I love to see well seasoned food on the grill. It seems that when you go to the restaurant and order a grilled steak, it has those beautiful grill lines and is so juicy it makes your mouth water before the steak ever hits your lips. On top is a sauce that can be tasted all the way through the meat. With a little practice and just the right combination of marinade and seasonings, you can learn to create a steak marinade just as good, if not better, as those you thought could only be found in your favorite steak house.
First, let’s distinguish between a marinade and a dry rub. A marinade is a wet mixture of oil, vinegar, and water with herbs and/or spices that you soak food in prior to cooking. A dry rub, as its name implies, is a dry mixture of herbs and spices. When using a dry rub, coat your meat in a thin layer of olive oil to help the dry seasonings to coat the meat and not fall off. If you don't, most of the seasoning will either fall off or get burned to the outside like a thick layer of char. Needless to say; the meat won't taste like the rub at all if that happens.
The type of seasonings you use in a dry rub is entirely up to your tastes. Hotter spices will give you more of a Mexican flare—cayenne pepper, dried chiles, cardamom, and dried onion flakes. Heather, who creates our Frugal Mom Menu, has a favorite meat rub that she uses on pork, chicken, and beef.
Heather's Meat Rub
Yield=1 bag of seasoning
- 6 Tbsp. brown sugar
- 5 Tbsp. chili powder, I recommend a mild one unless you like heat
- 3 Tbsp. paprika
- 2 Tbsp. black pepper
- 2 Tbsp. garlic powder
- 1 Tbsp. onion powder
- 1 Tbsp. meat tenderizer
- 1 Tbsp. dry rosemary
- 1 Tbsp. dry thyme
- 1 Tbsp. mustard powder
- 1 Tsp. cumin
- 1 Tsp. cayenne pepper
Mix all ingredients together and store in a resealable plastic bag.
Spicy can be combined with sweet for a Caribbean taste. The juice from the fruit will create more of a marinade unless you opt to brush on the juice about thirty minutes before the end of grilling. This is the taste that I love when my friends make their authentic Jamaican Jerk Chicken.
Marinades, unlike dry rubs, require a little more time because the longer your meat marinates, the more tender and flavorful it will be. The meat will tenderize and the flavor of your marinade gets all into and through the meat bringing flavor in every bite when it’s done on the grill. The acidic component of the marinade is what breaks down the collagen in the meat to make it more tender. I like to marinate meat at least overnight, sometimes longer. Unlike meat, fish -other than firm-fleshed fish steaks like salmon or swordfish - should only be marinated for a few minutes (15 at the most) as it will fall apart if it is marinated for longer.
When marinating meat, first thaw the meat and trim the fat off. Combine your marinade ingredients in a plastic bag or plastic container meant for marinating. Seasoning packs work well when you don’t have the time or desire to shake a little of this and a little of that into the bag. One of my favorites is the GrillMates Tomato Basil marinade. Experimenting with new tastes is fun when making your own marinades. You can mix a few spices and herbs in a small bowl and add some olive oil and vinegar. Just a tip when it comes to vinegar - don’t be too heavy handed with the vinegar as it can easily overpower the flavor of the other ingredients. Typically, marinades use a 1:1 ratio of oil and vinegar. If you need more liquid you can add water.
The benefit of making your own marinade is that you know what is in the mix. Packaged seasonings don’t usually contain any preservatives but many families are trying to avoid MSG which some contain. Ready-made sauces from the store can be used; one that does taste good as a base is a basic barbeque sauce. It’s best when you add extras from the spice rack to jazz up the taste. Try your hand at a new flavor for your next meal on the grill and don’t be afraid to experiment. Here is my favorite marinade for chicken.
Chicken Marinade
- 1/2 cup red wine vinegar
- 1 cup soy sauce
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. oregano
- 1 tsp. basil
- 1 tsp. garlic salt or Adobo
- 1/2 tsp. pepper
Marinate 2-4 pounds of chicken at least overnight before grilling. I like to cook extra of this chicken and chop the leftovers, freezing them in 1-2 cup increments for use in casseroles and soups.
Enjoy trying some new flavors on the grill this summer!