Marinades flavor, tenderize meat cuts
Published 9:00 pm Tuesday, June 28, 2005
With the Fourth of July coming up at pretty much the speed of light now, I don’t think it’s a minute too soon to be conjuring up and nailing down menu plans for this annual three-day fireworks and food frenzy.
Since, weather permitting, barbecues will undoubtedly be firing up at about the same rate as fireworks are fired off, I’m thinking marinated meat would be just the ticket for the evening mainstay.
Having already taken a shot at beef and chicken marinades for the Memorial Day weekend, let’s make pork the target of our meat-treatment attack this time around.
As luck would have it, and thanks to the good folks at the North Carolina Pork Council, we have an arsenal of choices coming right up. But first, the NCPC also shares this great in-the-know info:
Pork marinades
Marinades are simple soaks that you create to change the character of a dish. Most contain oil, an acid (vinegar, lime, lemon or orange juice) and flavorings (herbs, spices, garlic, mustard). Just remember to combine 1 part acid, plus 2 parts oil, plus flavorings to make the marinade.
How much marinade? Use 1 cup of marinade to 1 pound of meat, if you use a self-sealing bag. If you use a small flat glass dish, use 2 cups of marinade to 1 pound of meat.
Pat’s Pack pride pork
1/2cup soy sauce
1/4cup brown sugar
1/4cup sherry cooking wine
1teaspoon cinnamon
1/2teaspoon garlic powder
In small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients, mixing thoroughly. Great marinade for cubed tenderloin for pork kabobs, or for whole tenderloin. Recipe can be doubled for larger cuts of meat.
Exotic ginger marinade
2cups dry white wine
4tablespoons grated fresh ginger
2tablespoons soy sauce
2tablespoons sesame oil
2cloves garlic, minced
In medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well.
Apricot marinade
1/2cup apricot preserves, pureed
1/4cup lemon juice
2tablespoons oil
1/2teaspoon ground ginger
1onion chopped
1/2cup soy sauce
1/4cup sherry
In medium mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Great with ribs or bone-in pork chops.
Asian marinade
1/2cup reduced-sodium teriyaki sauce
1/4cup brown sugar
1tablespoon salt-free lemon-pepper seasoning
1/4cup wine vinegar
1/4cup oil
1 1/2teaspoons garlic powder
1teaspoon ground ginger
In small mixing bowl, combine all ingredients and mix well. Great with any cut of pork.
The next Forum will appear in Friday’s Time Out section.
