Pork Marinade

My competition pork marinade remains a secret, but often times during backyard BBQ I have found many very effective substances and ingredients to give your marinade some character.

If you simply plan to hit the store, there is nothing better than Dale's for a can't miss marinade. They offer a low sodium variety for those concerned with such matters. When creating your own marinade, a great liquid base is a can of original Coke. The sugars and carbonation have a wonderful effect on the meats. Dr. Pepper is also a favorite and the newly released Dr. Pepper Cherry with a KISSSSSSSSSS of cherry was used recently with great results.

Sounds strange but add a touch of apple, orange, or cranberry juice to your marinade. Pork is naturally a bland meat, so the acidic liquid will being a wonderful flavor to you pork.

Other basic tips:

Add a bit of our rub mixture, so the meat has the consistent flavor inside and out.

Mix your marinade seperately then pour over your meat. Don't simply pour the ingredients into the pan that contains the meat.

Ziplock bags work great and allow you to turn the meat to insure full coverage.

Make enough! Dont leave the pork exposed or half covered by the marinade. Mix enough to cover the entire batch of pork.

Once the marinade mixture is complete, place it in the fridge for soaking.

Once the marinade is complete, pour it up to use for basting or spraying on the meat during cooking. This keeps the meat moist during those long slow cooks and prevents waste of a good marinade.

Finally, when in doubt as to what to place in your Marinade...add a beer (no light beer). It helps to have at least two on hand. One for the marinade and one for the cook. Got some great marinade tips or ingredients , please share them in a wall post.