Hot and Cold Marinades

Marinades are used in the process to soak food in seasonings and liquids that precede the cooking of foods, especially meats. Usually, acidic liquids are utilized, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or wine. Herbs and spices are commonly added to marinades, as well. The benefit of using a marinade when cooking meats is that it allows tougher cuts to become tender. Harder vegetables, such as zucchini and eggplant also respond well to marination. Sometimes, people marinate food for days, but usually six to 24 hours is the typical time frame.

Depending on the culture, various ingredients are used in marinades, such as the yogurt and spices associated with Indian cuisine. Below you will find the recipe for both a hot and cold marinade:

Hot Marinade

In this recipe, if you are unable to use cider, you may reduce the brown sugar to ½ cup and use one cup of apple juice instead.

Ingredients:
2 cups salt
1 cup of brown sugar
1 cup of cider (if you can't get cider, cut back to half cup of sugar and use apple juice)
1 teaspoon of cloves
1 teaspoon of black pepper
½ teaspoon of garlic powder
2 quarts of water

Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a rolling boil, making sure that the contents do not spill over. Place the meat in the pot and continue to cook for one minute after the rolling boil returns. Pat the meat dry when ready to cook.

Cold Marinade

This particular recipe will handle about one pound of meat.

Ingredients:
2 tablespoons of soy sauce
2 drops of Tabasco sauce
¼ teaspoon of salt
¼ teaspoon of black pepper
1 clove garlic (minced)

Instructions:
Mix all of the ingredients and meat in a Zip-Lock bag. Massage the pieces of meat to coat. Refrigerate the mixture and meat overnight. Pat dry when ready to cook.