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Simple Marinade for Meat & Poultry

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Prep Time 1 day 30 minutes
Total Time 1 day 30 minutes
Course Appetizer, Main Course, Snack
Servings 0

Ingredients
  

  • 1-1 1/2 Lbs Meat or Poultry
  • 1 Onion, Roughly Chopped Can substitute w/other onion varieties depending upon the flavor profile desired: White, Yellow, Red, Scallions, Shallots, Leeks, etc. *See “Notes” below
  • 1 Carrot Roughly Chopped
  • 2 Celery Stalks Roughly Chopped
  • 3-4 Clove Garlic Roughly Chopped
  • 1 Bunch Fresh Parsley Roughly Chopped
  • 1/4 Teaspoon Salt, preferably sea salt +/- depending upon your taste
  • 1/8 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper +/- depending upon your taste
  • 1 Cup Olive Oil or enough to coat ingredients

Instructions
 

  • Trim any excess fat and/or silver skin off your cut of meat or poultry and season with Salt and Pepper
  • Place the meat/poultry in a baking dish or a large ziploc bag.
    Place in all the other ingredients: Onion, Carrot, Celery, Garlic, Parsley, and Olive Oil. Use enough Olive Oil to generously coat all the ingredients.
    Cove the baking dish with plastic wrap or close the ziploc bag and place in the the fridge. (A bowl or dish under the ziploc is a good idea, so as to avoid any unexpected leaks. We’ve learned from experience!)
    Let the Meat marinade for 3-24 hours, Poultry fo 3-6 hours.
    See the “Notes” below for additional recommendations on how long to marinade.

Notes

1. We’ve discovered that marinading for just a few hours makes a tremendous difference in the tenderness of meat and poultry. If you can spare a little extra time, believe us, it will be worth it, wether you have 2-3 hours or 2-3 days.
We’ve listed a few recommendations here for you, along with links to recipes: 
  • Beef: (3-24 Hours) - use on tougher cuts, such as Flank Steak, London Broil, Top Sirloin, Flap Steak
    • A great quick 30-minute marinade for Filet Mignon and whole beef Tenderloin is to generously coat the meat with Worcestershire sauce and let it sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Remove the meat, pat it dry, and cook as desired. 
  • Pork: (3-48 Hours) - use on Pork Chops, Tenderloin, Roast Tenderloin
  • Lamb: (3-24 Hours) - use on Leg of Lamb or butterflied Leg of Lamb
  • Chicken: (2-8 Hours) - use on whole Chicken, spatchcock Chicken, Breasts, thighs, legs, wings, …the whole bird, basically!
  • Turkey: (2-8 Hours) - use on the Turkey Breast
 
2. OTHER SEASONING SUGGESTIONS:
*We always use the “Onion-Carrot-Celery-Garlic” combination as a base, and then change the flavor profiles with the Fresh Herbs and seasonings. Listed below are a few other variations we’ve tried:
For South American or Mexican flavors, replace or add to the Parsley:
  • Cilantro and 1 Jalapeño 
  • Cilantro - 1 tsp. Each of Cumin and Chili Powder. *a dash of Smoked Paprika is good too!
  • You could use white, yellow, red, or green onions
 
For French Flavors add:
  • A bunch of Fresh Thyme or 1 Tsp. Each of dried Thyme
  • 1 Tsp. Of Herbs de Provence 
  • You could use White or Yellow Onions, Shallots, or Leeks
 
For Italian Flavors add:
  • Chopped fresh Fennel, or 1-2 Tsp. Dried
  • Fresh or dried Sage, or fresh or dried Oregano, about 1-2 Tsp. Of the dried herbs.
  • You could use White, Yellow, or Red Onions 
 
For Moroccan Flavors add:
  • 1/2 Tsp. Each ground Cinnamon, Coriander, Cumin, Paprika. If you have it on hand, Ginger and Cardamom are a great add to this mix. 
 
For Greek Flavors add:
  • 1 Tbsp. Of dried Oregano and the peeled zest of 1 Lemon. (*Zest only, as the juice will start to “cook” the pork.) 
  • You could use White, Yellow, or Red Onions
 
For German Flavors add:
  • 1-2 Tbsp. Of German Mustard, or whole grain mustard
  • 1-2 Bay Leaves
  • A little beer is always good too! about 1/2 C or so. 
 
For Asian-Inspired Flavors add:
  • Thai - Marinate 24 Hours instead of 2-3 days: 
    • Use Peanut or Avocado oil in place of olive oil, Cilantro, 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, Thumb-Size piece if chopped fresh Ginger, Zest of 1 Lime, Optional: freshly chopped Lemongrass, Serrano or Thai Chilis, and 1 Tbsp. Of Fish Sauce.
  • Chinese - Marinate 24 Hours instead of 2-3 days
    • Use Peanut or Avocado oil in place of olive oil and add 2Tbsp. Of Sesame Oil, 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, 1 Tbsp Hoisin sauce, 1-2 Tsp. Of Chinese Five Spice, and a thumb-sized piece of chopped Ginger
    • After Cooking top with your favorite Chinese BBQ sauce
  • Korean - Marinate 24 Hours instead of 2-3 days
    • Use Peanut or Avocado oil in place of olive oil and add 2 Tbsp. Of Sesame Oil, 2 Tbsp. Soy Sauce, a thumb-sized piece of chopped Ginger, 1-2 Tbsp of Gochujang (Korean Red Pepper Sauce). 
    • After Cooking top with your favorite Korean BBQ sauce. 
*For the Asian flavors you could use Shallots, White, or Yellow onions
Keyword : Bites & Tapas, Plates (Seafood, Meats, Poultry)
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