Marvellous Marinades & Rubs
From delicious in-house butchery concoctions to specially-formulated expert creations, there is an endless list of marinade and rub possibilities.
From delicious in-house butchery concoctions to specially-formulated expert creations, there is an endless list of marinade and rub possibilities just waiting to be experimented with, especially when one bears in mind that a marinade can have multiple uses, as it can also be a salad dressing, basting or sauce.
Marinades
A good marinade not only keeps braai meat moist and flavourful, but makes it more tender and healthy.
Most marinades work with a specific type of meat, but the basics are always the same. The marinade can be acidic with ingredients such as vinegar, lemon juice, or wine; savoury with soy sauce, brine or other prepared sauces; sweet with maple syrup or honey; spicy with Tabasco sauce, Worcestershire sauce or a little hot pepper; and salty with soy sauce, tamari or oyster sauce.
The basic dry rubs – herbs and spices mixed with a small amount of oil and, at times, alcohol – is used primarily to permeate the meat with flavour and enhance the taste of meat without necessarily tenderising it. A dry rub when compared to a wet marinade, most definitely doesn’t have to be boring, and some consumers prefer them. Think Texan steak.
The beauty of this cut is that it can, and should, be braaied in the plastic sleeve it is sold in, which ensures that the meat remains melt-in-the-mouth soft and juicy.
The same applies to ribs: not everybody likes them sticky, and a dry rub made up of paprika, garlic powder, salt and ground black pepper will go a long way in guaranteeing sales.
The basic wet marinade has at its base an acidic ingredient to break down the fibres and make the flesh softer, and common ingredients are wine, beer, apple or juice, olive oil, flavoured vinegar, yogurt and mustard.
But what about jams or pickles added to an oil or vinegar, making for a quick, easy treat, and using flavoured oils such as grape seed oils, walnut, hazelnut and sweet almond mixed with herbs and spices, which transform ordinary marinades into extraordinary ones.
Chopped dried apricots blended with yoghurt make an excellent beef marinade. Aromatic fruits, in fact, just beg to be combined with acidic ingredients. Pineapple or mango works very well on pork and chicken, and, although it sounds bizarre, a pineapple-lamb combination is a match made in heaven. Pork also marries well with peaches, chicken with mandarin oranges, and beef kebabs with plum preserves mixed with barbecue sauce. Kiwi fruit is a brilliant meat tenderiser, and can be blended with a preferred marinade.
Beer, ginger, garlic, olive oil, and orange peel combined make a flavourful marinade for beef, going particularly well with flank steak. The best beer for a robust marinade is Guinness, but one doesn’t have to use an expensive beer, and even a non-alcoholic malt beverage will do.
Every South African knows that Coke is an excellent brisket tenderiser, but our butchers can provide their customers with something more sophisticated by marinating brisket with beer or dry red wine and marketing the meat as such.
Chopped black olives, fresh oregano leaves, fresh garlic, olive oil and lemon juice make a versatile marinade that can be used for fish, chicken, lamb and steaks, and this will help save the butcher time.
Using marinades can allow a butcher to charge a premium for very little extra time, cost and effort, while the weight of the marinade adds to the weight of a product sold by the kilo. They are ideal for sosaties, steaks, chicken pieces, chops, and more.
Rubs
Let’s turn the spotlight for a moment on rubs, these are essentially a flavoursome combination of herbs and spices. They have been used for generations and were originally used in the form of butter, salt, pepper, garlic and herbs on the Sunday roast.
While rubs will not tenderise meat for customers, they do add more flavour in most cases. Rubs work because of the salt and sugar they contain. Salt draws the juices from deep inside the meat through the rest of the meat and to the outer layer.
When these juices mix with the rub, they form a strong flavour combination that is intensified by the grilling process. When heat is applied the rub acts as a seal and all the infused flavours remain absorbed in the meat. Meat flavoured with rubs can be roasted, fried, baked or barbequed, and rubs can also be used on smoked meats to add more flavour.
A word of caution: too much salt can draw out too much moisture and too much sugar will burn. We have the following suggestions to dry rub and wet rub.
In addition to the flavour, rubs also add visual appeal to the meat cuts, whether chicken portions, steaks, sosaties or chops. This translates into the perception of added value to customers, again allowing butchers to charge a premium for a minimal investment in time and cost.
To dry rub, the easiest and most uncomplicated way to use a rub is to simply drizzle olive oil onto the meat, then sprinkle with the rub of your choice, season well and then rub or toss well to coat. The jury is out on this one as some people believe that using oil as a marinade creates a barrier and prevents the flavours of rubs from being absorbed into the food.
Make sure to pat poultry and meat dry inside and out before applying a rub. Use the palm of your hand to press the rub firmly into the meat or poultry and tap the meat or poultry to remove loose seasonings. Foods that have a very high fat content like duck or pork belly for instance are perfect for a dry rub and require no added oil or fat.
To wet rub make a quick marinade, by stirring a tablespoon or two of the rub into some olive oil, adding lemon juice or red wine to tenderiser the meat and for some extra flavour. The rubs can also be combined with other ingredients such as jam, mustard, soy sauce, yoghurt or buttermilk to apply the rub as a paste. Mixing the rub with softened butter is ideal for spreading under the skin of chicken cuts for extra juicy flavour.
While deciding to use marinades and rubs is one thing, using them properly is another. For butchers and meat handlers not familiar with these flavour enhancers, they can be a challenge. Rubs are a perfect example. Normally, using a rub is one of the easiest ways to add flavour to many types of meat.
The variety of marinades and rubs available is almost endless. Fortunately, ingredients suppliers have created excellent solutions that save time, labour and costs while adding enormous value.
Marinades are supplied ready-to-use or as dry mixes that are simply mixed with water and a little vegetable oil for a glossy sheen and to prevent burning on an open fire. Top of the range marinades contain pieces of fruit and other ingredients for maximum visual appeal.
Of course, using rubs and marinades from a reputable supplier will ensure absolute consistency, hygiene and often considerable cost savings. However, creating a signature rub or marinade is a great way to build customer loyalty and set your butchery or deli apart from the competition. Your ingredient supplier may also be able to assist you in creating your own signature rub or marinade.
There are a number of local suppliers of marinades and rubs such as Crown National, Deli Spices, Golden Spices, Exim International, Robertsons , Freddy Hirsch, and Mr Sauce/Dasy Group to name but a few.
Crown National – Crown National has a proud heritage that dates back to 1912, and is now a leading supplier of spices, herbs, seasonings, sauces, condiments, equipment, packaging as well as natural and artificial casings to the meat and poultry industry.
Crown National operates out of seven branches and a number of Factory Mart’s strategically located throughout the country. Our branches have well equipped pilot plants and technically competent staff to assist with new product development.
Marinades –
Meister Club® products have established themselves over many years and have become synonymous with superior quality. All Meister Club® products are top of the range and invariably top sellers in their respective fields. The Meister Club® Marinade range is no exception and comprises the most sought after flavoursAvailable in 4 litre jars and 375 ml bottles
Sprinkles, Rubs and Seasonings –
Add value and flavour to your products with this exclusive range of Seasonings, Sprinkles and Rubs. These will attract customers and increase sales and profits. They are flavourful, eye catching and are ideal for meat cuts, grills, roasts, soups, sauces, salads, chicken, fish and for spicing up processed meat products
Freddy Hirsch – Trusted since 1956, Freddy Hirsch is a Food Technology Company focussed on the flavouring and processing of meat and plant-based “meat” products. Our sustainable technology supports leading food processors across the globe as we enhance their value propositions by elevating quality and reducing cost.
Food Ingredients
Our food ingredients blends are manufactured at our blending facility and sold as complete packs. This means that quality and flavour are consistent across batches. Plus, the complete packs are cost-efficient, minimising expenses in wastage, labour, and storage.
Whatever your product type, we’ve got a pack to suit you: Boerewors, Braaiwors, Sausages, Burgers, Meat mixes, Biltong, Droewors, Salami, Cabanossi, Bacons, Hams, Vienna sausages, Russian sausages, Polonies, Loaves, Brines, Marinades, Sauces, Rubs, Sprinkles & Seasonings, Glazes, Breadings & Coatings as well as for Prepared meals (HMR) like Roast Chicken, Chip spice, Curry, Desserts, Sauces, Stews, Stock and Thickeners.
Exim International – Exim has been supplying the butchery industry for over 35 Years. We supply a wide range of products including spices, meat-processing machinery, casings, packaging, butchery requisites and ingredients.
Exim caters for all your additive and ingredient requirements from soya isolates and vegetable proteins to cures, brines and marinades.
Exim’s spices are of the highest quality and are milled and blended in Exim’s onsite state of the art Spice Factory.
Golden Spices – Established in 1987, Golden Spices is a family owned and managed business that has a background in the food and beverage industry spanning a period of thirty years.
While our core business is the meat and catering industries, we identified a need in the area for various related products including casings, marinades, packaging, meat processing machinery, catering equipment and many other items relating to the industry. In order to satisfy client’s requirements we were able to supply goods at decent prices in the right pack size.
Deli Spices is one of the leading seasoning and additive blend suppliers to the Sub-Saharan food industry. They package globally-sourced, high-quality ingredients to create convenient offerings for their clients.
They specialize in almost anything to do with flavour and food enhancement: flavourants (natural spices and herbs); meal creation (home meal replacement, hospitality and catering ingredient solutions); functional ingredients (soya protein); casings (natural, collagen, and artificial) and meat processing equipment and packaging.
They have an extensive flavour range of Ready To Mix (RTM), dry marinades, versatile to be used as glazes too. From the traditional Barbeque and Lemon & Herb, to more exotic tastes like Butter Flavoured Kashmiri, Marrakesh and Mediterranean Marinades, there is something for everyone.
Deli Spices offers a large flavour range Ready To Use (RTU), 4L marinades which includes popular flavours like Garlic & Herb and Steakhouse marinade. If you are looking for something really delicious, try their new Prego Sauce!
All their marinades are suited for the braai or grill, for basting, roasting or as a cook-in sauce or pour-on sauce. Your Deli Spices Representative can assist you in selecting and recommending recipes using these marinades.
