There’s nothing more fun than gathering the whole family around barbecues in the weekend. And to get the best taste when grilling your meat and chicken, there’s one little thing that you need to excel in: the marinade. And to ensure the best results, you just need to follow these guidelines!
1- Meat marinade
Marinating your meat helps you experiment new flavors and guarantees great texture; the meat is extremely tender and juicy after grilling! That’s why whenever you’re planning a barbecue, think ahead and prepare your meat the night before or early morning. Large cuts such as steaks and veal rib chops can be marinated up to 24 hours whereas smaller cuts such as cubes can be marinated for a shorter time.
The most popular meat marinades are composed of 3 main ingredients: oil, acidic ingredient (lemon juice, vinegar…) and spices. But you can go a little bit creative and use a wide range of ingredients such as fruits. For example, kiwi can be used as a meat tenderizer.
Place them in the refrigerator, either in a well-sealed freezer bag or in a closed plastic container to make sure that the meat absorbs all the flavors.
And once all your barbecue preparations are ready, let the show begin!
2- Poultry marinade
When it comes to chicken, there are slight differences in the marinating process, compared with the meat. For instance, you can marinate a whole chicken and chicken parts. But before doing it you should pierce the chicken with a fork or make large cuts on the skin to facilitate the marinade absorption. You can even remove the whole skin. And besides that, chicken can be marinated for a longer time, up to 2 days in the refrigerator.
Now for the ingredients, just like the meat marinade, it’s mainly composed from oil, acidic ingredient (lemon juice, vinegar…) and spices. But too acidic marinades can toughen your chicken, that’s why make sure to add small amounts of vinegar or lemon juice.
Along these ingredients, chicken can be marinated with yogurt, especially in Indian recipes or Middle Eastern recipes such as shish tawook.
What are the main ingredients that you use to marinate your meat and poultry BBQ? Share your thoughts with us in the comment box.
