The best method for a grilling marinade
Grilling is one of my favourite ways to bring out a delicious flavour in food that you just can’t get from a stove top or an oven. It takes your food to the next level of flavour with charred bits and pieces as well as a smokey essence.
Whether your grill is charcoal, electric, gas or a fire-pit at the campsite, you can achieve heightened flavours from cooking your food over a direct flame.
The grill I recommend
At home, we use a charcoal cast-iron grill. The one we have is so convenient, we can pack it up and take it camping or just use it on the deck at home as we normally do. The one we have is from a company called Bare Bones Australia and is linked here. By the way, this post is not sponsored or affiliated with Bare Bones Australia.
Making the marinade
The making of the marinade for whatever you are grilling is the part where you can be creative and make it taste how you want it to taste. There are a few notes to follow when marinating, such as marinating times and the ratios of acid to fat to salt, otherwise you’re pretty much free to make it however you want! Personally, I like to use up any flavour bombs I have in the fridge, such as curry pastes, mustard, tamarind paste, XO sauce, etc. Rather than just sitting there in the fridge, I could mix it up with lime, olive oil, seasonings and have an amazing marinade to flavour my meat with.
Below I have outlined some key differences in marinating times depending on the item you are marinating. All types of protein or vegeteables have different levels of time that they want to sit in the marinade. For example, fish has a very short marinating time because the acidic citrus will cure the meat, thus cooking it through before we get a chance to on the grill. Otherwise, meat, poultry and veggies, they’re less fussy when it comes to sitting in marinade for a little bit longer and some actually crave it.
Different times for marinating
If you’re marinating fish: no more than 30 minutes.
Poultry: 6 hours.
Meat (whole): 12-24 hours.
Meat (cubed): 2-4 hours.
Vegetables: a few hours if they’re hearty veggies, or 20 minutes if they’re soft veggies.
The perfect marinade formula
There is a formula for the making of a perfect grilling marinade. As such, it is based on the ratios of fat and acid. For a successful marinade, use a ratio of 3:1, three parts oil to one part acid. In a recipe, this would look like 1 cup of olive oil, or another type of oil, and 1/3 cup of lemon juice, or any other acid. Salt is an important aspect of marinating, as the salt will penetrate into the meat and tenderise it, creating a softer and juicier cut. Whilst the marinade will flavour the meat, the salt will assist the marinade in adding more flavour. The amount of salt in a marinade is 1 tsp of fine cooking salt to 2 cups of liquid marinade. You want the marinade to be covering at least 3/4 of the meat.
Recipe inspiration
Below are a few marinade recipes to get you inspired and going.
First we have a Mediterranean-inspired marinade. It’s a white wine and rosemary based marinade, with green olives, oregano, lemon and olive oil. This marinade is perfect for marinating chicken or vegetables.
I would pair this marinade with vegetables such as zucchini, asparagus and broccolini alongside a simple salt and pepper steak, or I would use the marinade on chicken thighs and enjoy with a crunchy cos lettuce salad and garlic-dill yogurt on the side.
Grill chicken, meat, vegetables or fish after marinating in this rosemary-wine marinade.
Mediterranean Rosemary-Wine Marinade:
This works for about 500g/ or 1 lb of meat, poultry, seafood or vegetables.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon blanc
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
1 tbsp green olives, chopped
5 sprigs of rosemary, leaves chopped
3 sprigs of oregano, leaves chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp fine cooking salt
cracked black pepper
XO chilli marinade:
XO sauce is a chinese chilli sauce, made from lots of delicious umami components such as prawns, pork, chilli, garlic and ginger, to name a few. This marinade works wonders on 500g of chicken, red meat or fish.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
zest of 1 lemon
2 tbsp XO sauce
1 garlic clove, smashed
1/2 tbsp honey
1/4 tsp fine cooking salt
cracked black pepper
Tamarind lime marinade:
This recipe for a tamarind lime marinade is a sour and acidic combo for those who love salt and vinegar flavours. It is inspired by Thai cooking and goes really well on 500g of seafood.
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
zest of 1 lime
2 tbsp tamarind paste
1 garlic clove, smashed
1 tbsp fish sauce
1/2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 long green chilli, sliced
1/4 tsp fine cooking salt
Mix the marinade components in a large mixing bowl until incorporated. Place your protein of choice, or veggies, into the bowl with the marinade and rub into the meat with your clean hands. Wash hands directly after. Leave to marinate in the fridge depending on the type of item it is, given the marinating times listed above.
Once the grill is hot, oil the grill using a brush and place your pieces of meat down on the grill. Brush on the extra marinade from the bowl and cook according to the type of meat that you are using.
Enjoy and please let me know if you have any questions by leaving a comment below.
