Make Your Own Marinade

Why not experiment a little and make your own marinade?

A marinade is basically made up of
* an acid to break down the meat and tenderize it
* an oil to replace the moisture the acid draws out of the meat\
* seasonings

The acid can be vinegar, red wine, lemon juice; on that order. Personally I prefer a red wine or lemon juice as it not only helps tenderize your meat, it adds a flavor at the same time.

If you use something like a nut oil or a flavored oil, you can add flavor as well. Olive oil is very popular.

The spices is where you start to become creative. Ideally you’ll want to use spices that blend well together. Some popular spices to use in rubs and marinade are chili powder, mustard powder, paprika, allspice, black pepper, garlic powder, onion powder, basil, oregano, etc.

Excellent listing of spices

A good basic start would be
* red wine
* black pepper
* olive oil
* mustard powder
* dried oregano
* garlic powder

Use your measurements and add as you please. Test.

Marinade in a glass dish, ceramic; stainless steel. Never in aluminum. Always cover the marinade.

I like to mix my marinade in a zip lock bag and add my meats, shaking well. I then put it in the refrigerator on a dish. Remove from refrigerator at least a half hour before grilling. This makes it easy as you remove the meat, pat it dry, and dump the marinade down the sink and toss the bag.

I never marinade more than 8 hours. Leaving it in too long can cause the meat to become mushy. Yuck!!! You can marinade overnight but, to make sure my meat doesn’t hit the mushy stage, I generally do the marinading the morning I plan to grill or barbecue.

Give it a try. The possibilities are endless.