Who has the best lamb marinade?

August 22, 2006 12:57 PM

What is your favourite way to marinate lamb kebobs?

I want the best marinade. In the world.

posted by theinsectsarewaiting to Food & Drink (20 answers total)

Mango sauce?
posted by ed\26h at 12:59 PM on August 22, 2006

Cinnamon and lemon juice mixed with oive oil.
posted by johngumbo at 1:02 PM on August 22, 2006

Yogurt marinade! 3 parts olive oil, 4 parts yogurt, 1 part acid (lemon, vinegar, whatever taste you prefer). You can add 1 part garlic, cilantro, mint or whatever other chopped bits and bobs to that to taste.
posted by bcwinters at 1:20 PM on August 22, 2006

Acid in a marinade will make the meat gray and mushy. A small amount, as in the yogurt marinade, above, shouldn't be too bad, but don't leave it soaking for hours. It's basic, but you can't go wrong with garlic and olive oil. Salt just before cooking.
posted by libraryhead at 1:26 PM on August 22, 2006

Mustard, Red wine, peppercorns, fresh mint, salt, and believe it or not Raspberry viniagrette.
posted by Gungho at 1:36 PM on August 22, 2006

I don't agree with libraryhead. Most marinades include acid. It tenderizes the meat, and shouldn't make it gray and mushy unless you leave it way too long.
My favorite kebab marinade: olive oil, fresh minced garlic, soy sauce, hoisin, chile powder/hot sauce/something spicy, barbeque sauce and lots of pineapple juice. It's sweet and spicy, and the sugar in it leads to a marvelous crust on the grilled meat without the bitter black burnt mess of really sugary marinades.
posted by Juliet Banana at 1:44 PM on August 22, 2006

Olive oil, oregano, maybe a bit of garlic.

Simple, yet effective.
posted by knapah at 2:21 PM on August 22, 2006

olive oil, chopped garlic, salt and pepper, some lemon and some chopped fresh rosemary. mmmm.
posted by chococat at 2:41 PM on August 22, 2006

Chococat beat me to it.
posted by solid-one-love at 3:03 PM on August 22, 2006

libraryhead: "Acid in a marinade will make the meat gray and mushy. A small amount, as in the yogurt marinade, above, shouldn't be too bad, but don't leave it soaking for hours."

Juliet Banana: "I don't agree with libraryhead. Most marinades include acid. It tenderizes the meat, and shouldn't make it gray and mushy unless you leave it way too long."

Actually, that doesn't sound like disagreement to me. You're both talking about how leaving meat in acidic marinades will cook the meat like ceviche. Though, normally, I only leave meat to marinate for, at most, two or three hours. So, soaking for several hours counts, to me, as "way too long."

Just something to add to the choruses of olive oil + garlic combos. Lamb is, imho, the most flavorful of mammals and really doesn't need much to help it along on its path to deliciousness. I save the tropical craziness with mangos, and pineapple for pork and chicken; but with lamb, I prefer the straight flavor of the meat and little else.
posted by bl1nk at 3:18 PM on August 22, 2006

Third chococat's marinade. Maybe +thyme. Since you're doing chunks of kebab meat, I wouldn't marinate it for more than a few hours, maybe 3-4 at the most. Any longer and you'll mask the lamb flavor. Overnight marinating is for whole legs of lamb.
posted by junesix at 3:36 PM on August 22, 2006

All my ingredients were said, but in different combinations --

peppercorns, rosemary, & garlic
balsamic vinegar (not too much) & olive oil
lemon when you serve it
posted by beatrice at 3:46 PM on August 22, 2006

Frankly, most lamb doesn't need much tenderizing anyway. You're mostly looking to add flavor; the most acid you'll really want is a little lemon juice to cut through the richness of the meat.
posted by nebulawindphone at 3:51 PM on August 22, 2006

Fresh orange juice, crushed coriander seeds and cracked cardamom pods.

Olive oil, bay leaves and sumac.
posted by obiwanwasabi at 4:27 PM on August 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

What chococat said. In my house, this is known as "lamb for people who think they don't like lamb."

Cut chunks from leg of lamb (not mutton), marinate overnight, grill until just firm and browned, medium to medium rare. Serve with homemade tzatziki.

OK, not I'm hungry.
posted by sacre_bleu at 7:07 PM on August 22, 2006

Now. Now I'm hungry. And embarrassed.
posted by sacre_bleu at 7:09 PM on August 22, 2006

oh ya, thyme is also great.

and what sacre_bleu said, for sure.
gotta have the homemade tzatziki...so easy:
get some balkan yoghurt, strain out the water through a cheesecloth overnight then mix it in a bowl with a chopped garlic clove and finely-chopped cucumber that you've squished all the water out of in a dishtowel.
and that's it...none of this dill/sour cream shit.

totally hungry now also.

but what about the roast potatoes with lemon and oregano?
posted by chococat at 9:16 PM on August 22, 2006 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: Thanks, folks. Some great ideas, and it turns out I was on the right track with what I was cooking up on my own. Good work. And yes, I am now starving as well.
posted by theinsectsarewaiting at 5:36 AM on August 23, 2006

I'll second the olive oil, cracked pepper, and rosemary. You can also add lemon zest. If you've got a good piece of meat, don't over-season it.
posted by Mr. Gunn at 6:07 PM on August 23, 2006

yogurt, lemon juice, ginger, garlic, cumin, cayenne pepper and salt.
posted by mmascolino at 8:42 PM on August 31, 2006