Summer is finally here and with the 4th of July Holiday approaching it’s time to fire up the grill.  This Father’s Day my husband retired his 20 year old grill for a beautiful new one, so we are excited to move our cooking outdoors this summer.  While my husband is the grill master I’m the cook in the family, so I love enhancing just about anything he puts on a hot grate with a marinade.  I’ve picked a favorite marinade for four different proteins to share in this article. 

Enjoy!  And as always we welcome your feedback through this page of our website:  https://www.tasteandtechnique.com/contact-us

Steak Marinade
This one adds great flavor and tenderness to tougher cuts of meat like flank steak or London broil, but it can be used on any type of red meat.  Add all of the ingredients to a gallon size zip lock bag and ideally marinate overnight, but if you are short on time a few hours works too.
1 -2 lbs. steak
1 envelope onion soup mix
1/2 cup vegetable or canola oil
1/4 cup cider vinegar
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. Worchestershire sauce

Lemon Basil Marinade for Chicken
With basil so readily available summer is a great time to use this marinade on boneless chicken breasts or thighs.  An hour is plenty of time for this one.  If you need to marinade longer don’t be alarmed when the chicken starts to lighten in color.  The acid from the citrus can actually start the cooking process, but once it hits the grill the lighter color will disappear.

1 – 2 lbs. boneless chicken
Zest of 1 large lemon 
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 tsp. salt

Mom’s Asian Salmon Marinade
My mom loved this one on salmon, but it’s great on any fish.   For grilling purposes choose a firm fish like swordfish, halibut or salmon.  If you prefer to roast your fish then flakier types will also pair well with this marinade.
2 Tb. soy sauce
1 clove garlic
3 Tb. brown sugar
2 Tb. honey
1 Tb. water
2 tsp. oil
1 Tb. lemon juice
1 Tb. dijon mustard

Lime Marinade for Pork Ribs (great for fish and chicken too!)
Spare ribs are not a cut of meat that you would expect to marinate, but I discovered this simple recipe years ago and anyone who I’ve ever served it to loves it.  Cut spare ribs or baby back ribs into individual ribs and place them in a zip lock back overnight with this marinade to give them a deliciously tangy flavor.   Drain from the marinade and then grill with your favorite barbecue sauce.  You won’t be disappointed!

For 1/2 cup mix:
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1/4 cup olive oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper