Grilling - Part 2 - Marinades

Now for those tasty, tenderizing marinades. 

There are usually 2 reasons you use a marinade.  One is to add flavor and the other is to tenderize.  When marinating, it's important to know your beef cut and to plan ahead.  While the two different types of marinades may contain similar ingredients, the key is the length of marinating time.

If you're just looking to add flavor to a tender steak like T-Bone or Ribeye, you only need to marinate for 15 minutes to 2 hours.  Whereas cuts like Top Round or Skirt steaks really benefit from a tenderizing marinade.  The key to tenderizing these cuts of beef is time and ingredients.  You'll want to marinate your steak for 6 - 24 hours.  A tenderizing marinade must contain an acidic ingredient such as lemon juice, vinegar, wine or natural tenderizing enzymes that can be found in papaya, ginger, kiwi, pineapple and figs.  Now for the marinades.

When making, allow 1/3 to 1/2 cup of marinade for every pound of beef.  

If you want to use some of your marinade as a baste or sauce, reserve a portion of it before adding it to your beef.  Marinade that has come into contact with uncooked meat must be brought to a full rolling boil for at least one minute if you plan to use it as a baste.

Again, these recipes are for beef but there are several that I think would be great on chicken or pork.

Balsamic-Mustard Marinade

2/3 cup prepared balsamic vinaigrette

2 Tbsp. Dijon style mustard

Argentinean Steak Marinade

1/2 cup finely chopped onion

1/3 cup spicy steak sauce

4 cloves garlic, minced

4 tsp. dried oregano leaves

Line-Jalapeno Marinade

1/2 cup red currant jelly, warmed

1/2 cup fresh lime juice

1/2 cup chopped, seeded jalapeno peppers

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh cilantro

1 tsp. salt

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. ground allspice

Ginger-Soy Marinade

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 Tbsp. honey

1 Tbsp. minced garlic

2 tsp. minced fresh ginger

1 tsp. freshly grated lemon peel

Red Wine-Herb Marinade

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. chopped fresh thyme or 1 tsp. dried thyme leaves, crushed

1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper

Simple Southwest Marinade

1/2 cup Italian dressing

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 Tbsp. honey

 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

Chili-Cilantro Marinade

2/3 cup prepared Italian dressing

2 Tbsp. coarsely chopped fresh cilantro

1 Tbsp. chili powder

Orange-Cumin Marinade

1/2 cup lime juice

1/2 cup orange juice

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. minced garlic

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. chili powder

Place all of the ingredients for your choice of marinade in a food-safe plastic bag along with your steaks and refrigerate.