7 homemade marinades for chicken, beef and pork on the BBQ
- Preparation 5 min
- Freezing I do not suggest
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🔥 7 marinades, one summer, zero excuses
This summer, I challenged myself to create 7 homemade marinades that cover all the flavor profiles I love. From Mexican fajita to Japanese sake, including my favorite, maple and Dijon mustard, each marinade was born from a Sunday of testing on the BBQ with family. The result is 7 recipes that each take 5 minutes to assemble and transform any protein into a memorable meal. Whether it’s chicken, beef, pork, tofu, lamb or shrimp, you now have a marinade for every mood.
🫙 A Mason jar, 5 minutes and you’re done
What I love about these 7 homemade marinades is their simplicity. No food processor. A Mason jar, a whisk and some elbow grease. The technique that comes back in almost all of them: reserve about ¼ cup of fresh marinade in the fridge before adding the meat. Half for basting during cooking, the other half for drizzling at serving. That’s what makes the difference between a good grilled meal and an exceptional grilled meal. You’ll also notice that two of my marinades use salted herbs from Bas-du-Fleuve. A Quebec ingredient that gives a unique taste impossible to reproduce otherwise.
🍖 For hosting on a Saturday night or a weeknight dinner
Whether you’re hosting 15 people on a Saturday night with friends or marinating 2 chicken breasts for Tuesday, these marinades all have the same advantage: they prepare ahead, keep for 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge and double or triple easily. My trick? Prepare all 7 on Sunday, put them in Mason jars in the fridge, and choose my flavor of the day throughout the week. From Mexico to Japan via Quebec, you have a little world tour of flavors at your fingertips. It’s the simplest way to impress without effort.
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🫙 Always reserve a portion of fresh marinade
Before adding the meat, reserve about ¼ cup (60 ml) of marinade in a container in the fridge. Use half for basting after the first flip on the BBQ, and keep the rest for drizzling when serving. It’s the technique that takes your grilled food from “okay” to “memorable”.
⏱️ Respect marinating time by protein
All proteins don’t absorb marinade at the same rate. Chicken and pork, it’s 2 to 4 hours. Beef handles 3 to 8 hours without problem. Extra-firm tofu, 30 minutes to 1 hour is enough. Shrimp, never more than 20 minutes. The acid from lemon or lime starts to “cook” the flesh and makes it rubbery.
🥩 Take meat out 30 minutes before cooking
It’s a step that many people skip, and it’s a shame. Meat at room temperature cooks much more evenly than cold meat taken directly from the fridge. This applies as much to the BBQ as to the pan.
❄️ Freeze meat directly in the marinade
On Sunday, prepare your marinades, put the meat in bags with the marinade and freeze it all. When you thaw in the fridge the next day, the meat marinates while it thaws. It’s the best weeknight shortcut I know.
🥗 Some marinades make excellent dressings
The balsamic marinade and the lemon and herb marinade can be used directly on a salad without any modification. You double the recipe, marinate your meat with half, and the other half goes on the salad. Two dishes with one effort.
🫙 Fridge storage: 1 to 2 weeks
All these marinades keep for 1 to 2 weeks in the fridge in an airtight Mason jar. The olive oil will thicken with the cold. That’s normal. Take your jar out 15 to 20 minutes before using or run it under warm water so the oil becomes liquid again.
✅ What to serve with my 7 homemade marinades for chicken, beef and pork on the BBQ?
These marinades pair with almost anything, but my favorite accompaniments are my Bbq grilled veggies for a complete meal on the grill, my Grilled barbecue potatoes with lemon garlic butter for the comfort side, or my Lemony orzo salad with feta & chickpeas for a fresh touch that balances the grill flavors.
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BBQ marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) homemade BBQ sauce
- 1 tsp (5 ml) chili powder
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) smoked paprika
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper
Fajita marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) apple cider vinegar
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh cilantro, chopped
- 1 tsp (5 ml) chili powder
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) ground cumin
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) smoked paprika
- 1 large garlic clove, chopped
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) black pepper
Greek yogurt marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- ¼ cup (60 ml) plain Greek yogurt
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) lemon juice
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) fresh parsley, chopped
- 1 tsp (5 ml) dried oregano
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper
Lemon and herb marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) fresh lemon juice
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- ½ tbsp (7 ml) white balsamic vinegar
- 2 tsp (10 ml) honey
- 1 tsp (5 ml) mustard powder
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salted herbs from Bas-du-Fleuve
Balsamic marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) balsamic vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) fresh basil, chopped
- 1 ½ tsp (7.5 ml) dried oregano
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper
Maple and Dijon mustard marinade
- ¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil
- 3 tbsp (45 ml) maple syrup
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) Dijon mustard
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) cider vinegar
- 2 garlic cloves, chopped
- ½ tsp (2.5 ml) dried thyme
- 1 tsp (5 ml) salted herbs from Bas-du-Fleuve
- ¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper
Japanese sake marinade
- ½ cup (125 ml) dark brown sugar
- ⅔ cup (160 ml) reduced sodium soy sauce
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) sake (or mirin or white wine)
- 1 tsp (5 ml) fresh ginger, grated
- 2 garlic cloves, grated
- 2 tbsp (30 ml) sesame seeds
- 1 tbsp (15 ml) toasted sesame oil
- 2 green onions, chopped
- Juice of 1 lime
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Preparation
- For each marinade, combine all ingredients in a Mason jar or bowl. Whisk or shake vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds to emulsify well.
- Reserve about ¼ cup (60 ml) of each marinade in a separate container in the fridge. Half for basting during cooking, the other half for drizzling at serving.
- Pour the rest of the marinade over 1 to 1.5 lb (450 to 700 g) of protein in a sealed bag or container. Refrigerate according to protein: chicken and pork 2 to 4 hours, beef 3 to 8 hours, tofu 30 minutes to 1 hour, shrimp 15 to 20 minutes maximum.
- For the lemon and herb marinade and the maple-Dijon marinade, taste before adding salt. The salted herbs from Bas-du-Fleuve already contain some.
- For the Japanese sake marinade, whisk longer to dissolve the brown sugar well. Divide into two equal portions: one to marinate the meat (to discard after) and the other reserved for basting and serving.
- Remove marinated meat from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring it to room temperature.
- Cook on the BBQ over high heat, in a cast iron pan or in the oven depending on the protein. Baste with the reserved fresh marinade after the first flip.
Honestly, my 7 homemade marinades all work on chicken — it’s the most versatile protein. If you only try one, my maple and dijon mustard marinade has been my favorite for years. It gives a caramelization on the BBQ that’s hard to beat. Otherwise, the Greek yogurt marinade is perfect if you’re looking for tender and juicy chicken thanks to the acidity of the lemon combined with the fat of the yogurt.
It depends on the protein. Chicken and pork, ideally 2 to 4 hours in the refrigerator. Beef easily handles 3 to 8 hours, even overnight for thicker cuts. Extra-firm tofu only needs 30 minutes to 1 hour. For shrimp, never more than 15 to 20 minutes — the acid from lemon or lime will start cooking the flesh and make it rubbery.
Never. Once the marinade has been in contact with raw meat, you must discard it. That’s exactly why I always recommend reserving ¼ cup of fresh marinade BEFORE adding the meat. That portion, you can use to baste during cooking and for drizzling at serving safely.
All my homemade marinades keep for 1 to 2 weeks in the refrigerator in an airtight Mason jar. The olive oil will thicken with the cold, that’s completely normal. Take your jar out 15 minutes ahead or run it under warm water so the oil becomes liquid again. For freezing, I recommend instead freezing the meat directly in the marinade — oil-based marinades alone don’t freeze very well.
My marinades pair with almost anything on the BBQ. For a complete meal, accompany your marinated meat with my grilled chicken skewers (the best) as an appetizer, my greek pasta salad as a fresh side or my greek salad with quinoa for a lighter side.
Yes, this recipe recommends marinating pork for 2 to 4 hours in the fridge before grilling. That window is long enough to pick up flavor from the marinade without breaking down the texture of the meat, so aim for that range rather than leaving it overnight.
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