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How Do I Choose the Best Honey Marinade?

Misty Amber Brighton
Misty Amber Brighton

A honey marinade goes with chicken, ribs or fish. If you are cooking chicken or ribs, you may want a sweet marinade, so look for one with other ingredients such as molasses or brown sugar. Fish could taste best when marinated with a brand that contains soy and other seasonings such as garlic. If you are grilling with marinades, you may want a product that is rather thick so you can also baste your meat while it is cooking. You may want to make a homemade marinade if you are unable to find one you like at a grocery store.

This type of marinade can sometimes be sticky, which can make it difficult to use. Reading the ingredients could give you an idea of how sticky a particular brand might be. If honey is listed as the first ingredient, it is more likely to be sticky than if it is listed second or third. Brands that also have a great deal of sugar may tend to stick to a grill, so you may want to avoid these.

Honey adds sweetness and thickness to marinade.
Honey adds sweetness and thickness to marinade.

There are different methods of cooking with marinades, so you may want to find out how to use a particular brand before you buy it. Some may require you to baste your meat overnight, while others could require as little as 30 minutes. When grilling with marinades, you may want to baste your meat with a honey marinade while it is cooking; in this case, you may want a sauce that is thick rather than runny.

You can buy a small bottle of honey marinade the first time you try a particular brand. That way, you will not be stuck with a very large container if you decide you do not like the flavor. A bottle that is around 12 ounces (340.19 g) is large enough to prepare an average meal, so this could be a good choice for a first-time use. In the event you already have a favorite marinade and plan to cook for a large crowd, you may want to buy a 1-gallon (3.79 l) container to ensure you have plenty to go around.

If you like to try different seasonings, you may want to experiment with homemade marinades. You can use a variety of spices in your marinade, so it can be easy to make one that suits your individual tastes. No matter whether it is made from scratch or purchased at a grocery store, honey marinade can be a good addition to many meats no matter how they are prepared.

Discussion Comments

discographer

@literally45-- You know, making honey marinade is not hard at all. It's as simple as mixing soy sauce and honey together. If you want to make it more sophisticated, you can throw in a couple of garlic cloves and spices or herbs like black pepper, thyme or basil.

This will not only save you money but it's a much healthier alternative. You are absolutely right that store bought honey marinades contain many additives. There are more natural, even organic versions out there, but they do cost more.

If you ask me, nothing beats the flavor of a freshly made marinade, no matter how natural the label might claim the product to be. It will only take you a few minutes to prepare a honey marinade and you can even do it from the day before and store it in the fridge if you want.

literally45

I need honey marinade for chicken for this weekend's dinner but I'm not sure which type to get. I think I'm going to buy it from the store, although I'm a little wary of the additives that store marinades come with. But it's convenient and will definitely save me time. I don't know why it's so hard to get something that's natural tasting without having to make it yourself.

Has anyone ever seen a honey marinade that is without additives at the grocery?

bluedolphin

I found a great bottle of honey bbq marinade at the store the other day. It has vinegar, red pepper, honey and a little bit of ginger in it. It's absolutely delicious!

This was the first time I tried this marinade, so I only got a 13 oz bottle in case it didn't work out. But it is much better than I expected and thankfully the bottle was enough for all of my steaks.

I marinated the steaks with it three hours before the barbecue. And then I added some more while the steaks were cooking. They turned out tender and full of flavor. Yummy.

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    • Honey adds sweetness and thickness to marinade.
      By: Sergii Moscaliuk
      Honey adds sweetness and thickness to marinade.