5 Marinades to start your Barbeque Season

 

I can’t wait for summer. I love my barbeque. In fact Barbeques Galore know how much I love it and they have sponsored this post, it’s a good one. 5 marinades to start your Barbecue Season.

The taste of smoky barbequed meat and vegetables is my favourite, but add a few herbs and spices to the meat or vegetables before grilling and you will have a punch of flavour you may not have expected. Marinades are so easy but they can make the difference between a barbie and a BARBEQUE. The other thing about marinades is they can be made with pantry staples. Mustard herbs and spices, juice, olive oil, tomato sauces and pastes, chillies, zest- you name it there are all kinds of marinades and all kinds of flavour combinations so you can have a different one every time you barbeque.

There’s a couple of ways to inject that flavour. Dry marinades or rubs are a mixture of spices and herbs that penetrate into the meats and vegetables, coating them and making a delicious exterior. Or pastes, that are pretty much an extension of the dry marinades with a little liquid or oil added.

How long should I marinate?

That depends on how long you have. You can marinate for 2-3 hours up to about 24 hours.

Meat should be marinated in the fridge unless it is going to be cooked within about 20 minutes of being prepared. Big pieces of meat like whole joints are best marinated up to about 24 hours, with a dry rub or a paste. Some of the more liquid based marinades that use juice or wine will tenderise over time so bigger pieces of meat or more secondary cuts work well with this kind of marinade.

A couple of important points to remember are:

Preheat the barbeque

• Drain the meat very well if using a liquid marinade as this will encourage it to grill rather than stew
• If basting with marinade that has had raw meat in it,  make sure you dont brush the meat with the marinade in the last minutes of the cooking because it needs to heat enough to kill bacteria.
• Don’t leave marinating meat out of the fridge for longer than about 20-30 minutes
• If using the left over marinade that has had raw meat in it make sure it is boiled (or even reduced a little) put it into a separate small pot and bring it to a boil on the BBQ, most especially after marinating chicken.

Get your Barbeque started and give these 5 delicious marinades a try:

Pineapple and Jalapeno Marinade with Boneless Pork Spareribs

This is a great marinade that has hints of Mexican flavour. Serve this Pork with a wedge of lime.

Marinade:

• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika,
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano,
• 2 teaspoon cumin,
• 1/2 teaspoon salt,
• 1 tablespoon chopped pickled jalapeno’s,
• 1 tablespoon jalapeno liquid,
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup,
• 1/2 cup finely diced pineapple (reserve the rest for grilling),
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar then stir together with
• 1/2 bunch chopped coriander washed roots and stems included,
• 2 tablespoons oil,
• 1 clove of crushed garlic.
• Add the 500 gm Pork Spareribs and marinate 2 hours or overnight.

Grill the spareribs till cooked through and serve with grilled pineapple, rice and a corn and black bean salad.

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Cumin, Lemon and Paprika Marinade with Lamb Steaks and Yoghurt

This is a wonderful marinade with a big kick of flavour. It’s great with creamy dressed salads and sliced grilled haloumi with a squeeze of lemon

Marinade:

• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard,
• 2 teaspoons cumin,
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika,
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano,
• 1/2 teaspoon salt,
• 1 tablespoons lemon juice,
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest,
• 1 clove crushed garlic,
• 2 Tablespoon olive oil,
• 1/2 cup finely chopped parsley stir well.

Add  500 gm Lamb leg steaks. Marinate 2 hours or overnight.

Grill the lamb till medium rare and serve with grated beetroot and cucumber salad and plain yoghurt.

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Maple, Soy and Sesame Marinade for Salmon

This is the perfect marinade for salmon or even prawns. This is great with rice or noodles.

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup light soy ( light colour),
• 1/4 cup of maple syrup,
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice,
• 1 tablespoon ginger,
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds stir together.

Add 2 x 150- 200 gm salmon steaks and marinate for 20- 30 minutes. After grilling serve with noodles, sliced red pepper, smoked almonds and heated marinade with a little extra lemon juice added and lots of coriander.

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Thai style beef Marinade

This is a strong marinade and although it is simple and surprising, it really works. Use the BBQ’d beef in a Thai beef salad with a lemon and chilli dressing. It has a salty exterior that is irresistible.

Marinade:

• 1/4 cup fish sauce,
• 1 tablespoons olive oil,
• 1 clove of garlic per 200 gm steak.

Mix the marinade ingredients in a bowl. Add the steak ( 1 steak will do 2-3 serves), turn over well in the marinade. leave to marinade for 2-3 hours or up to 24 hours.

Grill till medium rare over the grill bars.

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Sticky Smoked Chicken skewers

Easy as pie this marinade is smoky and sticky and takes minutes to prepare.

Marinade:

• 2 Tablespoons light soy ( or Japanese soy)
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 2 tablespoons smoked paprika
• 4 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Approximately 500 gm (2.2lb) Chicken breast fillets ( or thighs also work)

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Cut the chicken into even sized strips and slot onto skewers. lay flat on a tray or dish and cover with the marinade. leave 2 hours if possible. After grilling paint with an extra mixture of 1 tablespoon of tomato ketchup mixed with 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin. serve with potatoes grilled on the barbeque or wrapped in foil and steamed on the BBQ.

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These are some of my go to marinades. Do you have a special marinade you like to use?

Let me know what it is.

This post was supported by Barbeques Galore