About Sauces
Often when barbequeing, the sauce makes the meal. The same barbecued chicken breast will be given a whole new taste, depending upon
whether you use a homemade or store bought BBQ sauce, Jamaican jerk sauce, hot pepper sauce, sweet honey mustard sauce or one of any
number of sauces. Our best advice: Experiment and have fun!
If you want your meat to stay moist, you can baste it with a sauce throughout cooking. A spray bottle works well for this. Experiment
with different liquid combinations such as soy sauce, sherry, fruit juice, chicken or beef broth. If your sauce has tomatoes or sugar in it,
you should only apply it at the end of the cooking time as it is likely to burn otherwise.
About Marinades
Marinades flavourize, moisturize and tenderize. Choose flavourful, spicy, fragrant, or aromatic ingredients like fresh or dried herbs or
spices, dried chili peppers, onions, shallots, garlic, and ginger. A tenderizing marinade must contain an acidic ingredient such as citrus juice,
yogurt, buttermilk, wine, vinegar or fresh papaya, ginger, or pineapple. When using an acid-based marinade, be sure to use only containers made
of glass, ceramic or stainless steel, and NOT aluminum, which creates a chemical reaction that can darken the food and the aluminum container.
Try using food-safe plastic zip-lock bags.
For delicate foods like chicken and seafood, a half hour is the maximum recommended time for marinating. For steaks and pork,
overnight marinating usually offers the best results.
DO NOT reuse a marinade to baste your food or to make sauce. There may be bacteria from the raw meat in your marinade
and it could contaminate your food.
