Marinade Blends: Beef, Chicken, Fish, and Pork
Today, I’m sharing my favorite marinade blends for chicken, beef, fish, and pork. When you watch my videos on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TicTok, you will periodically see me using a marinade as part of the recipe’s preparation. But the question I get asked repeatedly is, why marinate?
Benefits of Marinade
- Browning: Depending on the blend, marinade can help you get that beautiful brown exterior you crave.
- Flavor: The aromatics and tastes of the marinade penetrate the product, giving you a whole new taste sensation
- Moisture: Marinade brings moisture into the mix for stubborn items that quickly dry out when you’re cooking.
- Tenderness. Items with tough connective tissue and muscle fibers benefit from marinade. It encourages tenderness.
Marinade Ingredients and Blends
Beef
Beef is robust, meaning it can stand up to flavorful herbs. Your potential spice list includes Basil, chili pepper, garlic, ginger, mustard powder, onion, pepper, rosemary, smoked paprika, soy sauce, thyme, and Worcestershire. Of course, you’ll find people with vastly different opinions on this matter!
My very first dry rub, Cuso’s Dirt® Seasoning, is one that you can add to any liquid base. Oil, an acid, beer, juice, and wine or wine vinegar are good choices. This blend is pretty straightforward, using most of the listed spices for beef. The only real difference is the addition of activated charcoal.
I should note that any commercial blend of spices works well as part of a marinade. They save you a lot of time when measuring and include herbs you may not have in your pantry.
I have other seasoning mixes you might want to try with beef, too. For an earthy tone, use
Cuso’s Grass Seasoning. If you’d like a textured crust, look to savory Cuso’s Gravel Seasoning: A hint of heat with savoriness. And for a traditional combination of flavors, there’s Cuso’s Roasted Garlic-Onion Seasoning.
Chicken
If you thought there were avid discussions about beef marinade, chicken has far more. Chicken accepts the flavors you give it, making your choices incredibly flexible. Spices commonly used for chicken include basil, cayenne, celery salt, dill, garlic, lemon, onion, oregano, sage, thyme, and rosemary.
Liquid bases for chicken include brine, buttermilk, citrus juice, vinegar, white wine, and yogurt. You might like to add some of our spice blends to any of these foundations: Hot Honey for sweet heat; Spicy Garlic Buffalo, which is smoky and rich; Tequila Lime Habanero - spicy, smoky, and citrusy; and Lemon Pepper, a time-honored option.
Fish
Marinating fish can get tricky. If you use a blend with high acidity, you can actually start cooking the fish before you ever get it to the stove or grill! Firm fish like trout and halibut are ok for slightly longer marinades. But for most fish, stick to marinating for 30 minutes. Spices seen in many fish recipes include basil, cayenne, celery, ginger, salt, dill, lemon, onion, oregano, paprika, parsley, rosemary, and thyme.
Liquid bases for fish include citrus juice, oil, wine vinegar, vinaigrette, and soy sauce.
Suggested seasoning blends for fish from our all-natural line include Cuso’s Lemon Pepper - a light-handed touch, Cuso’s Smoky Garlic Buffalo for zest, Cuso’s Garlic-Onion - you can’t lose with this combination, and Cuso’s Cowboy Butter - bold and buttery.
Pork
Salt is one of the ingredients that really brings out pork flavor, so sprinkle your meat about a half hour before cooking. Make sure you marinate your pork for at least two hours for best results. If you plan on grilling, it’s best to use indirect heat so the meat doesn’t overcook (you want an internal temperature of 145F and let it rest for 15 minutes before carving). Herbs and Spices that Pair with Pork include garlic, sea salt, thyme, rosemary, paprika, cumin, oregano, black pepper, sage, brown sugar, and mustard.
Liquid bases for pork include amber ale, wine (red or white), chicken broth, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, honey, lemon or orange juice, and apple cider vinegar. Some of our all-natural seasoning blends that you could incorporate into your marinade include Cuso’s Southwest Sand, which gives it a kick, savory Roasted Garlic and Onion, luscious Maple Bourbon, or Hot Honey for sweet heat.
ENJOY
