So I’m a huge fan of grilling or BBQ anything. I don’t currently have the means to effectively BBQ things, thus I’ve been grilling weekly on a dinky portable charcoal grill I bought. Pictures and explanation of what I’ve been cooking after the jump.
Chicken? Beef? Pork? Which is your preferred meat? Personally I worship the pig in all aspects of life except for hygiene. I’m a firm believer in marination, but that isn’t to say I never use rubs (wet or dry). Some of you may say this takes away from the taste of the meat and, while in some cases you may have a point, pork and chicken safety regulations are so strictly enforced these days it has made the resulting product tasteless. Hence why I’m a fan of marination. How I plan to cook the meat and what I’m cooking it for determines the marination length, but it’s pretty straight forward for both chicken and pork (a little more salt is needed for pork). I used to marinate beef for longer periods of time but I’ve come to find if the beef is a good cut you end up not having to mask the lack of flavor with ones you decided to infuse. Another key to not screwing up chicken or pork is leaving a little pink in the middle. Again the strict policies which exist to protect the consumer have made it possible to now cook chicken and pork this way. The USDA was the one to suggest this here.
Onto the recipes! I am not a professional chef. I eye ball stuff. Sometimes it works sometimes it doesn’t. I’ve found the key is common sense and finding levels of flavor you and/or whoever else is eating with you enjoy.
My three favorite basic marinades are as follows for each listed meat: (Always use pepper and salt unless there is an already salty ingredient)
Pork -
1. McCormick’s Pork Rub + Soy Sauce + Balsamic Vinegar (lots of rub just enough liquid to make a wet paste or basically a wet rub)
2. Teriyaki Sauce + Balsamic Vinegar + Fresh Garlic
3. Red Wine + Balsamic Vinegar + Fresh Garlic
Chicken -
1. Red Wine + Balsamic Vinegar + Fresh Garlic
2. Soy Sauce + Ground Ginger + Balsamic Vinegar + Fresh Garlic
3. Teriyaki Sauce + Ground Ginger + Fresh Garlic
Steak -
1. Red Wine + Fresh Garlic + Balsamic Vinegar + McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning
2. Red Wine + Balsamic Vinegar + Fresh Garlic + Teriyaki Sauce
3. Fresh Garlic + Butter + McCormick’s Montreal Steak Seasoning
