Improve your BBQ skills. Great marinating and poaching tips

You are probably getting your garden ready for the new season and cannot wait for harvesting, relaxing and barbecuing. In this article, we shall give you few tips how to make great marinades and how you can do poaching – in your garden. If you manage to combine these two together, you will be able to create unique and tasty dishes that everyone will love!

Why marinate when you can season meat lightly, put it on the grill and maybe add pepper, salt, and few herbs and be done with it? Well, marinating makes meat more tender, brings up the flavour and aroma and gives you the option to make your own special dish with unique taste.

Photo: Unsplash

How to prepare a marinade?

I tell you right now. It is not a rocket science: so called Holy Trinity – oil, spices and sour ingredient.

Why add a sour ingredient? Because you want tender meat and you want to enhance flavours. There are different types of marinating methods for different types of meats of course. Chicken meat should be marinated for few hours or overnight. Pork and beef for the entire day or a day and a half. Always store meat in a cool place to prevent formation of bacteria.

Chicken meat marinade

Honey marinade

It goes well with all chicken meat and it looks great on chicken wings and legs. With the skin on of course.

• Mix 4 tablespoons of soy sauce, 3 tablespoons of oil, 3.5 tablespoons of honey, garlic, pepper, salt, 2 teaspoons of lemon juice, basil and chilli pepper
• Baste meat regularly while cooking

Chicken wing marinade

Let us prepare a tomato marinade. First, fry chopped onions and add tomato puree and cane sugar to the pot (2 tablespoons of sugar per 140g of puree). When all ingredients blended well, add soy sauce, garlic and ketchup.

Use a brush and apply oil to wings, add salt and bake. About 5-7 minutes before wings are done you take them out and dip them in the sauce. Put them back and finish baking. Baste meat while baking.

Beef and pork marinade

Steak marinade

Chop hot pepper and onion. Crush garlic and mix with spices, vegetables, Worcestershire sauce, hot water, oil and vinegar. Marinate meat in the sauce for 1 hour and put it on a grill. Baste meat regularly.

Fish marinade

You need olive oil, garlic, mustard, pepper and lime juice. Mix everything together and dip fish fillets in the sauce. Put fish slices in a refrigerator for a few hours.

Poaching

Now we shall tell you about poaching. This technique involves cooking meat in hot, not boiling, water (or a broth). The meet is either partially or completely submerged. You can also poach mushrooms and vegetables.

Following this procedure will preserve texture and natural flavour. If you overcook the meat or the food, you should not worry. It will not burn or fall apart.

What liquids to use for poaching

The most commonly used liquid is water with a little spices and wine. It is the most common method but it is also great for beginners. You can also use broth with wine. Just make sure that the broth goes well with the dish. Milk is used to poach Asian specialties and sugar syrups are great for fruit poaching. Sous Vide method is used to pickle vegetables and mushrooms. You eat them raw or you may vacuum seal them together with small pieces of meat.

Vegetables are marinated in yogurt or fermented milk, called a kefir. Marinating time is short and it is used for BBQ

Mushrooms – will become brittle, but the texture is better and you can eat them raw. Try a vinegar or oil marinade.

Sky is the limit and if you are not afraid of experimenting, you will fine-tune your techniques and visitors will love your dishes. Have a beautiful garden party ♥

Source: itesco.cz, domky-delta.cz

Preview photo: Unsplash