Marinades are used to soak meats or vegetables before cooking in hopes of tenderizing the food. The length of time that you allow the meat to soak will depend on which type of marinade and what cut of meat that you will be using. When you marinate meat, leaving it soak too long may tend to make it tough. Chicken has a tendency to become tough when you marinate it over night while beef will become more tender and juicy.

When it comes to barbecue marinades, there are many options to choose from. Some of the most popular barbecue marinades include homemade, original, sweet and tangy recipes. Homemade, original and sweet all have a similar taste while the tangy barbecue marinade has a little bit of a bite to it. A few other crowd pleasers include zesty, teriyaki and chipotle marinades.

Adding a BBQ marinade to meat or vegetables offers a unique taste that your taste buds are sure to love. Marinating your meat for a minimum of 30 minutes will add flavor to any barbecue. A good rule to remember is to use approximately 2 cups of marinade for every 2 pounds of meat and if you cut your meat into smaller pieces, it will add more flavor as well as speed up the marinating process. Many experts will tell you that a Ziploc bag works great and the bonus is there is less mess to clean up. When barbecuing your meat, baste the meat about ten minutes before it is finished cooking for added flavor. Also, make sure that you use fresh marinade along with a new brush to avoid contaminating the meat.