After selecting the best ingredients you can get your hands on, marinating your meat, seafood or poultry is the next important step anyone could take to guarantee a sumptuous barbecue dish. Marinades are seasoned liquids made from a variety of ingredients used to add flavor and tenderize meat, seafood or poultry by soaking them into it prior cooking. It's typically made of herbs, spices, sweeteners, which all contribute to the flavor, acids that help break down the meat, and oils to keep the meat from drying out while grilling. Using Marinades the Right Way Using marinades properly is the key for great-tasting barbecues. Having said that, here are a few marinating tips to remember. Acids and other tenderizers, though important in the marinating process may cause the meat to become overly soft. As such, don't leave your meat soaked for too long in marinades especially if it uses a lot of acids. A good timeframe is anywhere between 30 minutes to overnight, depending on the desired effect. Chicken, compared to pork or beef does not require lengthy soaking as it easily absorbs flavors. Refrigerate marinated meats, seafood or poultry and leftover marinades until you're ready to barbecue as a marinade, no matter how great it may be, has a short shelf life. If the meat, seafood or poultry is not entirely soaked, be sure to turn them several times to ensure that all sides are properly coated or covered with the marinade. Do not use aluminum pans for marinating or for storing leftover marinades. The acids on the marinade may react with the aluminum. Good examples of non-reactive containers include glass, ceramics, plastic ware and even re-sealable plastic bags. Lastly, and most importantly - NEVER REUSE YOUR MARINADE. Whatever it is that you marinated, there could be bacteria left on the marinade that can cause severe sickness. In addition, reusing marinades may also cause undesirable tastes and flavors. If you wish to use your marinade for basting while grilling, set aside a portion of the marinade before putting in the raw meat, seafood or poultry on the barbecue grill. But after that, throw away any left-over marinade. BBQ Tips from InsaneChicken for an Enjoyable Feast A genuine American favorite, the roots of barbecuing can be traced to the southern part of the country. Throughout the years, Americans have continued to take pleasure in barbecuing while enjoying the outdoors. But in the midst of it all certain barbecuing tips can help make it a more memorable and delectable experience for everyone. Aside from their mouth-watering array of bbq sauce products, InsanceChicken offers food safety barbecuing tips from the grill to the table. * Before cooking, be sure that meat to be barbecued is completely defrosted to facilitate even cooking. Be sure to cook food thoroughly to avoid bacterial contamination. As much as possible use a meat thermometer to ensure that food is cooked at the appropriate temperature. * Take off any visible fat in order to avoid burning and also prevent flare-ups due to oils. Avoid serving cooked food in the same container where the raw meats were placed in order to avoid contamination. * Planning an outdoor bbq party? Prevent bugs from landing on your bbq sauce and biting guests by lighting up some citrus candles. You can even buy some bamboo outdoor torches and light them using citronella oil to keep 'unwanted bugs' at bay. Lastly, do not forget that a barbecue party is supposed to be casual and fun! So what if some bbq sauce landed on the tablecloth? |
