination you put on this, and I agree with everything you said. This is the art and excitement of cooking, finding the best combinations that suite your taste and general rules of attaining excellence.
Thanks for the great contribution.
Honestly, it depends on the spices being used. Chemically speaking, some spices are more fat solube than water soluble. Therefore, when using them I will usually first soak them in a small amount of oil prior to adding to the marinade. On some occassions I will heat the oil slightly to help breakdown the spices quicker and intesify the flavor. When using oil in a marinade, I will generally allow the meat to marinate for a longer period of time to allow time for the oil to penetrate into the meat. Some seasoning and spices are more water soluble, for these I omit the oil all together. Especially if simply using a "salt and pepper" salt is not oil soluble so if the meat is coated in oil, the oil is simply serving as a barrier and the salt will not "get in" to the meat. So whether or not I use it depends on which flavor I am looking to "intensify" and it is always used sparingly!!
I do use oil in my marinades occasionally, but typically only in a ratio of 1 part oil to every 3 or 4 parts liquid and acid. For example, one that I enjoy for chicken is 1 part pure olive oil, 1 part white wine, 3 parts orange juice (preferably I get this by juicing fresh oranges, not using storebought juice but that does work too), crushed fresh garlic, grated ginger root, salt and pepper.
I don't use extra virgin olive oil because it imparts a very particular flavor, and the pure olive oil is more of a lighter flavored supporting option. But I like having the oil there because I brush extra on during the grilling process to get a little more out of the caramelization, and it tends to "stick" a bit better.
Also, for those who haven't caught the difference between marinade and marinate: Marinade is the product, marinate is the process.
Here's to good grilling to all of us!
As always, excellent advice. I learned again from you! thanks for the free sessions and the classes!
I'm a beef flavor lover so typically I'll only use oil to help prevent sticking on my grill, so fresh ground pepper (tellicherry) and coarse salt rubbed on the meat is all I use... I don't want to violate the flavor of my rib-eye's! Also, my wife is more of a purist and doesn't care much for additional flavors imparted into the meats, which makes grilling more difficult for me because I love the smokiness of the grill; if I'm grilling for myself I may add some Tabasco brand chipotle hot sauce or a garlic flavor of some sort. Pork is grilled the same way. Chicken... just naked -- maybe some BBQ sauce added the last five minutes or so. But it's all good!