Meat Marinades for Grilling

Who doesn’t love grilled meats and veggies? We love to move the cooking outside during summer’s heat. I am a big fan of cold salads, but even more I love a great marinade for steak, pork, or chicken.

I’m a failed vegetarian, but that’s a subject for another time. Lately, amongst all the things I’m supposed to be “giving up” I’m happy to say cider vinegar is not on the list. 

When Laurie and John Copeland visited us at the end of June, I made stuffed artichokes, Coleslaw, and marinated steaks. Laurie asked me if I had shared these recipes with Joyopolis. I thought to myself, “They’re so everyday, I never think about it.”

We enjoyed each other’s company and sharing food, as ever. At this time, I’m sharing two of my favorite marinades. One is a conglomeration of ingredients I like a lot. One is adapted from Dr. Baker's Original Cornell Chicken Recipe, with a loving memory of Brooks' House of Bar-B-Q in Oneonta, NY. I hope you will enjoy grilling with them and always modify them to suit your preferences. Recipes, after all, are only suggestions, aren’t they? Artichokes and coleslaw coming soon.

Steak Marinade:

1/4 cup Oil, your preference, but Olive or Neutral is preferred

1/4 cup Cider or Balsamic Vinegar

1 tablespoon Honey

1/4 cup Soy Sauce or Aminos

Basil, salt, pepper to taste

Whisk together all ingredients and seal the meat in a Ziplock back with them, or just marinate in a covered dish. Keep it in the refrigerator.  A few hours or overnight is fine.

Modified Cornell Recipe Chicken Marinade

2 cups Cider Vinegar

1 cup Vegetable Oil

1 large Egg

3 tablespoons Salt (I use 1 tablespoon)

1/2 teaspoon ground Black Pepper

1 tablespoon Poultry Seasoning (I use Bell’s)

Whisk together all ingredients and seal the meat in a Ziplock back with them, or just marinate in a covered dish. Keep it in the refrigerator.  A few hours or overnight is fine.

Suggested portions are for 2-3 pounds of the meat of your choice. I have used Cornell Recipe on varied bone-in and boneless cuts of chicken.