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| The finished product how we normally have it -- grilled, on a bed of lettuce & a warm pita. |
After I was married and was seriously cooking for a household, I tried to replicate the marinade for the BBQ kebobs I loved so much from family picnics, but was never successful. One time at a gathering at his family's house, my beloved late uncle, Papa Jess, told me the secret to the Filipino marinade: 7-Up. I nearly fell over, I was so shocked. I think I actually said to him, "Get OUTTA here!" Sure enough, the next time I made the marinade, it was perfect. It was like the puzzle was finally complete. So here is my version of the marinade, tweaked over the years til I got it how I liked it. I hope you enjoy it, too. :)
Ingredients:
1 C Soy Sauce (full sodium works best because it will get diluted with the other liquids that are added)
3-4 Cloves minced garlic OR 2 Tbsp Garlic powder
½ C Brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp Ground ginger
½ C Rice vinegar
1 can 7-Up
Blend well before adding it to meats. For best results, pour over the meat and refrigerate in an air-tight container for at least a day or more before grilling. (I like to go 3-4 days to ensure the meat REALLY gets infused with the flavor.)
Can be used on pork, chicken or beef. I prefer marinating srips of pork with some slight marbling within; if you choose meats that are extremely lean, they will come out tough and chewy. I recently experimented with strips of chuck steak and they were INCREDIBLE.
Strips of beef in the marinade, Day One:
This is what the same meat looks like right out of the fridge, 4 days later:
Grilling on a screen designed for small meats & veggies. Keeps 'em from falling through the grates. :)
...and some grilled onions:
Normally I put the meat & veggies on a pita bread, but saw the flatbread package in the store and decided to try that. MUCH better - it's thinner than a pita, so it doesn't fill you up as easily.
The finished product. (Meat can also be skewered onto wooden sticks for kebabs/yakitori-type grilling. That's how they're usually presented, FIlipino-style.) Yum! :)
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GBAdams
09/14/11
