Marinades, rubs and bastes: which to use and when
What marinades, dry rubs and basting sauces each do on the braai, how long to marinate different meats, and how to handle raw-meat marinade safely.
Marinades, rubs and bastes all add flavour, but they work at different times and suit different meat. This guide covers what each one does, how long to leave meat in a marinade, and the safety rules that matter once raw meat is involved.
What each one does
- Marinade: a wet mix of oil, acid (vinegar, lemon, wine or yoghurt), salt and flavour that the meat sits in before cooking. It flavours the surface and the first few millimetres. It does not soak deep into a thick cut.
- Dry rub: salt, spices and sometimes sugar rubbed on shortly before cooking. It builds a crust and works well on chops, steak, ribs and chicken pieces.
- Basting sauce: a sauce brushed on during cooking, usually in the last part. Most South African bastes, such as monkey gland or apricot, contain sugar, so they burn if they go on too early.
Many braai recipes use two of the three. Spiced chicken thighs get a dry rub first and a basting sauce later, and chicken sosaties sit in a marinade that doubles as a baste.
How long to marinate
Longer is not always better. Acid and salt change the texture of the surface, and soft meat turns mushy if left too long.
| Meat | Good marinating time | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Fish and calamari | 15 to 30 minutes | Lemon starts to cook fish if left longer |
| Prawns and crayfish | 15 to 30 minutes | Add salt just before cooking |
| Chicken pieces | 2 to 12 hours | Yoghurt marinades suit overnight |
| Pork chops and ribs | 2 to 12 hours | Sweet marinades scorch, so cook over medium coals |
| Lamb chops | 30 minutes to 4 hours | Good lamb needs little more than a rub |
| Tough beef cuts | 4 to 24 hours | Slice thinly after cooking |
Tender steak barely needs a marinade at all. Salt, pepper and a hot fire do more for it. See salting and resting meat for when to salt.
Safety with raw-meat marinade
Raw meat leaves bacteria in the marinade, so treat it like raw meat.
- Always marinate in the fridge, never on the counter in the sun. Take the meat out about 30 minutes before it goes on the fire.
- Use glass, stainless steel or a food-safe bag. Throw single-use bags away afterwards.
- If you want some marinade for basting or serving, set it aside in a clean jar before the raw meat goes in.
- If you want to use marinade the raw meat sat in, boil it hard for at least 1 minute first. Stop brushing raw-meat marinade on at least 5 minutes before the meat comes off, so the last coat cooks through.
- Use one brush for raw meat and a clean one for the cooked meat.
- Acid does not make meat safe. Only cooking does. Chicken still needs 74°C (165°F) inside, minced meat 71°C (160°F), and whole cuts of beef, lamb and pork 63°C (145°F) with a rest. The safe braai temperatures page has the full list.
Getting a baste right
Sugar caramelises at about 160°C (320°F) and burns not far above that, and the grid over hot coals is much hotter. Cook the meat most of the way first, then baste over medium coals or on the cooler side of a two-zone fire. Turn often and baste after each turn. The baste should go sticky and dark at the edges, not black.
Thin bastes with a little water or oil if they are thick. A thick sauce sits on the surface and burns. A thinner one coats evenly.
A simple starting point
If you only make one mix, make the all-purpose braai marinade and basting sauce. It works as a marinade for chicken and pork and as a baste for chops and wors. Keep half aside before the raw meat goes in.