What do marinades do?

Depending on what’s in your marinade and how it’s used, it can tenderise food as well as adding flavour to it. If a marinade includes sugar or salt, it will have a gentle softening effect, but if there’s an acid such as lemon juice, vinegar, buttermilk or yogurt mixed in, the marinade will, over time, transform the surface texture of any meat it’s used on.

How long to marinade for?

If you leave any meat in an acidic marinade for too long, the surface texture will eventually become stringy and dry. As a general rule, you shouldn’t leave meat to marinate in acid for any longer than overnight. About 5-6 hours will impart the best flavour and texture, but even 10 minutes of marinating will add flavour. Non-acidic marinades can be left longer, but this won’t make them work any better. Stick to 24 hours as a maximum.

How do marinades work?

Marinades never go far into larger pieces of meat or poultry – they’ll always be surface flavours. Oil and fat won’t penetrate the flesh at all, but salt will get a little way in if used in large quantities (1½ tbsp salt per 250ml liquid) and this loosens the muscle fibres.


3 BBQ marinades to try:

Garlic Herb Marinade

Ingredients:
¼ cup olive oil, 2 tbsp lemon juice, 4 cloves garlic (minced), 1 tbsp fresh rosemary (chopped) or 1 tsp dried, 1 tbsp fresh thyme (chopped) or 1 tsp dried, 1 tbsp fresh parsley (chopped), 1 tsp salt, ½ tsp black pepper

Marinate duration:
Chicken (2–4 hours), Beef/Pork (4–6 hours)

Sweet Smoky BBQ

Ingredients:
½ cup ketchup, ¼ cup brown sugar, 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar, 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 tsp smoked paprika, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder, ½ tsp black pepper, ½ tsp salt.

Marinate duration:
Chicken/Pork (2–6 hours or overnight for deeper flavor), Beef (6–12 hours)

Spicy Asian Glaze

Ingredients:
¼ cup soy sauce, 2 tbsp honey or brown sugar, 1 tbsp hoisin sauce, 1 tbsp rice vinegar, 1 tbsp sesame oil, 1 tbsp sriracha or chili paste, 2 cloves garlic (minced), 1 tsp grated ginger, 1 tsp chili flakes (optional).

Marinate duration:
Chicken/Pork (2–4 hours), Beef (4–8 hours)