10 Marinade Recipes That Will Make Your Next Meal Delicious
Who doesn’t need marinade recipes? Marinades make everything better – your meats and vegetables will be more flavorful and juicier than you could ever get by basting or coating alone. They’re really perfect for anything having to do with meat and grills… and other stuff too! And to that end, I present to you 10 marinade recipes that are sure to make any meal amazing, though you can always store them for later meals too. That said, these marinades generally stay at the best quality in the fridge for about a week if need be, and are always best on the first day (or second if you’re marinating overnight). Also if you’re marinating chicken, watch out for E. Coli and don’t reuse the marinade unless you plan on cooking the living hell out of it first.
1. Classic Teriyaki
Who doesn’t love teriyaki? It’s sweet, savory, and amazing on really any type of meat – pork, chicken, beef, gerbil, human, whatever floats your boat (maybe don’t eat human though… and I’d say same goes for a gerbil, but I think it’s a delicacy in some parts of the world).
1/4 cup of soy sauce
3 tablespoons of pineapple juice
1/4 of brown sugar
1/2 cup of water
2 cloves of garlic, minced
2 tablespoons of corn starch
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
Directions:
Put everything except for the ginger and corn starch into a saucepan over medium-high heat.
Bring to a boil, then immediately reduce to a simmer and continue to stir.
Add ginger, then corn starch, and stir until thickened.
Once thickened, remove from heat, allow to cool, then store or utilize as you see fit.
2. Classic Steak Marinade
Here’s a classic addition to our marinade recipes – a classic steak and potatoes marinade with thyme and Worcestershire sauce and everything (though I felt that the recipe could do with a bit of fresh rosemary too). It’s great for the full marination of thinner cuts of steak like flank steak for example. What’s more, it’s super tasty to coat this over thicker pieces of steak, as well as marinating other meats like chicken, pork, and turkey.
To get the full recipe, check out thespruceeats.com, or click on the link here!
3. Homemade BBQ Sauce/ Marinade
Making your own quick and amazing BBQ sauce is one hell of a lot easier than one might think. Odds are, if you have a refrigerator and a half-assed spice collection, you probably have the majority of these ingredients already:
1 cup of ketchup
1/2 cup of yellow mustard (1 cup if you want to make Carolina-style)
1/2 cup of brown sugar
3 tablespoons of apple vinegar
1 tablespoon of liquid smoke
2 teaspoons of black pepper
1 teaspoon of salt (for all you salt junkies, don’t forget that there’s yellow mustard!)
1 1/2 tablespoons of garlic powder
1 tablespoon of onion powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
A splash of hot sauce if you like it spicy
Directions:
Just throw everything into a saucepan over medium-high heat and mix as well as possible.
Bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce immediately to a simmer (low to medium-low heat) whilst stirring constantly.
Leave at a simmer and stir until the brown sugar in the concoction has fully dissolved and the sauce is smooth.
Remove from heat, let cool. Then use or store in a mason jar (I guess you could store it in a ziplock or a sheepskin or whatever you use, but a jar is the classier option) in the refrigerator.
4. Jamaican Jerk Marinade
Spicy, savory, and unique in flavor, this marinade is a must-have for our marinade recipes! It’s perfect for chicken, beef, seafood, and vegetables.
For the full recipe, click here!
5. Pesto Marinade
What more need be said about this addition to our marinade recipes? Pesto is super easy to make, not to mention that it’s great for sandwiches as pasta as well. Word of warning though: don’t breathe heavily in a crowded elevator after eating this – your breath will be strong enough to knock out a horse. You’ll need these ingredients:
2 bushels of basil
1/2 cup of olive oil
Juice of half a lemon
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Just throw everything in the blender with maybe a couple teaspoons of salt and pepper to start.
Blend thoroughly, add salt and pepper to taste and serve or preserve!
6. Korean Bulgogi Marinade
If you’re getting tired of pho, but want to keep rolling with the southeastern Asian cuisine, why not try Korean Bulgogi? It’s a Korean BBQ dish that is sweet, savory, and absolutely to die for! Before that, however, you’ll definitely be wanting to make a marinade for it using this next addition to our marinate recipes. Traditionally you’d use this for beef, but it’s certainly worth a go on chicken and pork as well.
For the full recipe on making the marinade, check out the link here!
7. Italian Marinade
Essentially Italian dressing, but more garlic and savory flavor to make spiedie with – a marinated Italian kabob that you throw between bread or over rice. You can use chicken of course, but also pork, veal, or beef. You will need the following ingredients:
1 teaspoon of lemon zest
Juice of one lemon
Fresh basil, chopped
Fresh oregano, chopped
Garlic
Red pepper flakes
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Just mix everything in a bowl and you’re done!
8. Mediterranean Marinade
This zesty, lemony, garlicky marinade of happiness is sure to transport you to the warm shores of the Mediterranean in whatever kind of meat you fuse this with!
Get the full recipe here!
9. Adobada Marinade
Classic Adobada! For those who don’t know, it’s a sweet, savory, and spicy dish that usually includes pork or beef, however, it’s also tasty with chicken.
7 Anaheim dried red chiles
6 cloves of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of onion powder
1 cup of chicken stock
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 tablespoon of cumin
Juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup of olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cut chili peppers in half and remove the stem and gut it.
Once the oven reaches 350 degrees, bake the chili pepper for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring the chicken stock to a boil (high heat) and add the vinegar. Remove from heat.
Put the chili into a blender and pour the broth mix over it.
Add remaining ingredients and blend until smooth. If you want a bit of extra spice, add a tablespoon of the seeds from the chile and blend once more for 1 minute.
If the brown sugar won’t reduce fully, pour the mixture back into the saucepan over high heat, bring to a boil, then immediately return to a simmer, stirring until remaining brown sugar is reduced.
Use or store as appropriate.
10. Cilantro Lime Marinade
Here’s a zesty addition to our marinade recipes that’s sure to spice up all kinds of meats including chicken, beef, pork, or seafood.
To get the full marinade recipe, check out its website of origin by clicking the link here!
