Tips
when trying a marinade recipe
A
flavouring marinade is used with tender beef cuts for a short time - 15
minutes to 2 hours.
A tenderising marinade is used with less tender beef cuts - usually
from the chuck, round, flank and skirt.
A tenderising marinade contains a food acid or a tenderising enzyme.
Acidic ingredients include lemon or lime juice, vinegar, Italian
dressing, salsa, yogurt and wine.
Tenderising juices are present in fresh ginger, pineapple, papaya, kiwi
and figs.
Less tender steaks should be marinated at least 6 hours, by no more
than 24 hours. Longer than 24 hours will result in a mushy texture.
Tenderising marinades penetrate about ¼ inch into the meat.
Marinate in a food-safe plastic bag or a nonreactive glass or stainless
steel container.
Turn steaks or stir beef strips occasionally to allow even exposure to
to the marinade.
Allow ¼ to ½ cup of marinade for each 1 to 2
pounds of beef.
Always marinade your meats in the fridge, never do so at room
temperature.
If a marinade will be used later for basting, or served as a sauce,
reserve a portion of it before adding the raw beef. Marinade that has
been in contact with uncooked meat MUST be brought
to a full rolling boil before it can be used as a sauce.
You should never save and reuse a marinade and you can read this
article on barbecue
hygiene for further information on the subject.
The
basics of a BBQ marinade
Marinades
work best when working with any meat, red or white, that has had the
excess fat removed before cooking. The marinading process is helped by
acidic (foods containing enzymes such as lemon, orange etc.) and helps
to break down the meats fibres over a period of time, usually
overnight, to vastly improve the flavour during the cooking process.
One of the most commonly asked questions is; "how long should I
marinade my meat for?".
The answer depends on 1) how much time you actually have before
cooking!, and 2) what type of food you are marinading.
As a guideline,
chicken usually benefits from being marinaded for around 8 hours and
red meat for up to 24 hours, though overnight will usually be fine if
you are a little short of time.
Fish needs relatively little time to
benefit from a marinade, around 2-3 hours is about right. Make sure
that all your meats and fish are covered with clingfilm or a plate and
left in a cool fridge to allow the flavours to permeate together
properly and ensure that good hygeine is observed.
Marinading food does not have to be a chore, and as a rule of thumb you
can make your marinades easier to prepare by using either ceramic or
glass dishes when you place them in your fridge. This saves a
considerable amount of time when you come to wash up your dishes
afterwards as residual meat juices tend not to stick as much as dishes
made from other types of material.
If
you have the means to, the best way I have found is to use zip-lock or
sturdy plastic freezer bags to place your marinaded meat in. The
process is very simple.
Place your meat or fish into the bag, ensuring
that there is enough room to add your marinade juice, leaving plenty of
room around it so that the juices may be shaken together once the bag
has been closed.
Add
your marinade to the bag with the meat, the grip the bag very firmly
and give it a gently shake until the food has been coated.
Push the air
out of the bag with your hand and then tie the bag shut using string or
a plastic clip such as a clothes peg. If you don't have any of these to
hand, see if you have any garden ties in the shed or plastic cable ties
lurking in the office, both work just as well.
The
best accompaniment to any bbq feast is a
plentiful array of vegetables. When it comes to the veggies, don't
worry about spending too much time with sauces or marinades as they
often make the food too moist, and on some occasions spoil it due to
being wet.
Instead take your vegetables, such as peppers, onions,
tomatoes, aubergine and so forth, and simple brush on a little of your
favourite extra virgin olive oil and add a small touch of salt and
freshly ground black pepper.
Don't go over the top and use too much pepper
though unless your guests
particularly like the heat!
The trick to well cooked vegetables is to take your
time and ensure
that they are not overcooked too quickly. All too often it is easy to
forget about the vegetables when your steaks or chicken are on the
grill cooking away on a high flame.
Patience and attention to detail is
the key to make sure that your vegetables come out as the perfect
accompaniment to the meats on the table.
BBQ Seasonings
Using
barbecue seasonings on your food rounds off the flavour, adding either
a combination of delicate nuances or bolder ones to improve the taste.
BBQ seasonings can be combined in certain quantities with certain
ingredients to make pre-made barbecue rubs, and we have an growing list
of favourites for you to try.
To find out more about BBQ
seasonings and their uses on various types of meat, poultry and even
vegetables, take a look at our BBQ
seasoning
guide to get your started.
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BBQ Food Cooking Tips
To
get the best flavour and enjoyment from your barbecued food we have
prepared a guide to show you how to hone your BBQ cooking skills with
our barbecue
food cooking tips.
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