Make certain to check out my Flavorful Grilled Steak Kabob Recipe to use with this simple steak marinade. Simple and easy.

What I really enjoy about making up this marinade for steak is that I always have the ingredients on hand to use. It’s as simple as measuring, mixing, and applying and that’s just what I’m looking for when I’m ready to grill.

Steak Marinade For Grilling

Being able to find a good marinade at the store has proven to be difficult because you never really know the ingredients that are added in. This is why this homemade steak marinade is really, really good. Not only is it made with easy and simple ingredients but it’s also a great flavor and taste.

It pairs perfectly with steak and other cuts of beef and it’s been my go-to marinade recipe for years.

How long do you marinate meat?

This all depends on the thickness of the meat. If a cut of beef is really thick, you’re going to want to give it more time to penetrate throughout. For thinner cuts of meat, minimal time is fine.

You can easily marinate beef for a few hours or even overnight as well.

Can you over marinate beef?

You bet. You have to be careful with the balance. A good rule of thumb is to start with a couple of hours and cook and see what you think. You’ll find that a taste test will help you be the judge of if it’s perfect or if you need to marinate it longer next time.

Ingredients Needed to Make Steak Marinade

• low-sodium soy sauce 
• olive oil 
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Dijon mustard 
• garlic
• dried minced onions 
• steak seasoning 
• fresh parsley, finely chopped 

Steak

• steaks 

How to Make Steak Marinade

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined
2. Add steak to a resealable bag
3. Pour marinade over steak, seal and refrigerate for 1-4 hours
4. Remove steaks, discard marinade and allow to come to room temperature
5. Grill steaks as desired 

Tips for Marinating Steak

Marinade time will vary depending on the thickness and quality of the steak.

It’s also important to note that marinating your steak is not going to make it more tender. This is a misconception that many people have. Marinating only adds flavor.

How do you store leftover steak marinade

I typically use all my marinade when I’m cooking the steak but if you find that you have some leftover, you can add it to a jar with a lid and store it in the fridge.

This will keep it fresh and ready for you to use on another cut of beef.

Can you use steak marinade or other types of meat?

The ingredients used in this marinade pair best with the flavor and texture of beef. You’ll find that there are other great options for chicken and pork, and I don’t vary or mix those marinades.

You may be interested in my Chicken Marinade or Pork Chop Marinade recipe!

Make certain to play around with this marinade as you’re applying it to your steak. The timeframe that you marinate it is going to really enhance and change the flavor.

Delicious Grilling Recipes

• Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad With A Delicious Homemade Ranch Dressing
• Best Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe With Homemade Dry Rub
• Grilled Asparagus (With Foil) – Easy Side Dish For Grilling

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Steak Marinade for Grilling

This is one of the best marinades for beef.

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Chill Time 4 hours hours

Author Mark Rogers

Ingredients

• ¼ cup low-sodium soy sauce 
• ¼ cup olive oil 
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce 
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard 
• 2 cloves garlic, minced 
• 1 tablespoon dried minced onions 
• 2 tablespoons steak seasoning 
• 1 tablespoon fresh parsley, finely chopped 
• 4 steaks

Instructions

• Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined
• Add steak to resealable bag
• Pour marinade over steak, seal and refrigerate for 1-4 hours (see notes)
• Remove steaks, discard marinade and allow to come to room temperature
• Grill steaks as desired

Notes

Time to marinate the steaks will vary on the thickness of the meat. 

The post Easy Steak Marinade Recipe For Grilling appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

If you’re unable to find cut wings at the grocery store, you may wonder how to work with whole wings. This post will walk you through how to cut chicken wings for grilling or smoking so that you can enjoy wings at home without spending a fortune.

Is it less expensive to purchase whole wings?

Yes! While you can purchase wing drumettes or wingette portions at the grocery store, you’re really going to pay up for them. At the time of this post, whole wings were $2.98 to $3.62 per pound, depending on the package size.

Frozen wing sections (fresh were currently unavailable) were over $4 a pound. Fresh would be even more expensive. Regardless, you are saving money.

How many pieces can you cut wings into?

The wing can be cut into three pieces. There’s the tip, wingette, and drumette. The wingette is the piece with two bones and the drumette is the piece that looks like a small chicken leg.

What do you do with the tips?

The tips are mostly useless when it comes to making buffalo wings, but the tips can be placed in a zip top bag and frozen until you’re ready to make chicken stock.

How do you cut the wings?

It’s important that you pick the wing up and see how it moves and bends. This will show you where the joints are. There are two joints that you’ll be cutting through. You’ll be cutting between the tip and wingette and between the wingette and drumette.

Look at each joint to see where the ball of the joint is. At each joint, there is cartilage that you’ll be able to cut through to separate the pieces. Find the joint and place your knife in the joint. Use the heel of your hand to apply enough force to the knife to cut through the joint.

If you have a particularly large wing, you can cut the skin to get a better look at the joint and where you need to cut.

What are the ways to cook chicken wings?

Chicken wings can be smoked, grilled, roasted, air fried, and deep fried. All will result in delicious wings.

When are wings done?

Chicken wings should be cooked to an internal temperature of 165 degrees F.

What are some good recipes to try?

There are a couple great recipes on the site that I highly recommend:

Best Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe with Homemade Dry Rub

Smoked Chicken Wings

The post How to Cut Chicken Wings appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

Street corn salad is an awesome side dish to serve at your next summer cookout, potluck or taco night. Best of all, it’s so easy to make with some grilled corn, if you made a bit too much, or you can start from scratch. Let’s take a closer look.

What’s the difference between elotes and esquites?

The difference is simple. Elotes is Mexican street corn served on the cob. After grilling the corn, you’re going to spread on a seasoned cheese spread. Esquites is served off the cob. You cut the grilled corn off the cob and mix with the other ingredients. That’s what this Mexican Street Corn Salad recipe is.

What kind of corn is best for elote?

Fresh sweet corn is the best for making Mexican street corn whether you’re making elotes or esquites.

Is elote better warm or cold?

Mexican street corn can be served hot or cold. This Mexican Corn Salad is served cold and is a refreshing side dish for your cookouts.

Do I have to char the Corn?

The charring of the corn adds flavor to the dish. If you don’t like charred flavor, you could always skip this step, but the charring of the corn will caramelize the sugar in the corn adding great flavor.

What are the ingredients to make Mexican Street Corn Salad?

You’re going to need some ingredients that you might not have on hand but can easily be found in most grocery stores:

• Fresh sweet corn on the cob
• Olive oil
• Jalapeno pepper
• Red onion
• Avocado
• Fresh cilantro
• Cotija cheese
• Mayonnaise
• Lime
• Garlic cloves
• Ground cumin
• Salt and pepper

How do you make Mexican street Corn Salad?

• The first thing you want to do is grill the corn. Brush the corn with olive oil and then cook on all sides, turning occasionally, until char marks are visible, and the corn is tender.
• Remove from the heat and allow to cool until you can comfortably handle the corn.
• Cut the kernels from the cob and place into a large bowl.

• Add the jalapeno and onion to the bowl and stir to combine.
• Add the avocado and stir.

• In a small bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, lime juice, minced garlic, cumin, and salt and pepper.

• Pour over the salad and stir to combine.
• Season with additional salt and pepper, if necessary.

Finally, add the Cotija cheese and cilantro, and chill before serving. Enjoy!

What do you serve with Mexican street corn?

This would be wonderful with grilled chicken. It would also be good with your favorite Mexican dish, such as fajitas. It would also be great with a smoked pork butt or ribs. Truthfully, this side dish would go well with a lot of cookout foods, even grilled hamburgers.

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Mexican Street Corn

Mexican street corn recipe (also known as Esquites) is a delicious, easy, and tangy side dish to serve at any BBQ gathering.

Course grilling, Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword Mexican Street Corn Salad

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 8 minutes minutes

Total Time 23 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 373kcal

Author Mark Rogers

Ingredients

• 6 ears fresh sweet corn
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 1 jalapeno pepper seeds removed and diced
• ½ cup red onion finely chopped
• ½ avocado chopped
• ½ cup fresh cilantro finely chopped
• 2 ounces Cotija cheese finely crumbled, plus more for serving if desired

Dressing

• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise
• Juice of 1 lime about 1 tablespoon
• 2 garlic cloves minced
• ¼ teaspoon ground cumin
• Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat grill to medium heat and lightly oil grill grates
• Brush olive oil on corn
• Cook on grill, turning occasionally until corn is tender and char marks are visible
• Remove from grill and allow to cool until you can easily handle it
• Cut corn kernels from cob and add to a large bowl
• Add cut jalapeno, and red onion and to bowl, stir to combine
• Cut avocado and stir into salad
• In a small bowl, whisk together all dressing ingredients
• Pour dressing over salad and stir until well combined
• Season with more salt and pepper if necessary
• Chill until ready to serve
• To serve, add crumbled Cotija cheese and cilantro, if desired

Nutrition

Calories: 373kcal | Carbohydrates: 31g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 27g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Cholesterol: 16mg | Sodium: 231mg | Potassium: 553mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 528IU | Vitamin C: 18mg | Calcium: 87mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Mexican Street Corn Recipe (Esquites) appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

These grilled chicken thighs with my marinade recipe are not only flavorful, but they are moist and sure to become one of your go-to recipes this summer. Chicken is so often overlooked when it comes to grilling. Or everyone reaches for the pack of chicken breasts and ends up horribly disappointed because their chicken dries out. Let me teach you how to avoid this and grill chicken thighs to perfection!

Do chicken thighs dry out on the grill?

Chicken thighs are less likely to dry out on the grill because of their higher fat content. That doesn’t mean that they won’t dry out, but you’re choosing a better cut when you opt for thighs over breasts.

Boneless chicken thighs have 4.5 grams of fat in a 4-ounce portion, while chicken breasts have less than 1.5 grams of fat for the same amount. This additional fat will help keep the chicken moist.

This recipe for grilled boneless chicken thighs takes things a step further by using a marinade to add additional moisture.

Are grilled chicken thighs a healthy option?

There used to be a stigma associated with eating dark meat. Dark meat has more fat, but it also has more iron. The key is to remove the skin. Whether you’re eating white or dark meat, the skin is where most of the fat is. Chicken thighs are also an excellent source of protein.

What are the ingredients to make grilled boneless chicken thighs?

This recipe calls for some ingredients you may not have one hand, but they are easy to find in any grocery store.

• Boneless, skinless chicken thighs
• Olive oil 
• Brown sugar 
• Rice wine vinegar 
• Worcestershire sauce 
• Dijon mustard 
• Onion powder 
• Garlic powder 
• Salt 
• Black pepper 

How do you make the chicken thighs marinade?

This chicken thighs marinade is so simple to make. This first step is to mix the marinade ingredients together.

Add the boneless chicken thighs to a zip top bag and then pour in the marinade. Refrigerate anywhere between 8 to 24 hours.

How to grill chicken thighs to perfection?

While you preheat the grill to 425 degrees F, remove the chicken from the refrigerator

Grill the chicken thighs for 2-3 minutes on each side to achieve a nice sear and then move to a cooler part of the grill. Continue grilling until the internal temperature is 165 degrees F, flipping occasionally.

Remove from the grill and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

These grilled chicken thighs taste delicious with my coleslaw recipe, grilled corn on the cob, or BBQ baked beans (made in the Instant Pot).

They also taste great on Caesar salads.

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Grilled Chicken Thighs with Chicken Marinade

These grilled chicken thighs with easy chicken marinade will sure to become one of your go-to recipes this year.

Course BBQ, grilling, Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword grilled chicken thighs

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes minutes

Total Time 25 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 384kcal

Author Mark Rogers

Ingredients

• 8-10 boneless skinless chicken thighs
• ½ cup olive oil
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar
• 1 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 tsp onion powder
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp salt
• ½ tsp black pepper

Instructions

• Combine marinade ingredients into a medium bowl and whisk together.
• Add the thighs to a large zip top bag and pour in the marinade
• Seal the bag and shake to coat all around. Refrigerate for 8 hours, up to 24 hours.
• After marinating, remove chicken thighs from the refrigerator while you preheat your grill to 425° F.
• Place chicken thighs on a hot grill and grill 2-3 minutes until you get a good sear. Flip and sear the other side for another 2-3 minutes
• Move the chicken to an unlit area of the grill and cook until they reach an internal temperature of 165° F, flipping occasionally.
• Remove from the grill and let rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 29g | Fat: 24g | Saturated Fat: 4g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 15g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 143mg | Sodium: 590mg | Potassium: 429mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 41IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 31mg | Iron: 2mg

The post How To Grill Chicken Thighs with Easy Chicken Marinade appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

Below you’ll find recipes for quick and easy appetizers that are sure to make the start of the New Year one that your taste buds will never forget.

You really can’t go wrong with any of these NYE appetizers as they’re all flavorful and simple to make.

Delicious New Year's Appetizers

This list of quick and easy New Year's appetizer ideas are perfect for starting out the night and ringing in the new year!

Photo Credit: pitnationbbq.com

Best Smoked Queso Dip Recipe 

Get some chips and veggies and you have the perfect smoked queso dip.

Get Recipe

Photo Credit: pitnationbbq.com

BBQ Little Smokies Crock Pot 

All you need are some toothpicks to serve these delicious crockpot BBQ Little Smokies.

Get Recipe

Photo Credit: pitnationbbq.com

Easy Smoked Bacon Wrapped Jalapeno Poppers Recipe

These smoked bacon-wrapped jalapeno poppers have the perfect flavor with every single bite.

Get Recipe

Flavorful Grilled Steak Kabob Recipe

Kabobs are the perfect way to serve steak at a party.

Get Recipe

Grilled Chicken Cobb Salad 

Serving salad for guests is always a good idea for healthy eaters.

Get Recipe

Best Grilled Chicken Wings Recipe 

Tender and juicy grilled chicken wings for the win.

Get Recipe

Photo Credit: www.pitnationbbq.com

Smoked Buffalo Chicken Wings

Everyone loves hot wings as an appetizer. Try these easy Smoked Buffalo Chicken Wings. They will be a crowd-pleaser.

Get Recipe

Smoked Pork Belly Burnt Ends 

It's not a party unless you have smoked pork belly burnt ends.

Get Recipe

Photo Credit: recipesformoms.com

Easy Frito Pie 

Everyone will love scooping out a portion of this delicious and easy Frito pie recipe!

Get Recipe

Photo Credit: recipesformoms.com

Grape Jelly Meatballs In the Crockpot (Only 3 Ingredients)

Just three ingredients to make these easy grape jelly meatballs made in the crockpot.

Get Recipe

Photo Credit: recipesformoms.com

Crispy Air Fryer Chicken Tenders Made Easy

These Homemade Air Fryer Chicken tenders are always a hit at my house! Not to mention, they are quick and easy to make!

Get Recipe

Tips for Planning a New Year’s Eve Party

Now that you have a mega list of delicious New Year’s Appetizers, there are a few tips to keep in mind.

Make sure to invite your guests about 2 weeks ahead of time so that they can RSVP. Give them some teasers of what they can expect on the menu as well.

Keep it as simple as possible so that you can enjoy the night as well. You don’t want to spend the entire night in the kitchen, grill or smoker, away from your family and friends. So plan out and meal prep as much as you can in advance.

Last, but not least, have fun. This event only comes one time per year – so make it a night full of flavors that everyone will look forward to making a tradition on their yearly calendars.

What are 3 foods that are eaten on New Year’s Day?

Don’t forget that there are three foods that are a tradition to eat on New Year’s Day. After a night of gathering and partying, make sure to make a meal plan and include black-eyed peas, cornbread, and greens.

These southern foods are said to bring you good luck throughout the year when eaten on the first day of the year.

Do you have any classic foods or appetizers that you make for New Year’s Eve?

The post Delicious New Year’s Appetizers to Ring In 2025 appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

It’s so good that you’ll be throwing two chickens on your smoker every time.  

Smoked Beer Can Chicken: Getting Started

This smoked beer can chicken is one of the easiest, yet most flavorful chicken recipes I’ve ever made. It’s the perfect blend of moist, juicy, and smokey. 

To get started, you’ll want a whole chicken that weighs three to four pounds. When prepping the chicken, start by running the chicken under cold water and then drying off the chicken with a paper towel. 

Preheat your smoker to 225°F. 

While your smoker preheats, prepare your rub. I love rubs, but especially love rubs that involve everything I already have at home in the pantry. For this specific chicken rub you’ll need: 

• Light brown sugar
• Kosher Salt
• Ground black pepper
• Cayenne pepper
• Paprika
• Garlic Powder; and
• Onion Powder

Combine all the ingredients in a small bowl, mix well. Once combine, rub the dry ingredients all over the entire chicken; this includes under the skin and inside the body cavity — this is just one of the things that ensure your chicken is packed with flavor, literally.  

Before you begin smoking your chicken, you’ll need: 

• 1 can of beer
• Onion; and
• Garlic cloves

Chop up your garlic and onion, cut off the top of your beer can, and pour roughly half of the beer out of the can. Add the chopped garlic and onion into the beer can.

Making the Best Smoked Beer Can Chicken

Once you’ve prepped your ingredients and your smoker has preheated, you’re ready to move forward. Slowly work your chicken onto the beer can.

To make the process of transferring the chicken onto the smoker, and reduce the risk of the chicken falling over, I recommend you invest in a beer can chicken rack. 

Let the chicken smoke for two to three hours — your chicken is considered done when a meat thermometer reads 165°F when you stick it in the thickest part of the chicken. 

Remove the chicken from the smoker, cover it in aluminum foil and let it rest for at least 10 minutes to ensure the chicken absorbs all the juices and flavors before cutting into it. 

Commonly Asked Questions About Making Smoked Beer Can Chicken

What Is the Best Type of Beer to Use? 

The type of beer you use for this recipe is up to you. Cheap beers, like Budweiser, are completely fine — most people prefer lager for grilling. 

If you are hesitant to use beer, you could use lemon-lime soda, even Fresca — the important thing is that you have a 16-ounce can. 

If you’re worried about alcohol content and serving this chicken, don’t fret, the alcohol in the beer will cook off while smoking. 

Cooking Beer Can Chicken on Grill

If you are cooking beer can chicken on your charcoal or gas grill, adjust the cooking time to 1 to 1 1/2 hours.

Tip: If you are cooking on a gas grill, turn the temperature up to High for 5-10 minutes for extra crispy skin.

Temperature times will vary, so just make sure the thermometer reads 165°F. You can remove from the grill and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Why Should I Use Beer or Other Liquids in Smoked Chicken? 

The idea is to keep the chicken moist and flavorful. The steam from the beer inside of the chicken will leave it very humid, locking in the moisture, instead of letting it evaporate from the meat. 

What Do You Serve Smoked Chicken With? 

Are you a fan of leftovers? Make a second chicken and use it on salads or in soups for the week. The chicken is best served within three days of making this recipe. 

This smoked beer can chicken pairs well with many sides. Keep it light and serve some smoked or grilled asparagus on the side, a delicious side of homemade coleslaw, or hone in on some southern hospitality and serve it up with our smoked mac and cheese and BBQ baked beans. 

Related Smoked Chicken Recipes:

• Smoked Chicken Wings
• Smoked Whole Chicken
• Smoked Chicken Thighs

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Smoked Beer Can Chicken

This beer can chicken recipe requires all the ingredients you already have in your pantry making it the perfect solution for a weeknight meal or a weekend barbecue.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Beer Can Chicken

Prep Time 15 minutes minutes

Cook Time 3 hours hours

Servings 6 people

Calories 280kcal

Author Mark Rogers

Ingredients

• 3-4 pound whole chicken
• Seasoning Rub
• Dry Ingredients
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• 1 Tbsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• 2 tsp garlic powder
• 2 tsp onion powder
• Wet Ingredients
• 1 can beer
• 2 tablespoons fresh onion chopped
• 2 cloves garlic chopped

Instructions

• Preheat the smoker to 225 degrees F.
• Combine all the dry ingredients and rub over the entire chicken, including inside the body cavity and under the skin.
• Cut the top off of the can of beer and pour half out, add the chopped onion and garlic to the can.
• Work the chicken over the open top of the beer and transfer it to your preheated smoker, Setting it on a beer can chicken rack is recommended.
• Smoke for 2-3 hours until an instant-read thermometer placed in the thickest part of the breast reads 165 degrees F.
• Remove from the smoker and cover with aluminum foil and allow to rest for 10 minutes before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 280kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 21g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 4g | Monounsaturated Fat: 7g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 82mg | Sodium: 1243mg | Potassium: 267mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 621IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 29mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Easy Beer Can Chicken on Smoker or Grill appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

Believe it or not, our dry rub is an all-around good rub that can be used in a variety of recipes, including chicken, pork chops, pork tenderloin, and pork shoulder.

If you want, you can make a large batch of this recipe to have on hand. Let’s take a closer look at this recipe.

How long should dry rub be on ribs before cooking?

Good food takes time. To get the maximum effect of a dry rub, it needs to be on the meat long enough. It is recommended that dry rub for ribs be applied 15 minutes to 2 hours before cooking the ribs.

It can even be applied several hours in advance. It all depends on how much time you have. But, you don’t want to have the rub on for too long before cooking.

What do you put on ribs before you apply rub?

Nothing. You want to dry your ribs with paper towels and remove the membrane. That’s all you need to do before applying the dry rub.

Should you apply rub to your ribs overnight?

You can. You could apply the dry rub before bed and then get up and place the ribs in your smoker the next morning. Do NOT apply the dry rub any earlier than 10 to 12 hours before cooking though. This could lead to the meat drying out due to the amount of salt in the rub.

Ingredients for dry rub

Dry rub for ribs can be made with a variety of ingredients depending on which flavors you enjoy. Our dry rub for ribs is a good all-around dry rub with simple ingredients that you more than likely have on hand. You’ll need the following ingredients:

• Kosher Salt
• Ground Black Pepper
• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Cayenne pepper
• Sweet paprika
• Cumin

How do you make rub for ribs?

You literally mix the ingredients together. That’s it. If you’re making a large batch, you can mix the ingredients together and then place into a container (like these I purchased online), with a shaker lid.

Just make sure to shake the container well, before each use to make sure the ingredients are well-mixed.

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Dry Rub for Ribs

A dry rub for ribs can make such a huge difference in the flavor of your smoked or grilled ribs. 

Course Main Course, Seasoning

Cuisine American

Keyword Dry Rub For Ribs

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 18kcal

Author Mark Rogers

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons Kosher Salt
• 2 tablespoons Ground Black Pepper
• optional
• 1 teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon of onion powder
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon sweet paprika
• ½ teaspoon of cumin

Instructions

• Mix and apply.

Nutrition

Calories: 18kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 3491mg | Potassium: 104mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 986IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 25mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Dry Rub Recipe For Ribs appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

Don’t forget to check out my techniques for smoking brats or grilling brats (both with recipes)!

What type of beer do you soak brats in?

A light beer such as Miller Lite or Bud Lite is a great option. You don’t want the flavor of the beer to overpower the flavor of the sausage. You want it to compliment the flavor. Avoid dark ales, such as Guinness.

What’s the purpose of a beer bath for brats?

The purpose of the beer bath for brats is to keep them juicy while keeping them warm. You don’t want your smoked brats or grilled sausages to lose all their juiciness by keeping them warm using a dry-heat method. Of course, the beer will also add great flavor.

Should you boil brats in beer before cooking?

No! You never want to boil brats in beer before or after grilling or smoking. All the wonderful flavor from the sausage will leach out into the beer. This defeats the purpose of a delicious sausage. What you’ll be doing with this beer brat bath is steaming. This will not cause the flavor to leach out.

What are the ingredients to make a beer brat bath?

You simply need two ingredients, ale and onions. That’s it. Remember that you want to choose a lightly flavored beer as a dark ale would overpower the flavor of the sausage.

How do you make a beer brat bath?

You’ll need an aluminum pan to pour your beer and onions into. Once your sausages are cooked, add your pan to the smoker and place your sausages into the bath. You can soak the sausages in the beer bath for 20 to 30 minutes.

This should give you plenty of time to get the rest of your items fixed and for your guests to arrive.

Print

Beer Brat Bath

A beer brat bath adds great flavor and keeps the sausages warm without drying them out. This recipe couldn’t be easier.

Course Main Course

Cuisine American

Keyword Beer Brats Bath

Prep Time 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time 1 hour hour

Total Time 1 hour hour 10 minutes minutes

Servings 6 people

Calories 51kcal

Author Mark Rogers

Ingredients

• 2 cans of ale
• 2 onions peeled and sliced

Instructions

• Pour ale into an aluminum pan and add the sliced onions.
• Once the brats are smoked, add the brats to the beer bath and place the pan on the smoker or grill grate.
• Keep warm in the beer bath for 20 to 30 minutes.

Nutrition

Calories: 51kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Sodium: 5mg | Potassium: 33mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 5mg | Iron: 1mg

The post Beer Brat Bath (Brat Hot Tub) Recipe appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

You can use this marinade recipe on this Smoked Pork Chops Recipe as well. It’s the perfect addition to that grilled smoky flavor.

It’s no surprise that cooking up pork on the grill or smoker is a favorite. This is because grilled pork tends to be tender and holds in the tastes of marinade very well.

I’ve been relying on the ease of this pork marinade recipe for years and get a ton of compliments on it every time I make it.

How do you make a marinade sweeter?

This simple marinade recipe only has 1/4 cup of brown sugar in it so if you wanted to up the sweetness, you could always add in more. I always recommend that people use it as written in the directions first and then make the alterations or changes that they want to try after that.

Can I marinate pork chops then freeze uncooked?

You bet. If you want to meal prep ahead of time, you can marinate the pork chops then throw them in the freezer for later. Typically they’ll be good for up to 3 months of time and be ready to toss on the grill once they’re unthawed.

Should pork chops be marinated?

Absolutely. Marinating the pork chops will give them so much flavor. Put them in the marinade for a minimum of 1 hour and on up to 4 hours if they’re a thick cut.

Ingredients needed for Pork Marinade

• soy sauce
• Worcestershire sauce
• dijon mustard 
• garlic
• brown sugar 
• pepper 

How to make Pork Marinade

1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined.
2. Add pork to a pan or resealable bag.

Simple, right? Now that you know it’s so easy to make a marinade for your pork, you have to give it a try.

What do you do with leftover marinade?

Since I’m using this for pork, I actually don’t keep the leftover marinade. I use it for that specific recipe and then toss it out.

Can you make this marinade and freeze it for later?

I suppose you could but I’ve never tried it. Since it takes just 5 minutes to make, I’ve never had an issue of making it right then and there. I’ve found the fresher the recipe, the better.

Can you use pork marinade on other types of meat?

Some people might but I don’t. I think that it’s important to use a specific type of marinade with that specific type of meat. Pork for pork, chicken marinade for chicken, and beef for beef are all my rules of thumb.

This doesn’t mean you can’t try it, but the ingredients of the marinades are made specifically to pair with the natural flavors of the meat.

Why is my pork marinade so salty?

Make certain that you’re paying attention to the sodium levels of the ingredients that you’re adding as well as what your salt tolerance is. The last thing that you want to have happened is to ruin your perfectly smoked pork chop because you feel that it’s too salty to eat.

You can easily use a low sodium soy sauce as an option to cut down on the salt content.

Tips for Using a Pork Marinade

The main thing to keep in mind when marinating pork is that it really does depend on the thickness of the meat. For thinner pieces, one hour is going to be fine. For thicker cuts of pork chops, up to 4 hours is my recommendation.

Sides That Go Great With Pork Chops:

Curious about what sides pair well with pork chops? You can’t go wrong with this smoked mac and cheese recipe, grilled potato wedges, or these easy Instant Pot baked beans!

Delicious Pork Recipes

• Smoked Pork Tenderloin – With a Sweet & Spicy Kick
• Smoked Pork Shoulder – Fall Apart Pork Butt Recipe
• Million Dollar Smoked Pork Belly

Print

Pork Chop Marinade for Grilling, Smoking or Baking

This is a simple and fast pork chop marinade recipe for grilling.

Course Marinade

Cuisine American

Keyword Pork Chop Marinade, Pork Marinade

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Total Time 5 minutes minutes

Servings 4 people

Calories 88kcal

Author Mark Rogers

Ingredients

• ½ cup soy sauce
• ¼ cup Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon pepper

Instructions

• Add all the ingredients to a bowl and whisk together.
• Put the pork in the bag and store in the fridge.

Nutrition

Calories: 88kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 3g | Fat: 1g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1g | Sodium: 1835mg | Potassium: 228mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 16g | Vitamin A: 16IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 40mg | Iron: 2mg

The post Best Pork Chop Marinade With Simple Ingredients appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.

Whether you’re choosing to use minced garlic or you simply need a replacement for cloves, this post will help you understand minced garlic conversion so you can apply it to any dish you need.

What is Minced Garlic

The word minced is simply a fancy term for extremely finely chopped. That means that minced garlic is simply the result of chopping up garlic cloves as finely as possible. Whether you buy it or make it yourself, the outcome is the same.

Making Your Own Minced Garlic

If you need minced garlic for a recipe, it’s easy to make your own. It’s a simple process that essentially comes down to finely chopping it. Of course, there’s a little more to it than that.

1. Finding Fresh Garlic

As with any recipe, the freshest ingredients make the best-tasting food, so you’ll want to find the freshest garlic possible. Look for bulbs that are highly aromatic and that have a nicely dried layer around them.

Be sure to test the garlic with your fingers. You want the cloves of the bulb to be firm. If they’re soft, they’re not fresh.

2. Preparing the Cloves

To prepare your garlic cloves for mincing, you’ll need to remove the papery skin surrounding the clove. The easiest way to do this is by doing what I like to call “the smash method”.

To do this, place your garlic clove on a cutting board. Then, taking the flat side of the knife that you’ll be using to mince, smash the garlic. This will break the garlic a bit, loosening the papery skin and making it easy to peel.

3. Mincing the Cloves

Although mincing simply means finely dicing, there’s one extra step to mincing garlic. It’s smooshing, for lack of a better word.

To mince your garlic cloves, begin by finely slicing the garlic lengthwise. Then turn it and finely slice across the clove. After these two slicing passes smoosh the garlic by pressing the flat of your knife across the garlic and pulling as you go.

After that, continue to chop the length and width of the clove with a rocking motion of your knife. You’ll simply rock the length of the clove, smoosh, and then rock the width of the clove. Continue this process until you have finely chopped garlic pieces that are highly aromatic with much of the liquid released.

Minced Garlic Conversion

Now that you have your minced garlic you need to know how to use the idea of minced garlic conversion. A garlic clove is large, but after it’s been chopped, minced, or ground into powder, it becomes quite concentrated.

The rule of thumb is that the smaller the surface area, the less you use because of the concentrated flavor. Here’s how it breaks down.

Garlic Powder

Well, it made an appearance in the minced garlic conversion list above, so let’s stop and talk about garlic powder for a second.

At first, garlic powder and minced garlic might seem interchangeable, especially if you bought them from a store. After all, they both come in shakers, which seems to indicate that they’re both for the same use. Well, not really.

Minced garlic is finely chopped garlic cloves. Garlic powder is a processed garlic product that has been pulverized and dried into a powdered form that is shelf-stable. It almost always has less flavor impact than minced garlic because so many of the natural oils are gone.

That being said, garlic powder is the best choice when creating rubs or sauces because it will thoroughly incorporate into both of those things, while minced garlic will create little chunks and not infuse as well.

Garlic Salt

While we’re talking about things that look similar but aren’t, let’s discuss garlic salt. Garlic salt and garlic powder look almost exactly the same. They’re both powders that can be shaken out of a dispenser.

However, garlic powder is simply crushed and dried garlic, while garlic salt is a mixture of salt and garlic powder. That’s an important distinction if you’re watching your salt intake or you have a recipe that calls for the addition of salt – as most do.

Minced Garlic Conversion – When to Use What

You can use all these forms of garlic in any recipe with various levels of success. If you’re in a pinch, you can use whatever you have on hand. However, if you have the options available, there are certain applications that work better with certain types of garlic.

1. Garlic Cloves

Whole garlic cloves work well for flavoring meat from the inside out. Try adding cloves to the cavity of whole birds, stuffing them into slits in pork or beef roasts, and even slicing them into thin medallions and adding them to fish.

Garlic cloves are also wonderful flavor additions to mashed potatoes and garlic bread when roasted. Simply roast your garlic and smash the cloves into the potatoes. You can also mix your roasted garlic with melted butter and spread it on bread.

2. Minced Garlic

Minced garlic is excellent when you love the flavor of garlic but don’t want large bites of it. Mince garlic works well in soups or as an addition to things like various potato and tuna salads – just use in moderation.

3. Garlic Powder

Garlic powder works well in soup and potato and tuna salads and the like just like minced garlic does. However, where garlic powder really shines is in rubs and sauces.

When you use garlic powder in rubs, sauces, or marinades, it allows the garlic flavor to meld completely with the rest of the ingredients. In the case of rubs, it also allows the garlic flavor to stick to the meat more readily. Minced garlic would fall off.

4. Garlic Salt

As a rule of thumb, I stay away from garlic salt. There’s just no need to use it. With this combination of garlic and salt, it’s hard to balance the salt and garlic flavor profile. If you want more garlic flavor, you’re forced to also add more salt and vice versa.

Storing Garlic

Garlic cloves will keep very well for up to 8 weeks in a cool, dry place, Remember, they’re roots just like potatoes or onions so keep them out of the light.

Minced garlic can be stored for several weeks in the refrigerator in a tightly sealed container, while store-bought minced garlic will last even longer, as it’s been dehydrated. Finally, garlic powder will last almost indefinitely. The only thing that will happen to it is that it will become less potent.

Use the Minced Garlic Conversion Info to Help with Your Cooking

Whether you love whole garlic, minced garlic, garlic powder, or even garlic salt, the information found here, including the minced garlic conversion guide, will help you get the most garlic bang for your buck.

Try your luck with these conversions and see what kind of recipes you can come up with. This minced garlic conversion will also save you the hassle of going to the store if you don’t have a particular kind of garlic on hand.

Good luck, and happy grilling.

Here are some of my recipes that use fresh garlic cloves:

• Smoked Turkey Breast
• Chicken Marinade – Perfect for Grilling or Baking
• Smoked Meatloaf
• Smoked Pork Tenderloin

The post Cloves to Minced Garlic Conversion – When You Don’t Have Garlic Cloves appeared first on Pit Nation BBQ.