Marinades

Most marinades are based on acid and oil. The acid can come from lemon juice, wine, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce or yogurt and oil of any kind can be used. Herbs and spices are crucial to a good marinade. Fresh garlic, chilli, onion, ginger and fresh herbs can be matched to the meat that you are using. The flavour in the marinade needs to accent the flavour in the meat. In order for your marinade to act a tenderiser, the marinade must be soaked for at least 30 minutes. The acid base of a marinade acts as the tenderiser.

To Marinade Steak try this delicious recipe:

• 2 tablespoons brown sugar
• 2 teaspoons dark jam
• 1 tablespoon Worstershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Lightly score both sides of the steaks. Squeeze the lemon juice on both sides, then place in a dish. Mix all the marinade ingredients together, then pour over the steaks in the dish, pressing the marinade well into each side of the meat with a wooden spoon. Marinate for a minimum of 2 hours, turning a few times. Drain the steaks and keep the marinade.

Grill the steaks on both sides. When they are cooked, heat the remaining marinade. Pour over the steaks and serve at once.

Tips for Using Marinades:

• Chicken marinates quickly and only requires 30 min to an hour to absorb the flavour.
• Use a non-reactive container - glass, ceramic, or non-metallic bowl or a resealable plastic bag. Turn the meat or poultry several times to expose all sides to the marinade.
• Marinating not only adds flavor, it helps keep meat and poultry moist.
• Marinades can not be re-used. They can be used during cooking for basting, or as the base of a sauce for the meat cooking by bringing it to the boil.

Basting

Basting sauces are brushed onto meat during cooking. If the baste contains sugar or tomatoes, you should only baste meats for about 10 minutes to avoid over-browning, Other bastes can be applied intermittently over for about half an hour. Basting is a fantastic way to add flavour to meat dishes, especially after the meat has been marinated or rubbed with seasoning.

Try this delicious basting sauce:

Mince 1 clove of garlic, juice half a lemon, ¼ cup cooking oil, 1 teaspoon of paprika and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to the boil. Remove from heat and stir in 1 table spoon of honey.

Rubs

Dry marinades or rub-on seasonings are a mixture of spices that are hand rubbed onto meat or poultry. They need to set on the meat for at least 30 minutes. For a more intense flavour, leave in the refrigerator overnight. Different meats are complimentary to different flavours - keep the flavours more fresh and subtle for Pork, Poultry and Lamb and more spicy and zesty for Beef.

• For Beef combine 1 ½ teaspoons chili powder, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ½ teaspoon garlic salt and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.
• For Lamb combine 1 tablespoon ground cumin, 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper and a good handfull of dried rosemary leaves - no salt.
• For Pork and Chicken combine 1 teaspoon garlic salt and ½ teaspoon pepper, ½ teaspoon basil leaves and ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper.