Throw it on a grill and it will taste fabulous. But how do you marinade/prep the food? Here are the Best Grilling Tips and Tastiest Marinade Recipes to enhance the grilling experience and wow your taste buds.

Best Grilling Tips:

• Use smaller pieces of meat when cooking so that the meat cooks faster on the grill. If using big pieces of meat, allow the meat to “rest” after you grill it for at least 10 minutes before cutting it so that the meat can soak up the juices and keep all the love inside.

• Marinate, marinate, and marinate your food before putting it on the grill. The better coating of love the food has, the better flavor that will be soaked up and the less carcinogens the food will get from the grill. Discard the marinade after using it so you don’t get sick from marinade that has been sitting in raw meat.

• Use 2 different containers for raw products and cooked products. Once you finish grilling your food, put the cooked food into a new, clean container without the leftover marinade.

• The longer you marinate the meat, the softer, juicier it will be. Some meats don’t need a lot of marinating time because they are already juicy cuts of meat. Tougher meats will need more marinating time.

• You can always do a dry-rub, too, on good cuts of meat like we did here. We rubbed the meat with salt, pepper, cumin, coriander, garlic powder, and herbs de Provence.

My 2 favorite marinades:

#1. Grandpa Zaninovich’s Brandy Marinade: 8 oz soy sauce, 4 oz water, 4 oz brandy, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 2 cloves crushed garlic, 2 Tbsp minced ginger. Mix & add to 1-2 pounds of meat or veggies.

• Here I marinated red bell peppers, green bell peppers, red onion, tofu, & pineapple for shish kabobs!

• Click HERE for a detailed recipe analysis.

#2. Dijon Mustard Marinade: 4 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp olive oil, 4 Tbsp white wine vinegar, 4 oz water, 1 crushed garlic clove, 1 stick crushed rosemary, salt/pepper to taste. Mix and add to 1-2 pounds of meat or veggies.

Marinades are awesome and can enhance flavor! Enjoy your grilling season. Any other fun marinades you love?

Get more grilling recipes:
Grilled Romaine Lettuce with Anchovy Vinaigrette and Blue Cheese Dressing
Oregon Summer Salad with Grilled Salmon
Cilantro-Lime Marinated Grilled Pineapple Shrimp
Grilled Mexican Street Corn
Grilled Avocado Stuffed with Grilled Mango Salsa
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Burger
Grilled Portobello Mushroom Wrap
Grilled Pevre Fish Tacos

Get the best grilling tips & marinades:
Best Fruit & Vegetable Grilling Tips
Perfectly Grilled Salmon with Soy Sauce and Lemon Marinade
Perfectly Grilled Steak and Lamb
10 Best Memorial Day Backyard Barbecue Grilling Recipes

Also check out @Zimmy’s Nook – an incredible Instagram account that focuses on grilling. He’s genius and his tips and recipes are divine.

Sarah Koszyk, MA, RDN