All Purpose Marinade – Chicken, Steak, Pork, Burgers, and Veggies!
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With summer here, many of us are marinating meat and grilling out on a regular basis. Burgers, chicken, chops, steaks, veggies, you name it, a good marinade can make the meal. There are two marinades often used in my neck of the woods that aren’t readily available everywhere else. Dale’s Sauce and Moore’s Marinade are both made in Alabama – and pretty much the same thing, although I’m sure either company would argue that. I use whichever one I grab first at the grocery store and they are the key ingredient in many of the meats I cook as well as my Bama Steak Sandwiches.
But for those of us who can’t get these marinades or who prefer a little less salty version, here is my homemade recipe that can be whipped up in the time it takes for you to gather the ingredients from your pantry. It isn’t spot on the same as what you get in the store but you’ll find it similar enough and equally delicious on EVERYTHING. As I mentioned before, it is also less salty as well - not that I personally think salty is a bad thing - but this is a common complaint when folks try store bought marinades like this. This is also significantly cheaper!
A general marinade generally good on all things, this can be made right when you need it or ahead of time and stored in the refrigerator. I sure do hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
You’ll need: Apple Cider Vinegar, Soy Sauce, Liquid Smoke, Ground Ginger, and Garlic Powder
If you can’t find liquid smoke, feel free to leave that out, I don’t want you to go fretting all over because it will be just fine without it. Liquid smoke is an all natural way to give your meat a wee bit of smokey, grilled flavor.
Place your soy sauce in a bowl or large jar.
I like to use this jar because it has measurements on the side and you can just put the lid on and shake away when you get all of your ingredients in. You can also easily store it in the fridge in this.
Add your water
Add garlic powder
and ground ginger
and cider vinegar
and a wee bit of liquid smoke if you have it
Remember, don’t stress if you don’t and don’t buy it special!
There ya go! Put your lid on
give it a good shake.
Wasn’t this easy?
Now put some type of meat in a dish and pour the marinade over it. Let marinade for at least thirty minutes.
You know, every time I show a photo of raw meat someone will, inevitably, comment or email me complaining that the raw meat doesn’t look very attractive. ~ scratches head~ So I’m just gonna head ‘em off at the pass and let y’all know that I really don’t think it is supposed to be. I get a lot of complaints about ground beef especially, and have even gotten a few over roasts. I plan on taking this up with the cows just as soon as I’m able!
Having cooked most of my life, I guess I never really expected my raw animal products to look as if they were ready for their photo op. I know it’s ugly but if you’re gonna cook, you gotta get past that one pretty quick. Just be glad you buy your meat in a store and don’t have to “prepare” it start to finish yourself. If we’re gonna cook, we’re gonna have to buck up and accept that the back end of things isn’t always gonna be aesthetically pleasing. Now, having said that and looked at that photo of raw chicken again, I could swear it was posing for us! Maybe we talked some sense into it after all 
This is a Pyrex refrigerator dish in the Pink Gooseberry pattern.
This dish belonged to Granny Jordan and is almost as lovely as she was.
After your meat is done marinating, cook or grill it however you normally would (My instructions for this chicken are in the recipe below)
and ENJOY!
Now my question is, whose gonna grill me a steak?
~grins and grabs the bottle of ketchup as she waits~
Ingredients
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 T cider vinegar
- 1 T ground ginger
- 1 c soy
- 1 c water
- ½ tsp liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a jar or and shake to mix well. Marinate meat in mixture for thirty minutes or more. After marinating, discard used marinade. Can be used for pork, chicken, and beef. Also works great with grilled, baked, or steamed vegetables. Store unused marinade in the refrigerator.
- For this chicken, I just covered my dish with foil and left it in the marinade, baking it at 350 for thirty minutes, or until done in the center. But don't forget that this marinade is great for grilling, too!
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Ingredients
- ½ tsp garlic powder
- 2 T cider vinegar
- 1 T ground ginger
- 1 c soy
- 1 c water
- ½ tsp liquid smoke (optional)
Instructions
- Combine all ingredients in a jar or and shake to mix well. Marinate meat in mixture for thirty minutes or more. After marinating, discard used marinade. Can be used for pork, chicken, and beef. Also works great with grilled, baked, or steamed vegetables. Store unused marinade in the refrigerator.
- For this chicken, I just covered my dish with foil and left it in the marinade, baking it at 350 for thirty minutes, or until done in the center. But don't forget that this marinade is great for grilling, too!
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A perfect summer day is when the sun is shining,
the breeze is blowing,
the birds are singing,
and the lawn mower is broken.
- James Dent
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Posted by Christy Jordan
on Jun 14 2010. Filed under Main Course.
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Woohooo! My Walmart doesn’t carry this sauce. I don’t know what their problem is. I’m gonna make this in a jar, walk around the store holding it high and yelling “I MADE IT MYSELF..I DON”T NEED YOU!! SO NYAHH, NYAHH, NYAHH, NYAHH!!”
That will teach them.
Thanks for this Christy. I really appreciate it.
LOL!!!!!!!!!
You know we LOVE you Bill, right?????????????
Any day that starts out with a laugh is a good one, you set me on the path to a great Monday!
I can’t imagine being caught without my Moore’s but with this recipe I won’t have to worry about that again! Thanks for the reicpe. If you’re down our way, don’t forget to stop for some Chilton county peaches! We had an ice cream supper this weekend and had plenty of homemade ice cream, peach cobbler and chocolate cobbler. I’m still full!
Oohh Chilton County Peaches!! I need those bad!
Sounds like a wonderful ice cream supper, I hope you ate extra for me!
Oh.. the people who complain about raw meat.. must be tough to cook with your eyes closed so you don’t have to look at it. heh..
~giggle~
We use Dale sauce on everything. We even save whats on the foil from the grill and use it as a dipping sauce for our meal….Its great. But tonight I will try your all purpose marinade. Yall keep as cool as you can on these HOT southern days..
Marian
Whoo, isn’t it hot outside?? I was in my garden last night and the mosquitoes about ate me alive, too! Lol. You sound like you like Dales about as much as I do!!
Hang in there and let’s both try not to melt!
Gratefully
Christy
I just wanted to let you know that I really enjoy your site. I am excited everytime I see your newsletter in my inbox. I can’t wait to try this marinade. Also, your lemon meringue pie has made me a hit! Thank You!
Lauri you are so sweet, thank you so much for making my day with your kind words!!!!!
Good morning Christy,
Thanks for this recipe! Since I have most of the ingredients, I may make a jar this afternoon. I used your chicken tender/Zesty Italian recipe yesterday. This is one of my favorites and I serve it to company often and folks always like it.
Good to see the Pyrex being used. I have started buying a few pieces and I use them often. I have become a big fan of certain patterns and wonder why I didn’t start buying years ago. Thanks for introducing me to these great bowls!
[...] All Purpose Marinade – Chicken, Steak, Pork, Burgers, and Veggies! | Southern Plate [...]
we do ours with grn onions instead of ginger- YUMMY, especially onsteaks!
Personally…I think this sauce was BETTER than Dale’s or Moore’s.
Thanks!
I just got done eating french toast, and after reading this, I’m hungry again! Darn you *shaking fist in the sky*
Guess I know what’s for dinner tonight!
Christy Jordan, you must’ve read my mind today. I have looking all morning for a good marinade. Didn’t find what I wanted. Saw where you sent this out, and wouldn’t ya know, this was just what I was looking for! Going to the kitchen right now and make some up. Can’t wait to try it! Thank you once again for your amazing recipes and your beautiful personality! Keep up the great work! =)
YEP !!!!!! Christy , you have come thru AGAIN for me ..I’ll be 67 this month & I feel like I’ve been cookin’ all my life , from a old wood burning cook stove , kerosene stove to electic OR gas && today I wanted to bake chicken breast with a good maranatin’sauce …
I came to my computer & “HOTDOG” there you were in my in box!!!
THANK YA” –THANK YA” !!! GOD BLESS YOU !!!
I was born and raised in Alabama and moved to California 30 years ago. I have found that you can always order your favorite Southern ingredients over the internet. I have ordered Moore’s and Dales by the case and I always get my Duke’s Mayonnaise directly from Virginia by the case of four. I have not bought Mayo from the store in 15 years!!! By the way, I order my Self-Rising Martha White Corn Meal directly from them because you can’t get it here in California and I’m NOT going to use yellow corn meal to make my cornbread!
Rhonda, we just moved to CA from SC a few months ago. My mother has been shipping us Dale’s and Duke’s. Glad to know that I can order straight from the company. And a big thank you for the Martha White tip – I haven’t been able to find it anywhere. On a good note, I have been able to find Quaker Instant Grits – imagine that!
Distressed by looking at raw meat??? Yeah What you said girl!~! If ya can’t take the MEAT stay out of the kitchen!~!
Also your’re going to put people out of work with your wonderful recipes but I’m not a whistle blower your secret is safe with me……..and a ‘few’ thousand others :O)
Christy, I’ve gotta say it looks suspiciously like “the recipe” from those sweet sisters on The Waltons!
Hi Christy! I just came home from the grocery with some chicken that might need a good “soaking”! Yum..thank you!
And about that raw meat…looking at that photo I see a heart in the upper right hand corner! Think that meat’s trying to send a message!!
Bountiful Blessings!!!
By golly, Tina, there IS a heart in the upper corner of the photo. It’s a sign to be sure. =-)
Oh my gosh!!! IT IS A HEART!!! HOW COOL is that??
Sounds DEEEEEEE-LISH! Thanks Christy! Can’t wait to try this – and we’re having chicken on the grill tonight – how convenient.
Thanks for this recipe! I love your web site. It’s just too good!
Karen
I’m from Alabama originally — live in Calif now, but used to live in Hawaii. Your marinade sounds very similar to a Huli Huli sauce/marinade I discovered while living in Hawaii. Modify your recipe by substituting lime juice for the vinegar and add a touch of brown sugar. Great for grilled anything! I have good memories of school fundraisers with parents doing the grilling and kids chanting “huli huli chicken” from the road side.
Also, I’m with Rhonda Wilson. I may live in Calif, but I will never use yellow cornmeal or sugar in my corn bread!!
Can you tell us how to do veggies with this? Meat I’ve done- but not veggies…..
Yeah- I was a blonde- but I’m trying to over come that now….
Ahh, I find being blonde puts you at an advantage, same as being a woman and having a Southern accent. Folks tend to think less of you so you can catch ‘em off guard and show ‘em how its done with little to no interruption while they stare open mouthed in surprise
What I do with my veggies is just saute them in a skillet with a little bit of the sauce. Also, my mother places zucchini and such in foil packets, adds a few tablespoons, and cooks them on the grill. This is excellent with onions done that way as well. You can also stir it into already cooked veggies or even serve it on the side as a dipping sauce!
Hope this helps!
Thanks Doll…..
I usually get the open-mouthed reaction only when I’m shooting a weapon…….Or cooking desserts…….
Hubby is the real cook in our family…I’m the pastry chef.
Thanks for a great recipe. I will be sure to pass this on to my husband as I believe men folk should do the grillin’.
A friend asked me for a recipe for a smoked salmon dip so I started reading the ingredients off to her. When I got to the liquid smoke, there was dead silence…a hesitation – then she asked me if I was pulling her leg! She is originally from Spain and I guess they don’t use concoctions like that over there. LOL
Is there a substitute for the Garlic Powder? It seems like that its so little it wouldn’t matter. My mom can’t eat garlic.
It makes for sad cooking!lol
I’d just put a little onion powder in there if it were me. Same kinda flavor and happy mother!
thank you!!
Christy,
This looks so delicious. And I can’t wait till I can buy some fresh corn and make me a mess of that fried corn of your’s. Yum Yum!
It’s been so hot today, to tell the truth all I’ve wanted was a tall glass of sweet tea. But seeing that plate of chicken, corn, and the biscuit really makes me hungry. : )
Blessings from Hotlanta,
Sheila
Oooh that looks yummy! I love marinades and grilling
Think I’ll have to make that next time we grill! I have the worst luck with grilling chicken breasts (usually the outside is blackened so the marinade I used doesn’t matter anyway), but maybe I’ll have better luck this time.
Also, I think I’m guilty of complaining about how raw meat looks (namely the ground beef in the “gush it up and boil it” tutorial, which I followed anyway because it’s such a great idea and loved the results). I hadn’t really thought of it as complaining before, but I’ll be sure to keep my yap shut. Though this time when I saw the picture of the raw chicken, what went through my head was “Oooh it makes lots of marinade, yum! And look, she’s using a Gooseberry dish! Cute!”
Oh no honey, you weren’t complaining and if you stop talking I’m gonna hunt you down!! I so enjoy your comments!
Did you see the heart in the chicken dish ?
Christy, I love your blog too much to stop writing comments, I just meant I’ll refrain from mentioning how meat looks
I did notice the heart in the dish, cute!
I just discovered Moore’s marinade. I bought it to make your steak sandwiches (Which Hubby(G) enjoyed thoroughly, even though he isn’t a big fan of philly cheese steak sandwiches) After making them, I let the marinade sit in the fridge and “age” a few weeks.
Then I wanted burgers one night and not G’s “throw-every-spice-in-the-cabinet-inside-Worcestershire-sauce-and-an-egg-together-mix-with-meat-and-call-it-a-burger” burger. I am not joking about the spices, a short list of what he puts in them includes, onion powder, garlic powder, salt, pepper, roast rub, Italian seasoning, chili powder…. Pretty much everything except cinnamon. Anyways where was I?
Oh yea, I wanted a real burger, one that was not “overwhelming” (to put it nicely) to my taste buds. So I quickly and quietly slipped into the kitchen under to false pretense of washing dishes and started to make what I now call Simple burgers. I realized I was out of Worcestershire sauce and saw the Moore’s marinade.
I tried it and now I am hooked. Even G had to admit it was a good burger (despite the fact he tried to sneak in and season it up, but I got them on the foreman just in time to save them)
Anyways, will have to try this because I can see how this might be cheaper in the long run and because my Wal-Mart likes to quit carrying products that I like and are worth buying and are selling well, without the decency to warn me in advance
When we lived in GA/FL/SC I used Moore’s ALL the time! I love making my own spice mixes and marinades so thank you for this one!! I’ll be giving it a go with some chicken or pork chops this weekend on the grill. You rock, Christy!!
sounds great! The only part that concerns me is at the end of the post when you ask who is gonna cook you a steak…as you grin & grab the bottle of ketchup…
Ketchup on steak??!! for real?!! Believe me I eat ketchup on a bunch of stuff….except steak! lol!!
yeah, I’m all sophisticated like that ~winks and grins~
hehehee
But if you cook me a steak and rather I not put ketchup on it, I’ll be glad to abide by your wishes, I never look a gift steak in the mouth !
Dale’s sauce is so yummy … but not many of my local grocery stores carry it. Thanks for sharing an alternate AND cheaper version. I almost always have these ingredients on hand.
That soy sauce will make your meat really tender. I marinate with ths soy sauce and a can of coca-cola. Sometimes I will soak a pork tenderloin in coca-cola and soy sauce and let it sit for four hours, then bake in the oven on 350 for 1 hour(according to what size the loin is), and fry some sweet potatoes and Rhodes put out some larger size yeast rolls. Let the rolls sit out from 9:00 AM to 4:30 PM and they are huge. Slather on some butter and bake till brown and cook some string beans, and squash patties, this is good eating!
[...] However, if you can’t get either of them, you can easily whip up my homemade version by using the recipe here. You’ll need to salt your stew a little to taste, though, because my homemade version [...]
“Just be glad you buy your meat in a store and don’t have to “prepare” it start to finish yourself” – LOL! Actually I do that when it comes to venison. We are into our hunting here in PA so we plant food plots for deer, watch them throughout the summer season, then come fall – look out – It’s Happy Hunting Season! And quite frankly I prefer it this way. I LOVE knowing where, when, and how my meat was prepared…. Guess that’s why I do lots of preserving of food from my garden as well.
[...] All Purpose Marinade – Chicken, Steak, Pork, Burgers, and Veggies! | Southern Plate June 14, 2010 – 8:33 am [...]
I recently found out I need to watch my sodium/salt intake so I’m hoping this will be a much better alternative for me. Thank You for sharing!
Please come up with a recipe for steak sauce so you don’t hurt the poor things feelings by putting ketchup on it!!!
Thanks for the marinade recipe! I love Dales and Moores and my fave is Allegro made in Paris, Tn.
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I made my household-famous beef jerky using this recipe, and wow, is it wonderful!! It will be wonderful to be able to use a Dale’s ‘equivalent’ more often!
Christy, you don’t know how awesome your blog is to me! For the past 7 years since I got married I have been trying to become a cook. I grew up with really good food, but I was lucky to always have someone to cook for me. I am blind and my mom did not like me in the kitchen. A few years back I got a health issue and now I have to cook really healthy and from scratch. I try on and off to become a cook, but usually i get so sick of the long time it takes me and the stress that it is that I give up and then I try again. I have searched in the net for all kinds of recipes and I see all this people that knows how to cook convert, invent and change recipes successfully and I never understand why I cannot. 3 months ago I moved to a new state with my husband and I know very few people and I have nobody to cook for me and eating out makes me sick after a while. So tonight I was feeling down and ready to learn how to make something decent in the slow cooker. but after an hour I found several recipes that had always something I could not eat. every time I have tried to change a recipe it taste so bad that I can never eat and then I get even more discouraged. But wen I found your tomatoless recipe and this sauce, it was like a miracle. I learned a new sauce I can use in other things, I didn’t have to worry of how to deal with the lack of liquid smoke and I laughed so hard, like nobody in the net ever managed to make me laugh. I feel happier and I am doing this recipe tonight! People always tell me how easy it is but nobody could ever teach me any stuff or what I am doing wrong to make my recipes work. but you do make it sound like a no brainer and you answer all my questions before I even start it. You have also turn a hope inside me that I never felt before. Maybe someday I will be able to do like bill, but not just in store but in restaurants saying. “yea yea, I am happy, I am healthy and I did it all on my own and without having to eat the
salty unhealthy food you charge me a lot for. hahaha” Thank you, thank you, thank you for this blog.
Rachel, you have made my day beyond anything you could ever imagine. It thrilled me to know that you have received such a blessing from my little ol website and are learning how to cook on your own. I hope all your dishes turn out great and I hope I see here over and over again!! ~HUGS~ to you and thank you so much for such a sweet comment that brightened my day!!