Sweet Tea Marinade

This last weekend, we celebrated Memorial Day weekend.  This, for my non-USA-living friends, is a patriotic holiday in which we remember fallen soldiers who have fought for our freedom while also praising the hard work of veterans and active duty soldiers as well.

Living near a military base, there are many parades around the area where soldiers are present.  It's a very cool experience to be able to witness the different ceremonies that happen on this holiday.

Memorial day is also considered the kick-off to summer.  Even though our forecast has been littered with 40-degree weather and the threat of snow flurries, we are somehow supposed to be officially in shorts and tank tops for the next three months.  Not likely to happen at this rate.

Memorial Day was cold and cloudy, but that really didn't stop us from enjoying the traditions we've grown accustomed to around here.  Parades, ceremonies, sno-cones, beer, chicken BBQs and rummage sales are just a few of the community-wide activities.  But, there's also a number of backyard barbeques to enjoy, too.

Our house was no different.  In fact, if I close my eyes, I can still smell the steak sizzling on the grill covered in this sweet tea marinade I made.  Now, sweet tea is not something that is typically guzzled in the North, but after some research, I decided that making a jug of sweet tea would be amazing with this sweet marinade.

I had been researching marinades and this caught my eye because the tea is said to be an excellent tenderizer.  The sugar is said to caramelize the outside of the meat for a sweetened sear.  These two points were enough to convince me to give it a try.

The flavors are deep and complex with a delicious sweetness.  The liquid smoke offers a little extra complexity.

This marinade-making has sparked my interest in making up more marinades and sauces for meat.

Any ideas for next weekend?




Sweet Tea Marinade

2 lb. chicken or steak

3 cups brewed sweet tea
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 vidalia onion, sliced
1 1/2 tbsp minced garlic
1 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp Liquid Smoke
Salt & Pepper to taste



Combine all ingredients of the marinade in a large bowl.  Place the chicken or steak in the marinade.

Marinate overnight.

Cook chicken as desired.  I grilled mine on an outdoor grill.