Meat Marinade

by James Wilderotter

quantity	ingredient
1.5 cups	Olive Oil
4 tablespoons	Rose water - found in the liquid seasonings section of your supermarket
1 to 2 tablespoons	Steak sauce - I prefer Heinz57, A1, HP Sauce, or some other steak sauce that uses berries in the sauce.
1 to 2 teaspoons	soy sauce
1 teaspoon or more	coarsely ground black pepper - I like to make sure all the meat gets some black pepper
to taste	salt
2 tablespoons	Sumac - found in the seasonings section of your international supermarket
1 to 2 teaspoons	garlic powder (add more to taste) - I prefer fresh crushed garlic, but the powder will do just fine.
1 to 2 teaspoons	onion powder (add more to taste)
1 to 2 teaspoons	meat tenderizer powder - use more on larger cuts of meat, like roasts
1 to 2 teaspoons	cayanne pepper powder
2 teaspoons	fresh rosemary - if fresh is unavailable, use 3 teaspoons of dried rosemary
1 to 2 teaspoons	oregano

Pour the olive oil into a bowl large enough to contain all the meat you want to marinade. You must be able to seal the bowl. I prefer a ceramic bowl, but a plastic bowl will do.
Slowly add in each of the ingredients, stirring well with a fork to mix them all together well.
When all the ingredients are mixed together well, add in the meat and cover.
Hold the lid down tightly and shake the container well to coat the meat with the marinade. Use a circular motion, changing directions every so often, to ensure the meat is completely coated.
Let the meat sit to absorb the marinade. I like to let the meat absorb for 24 hours (putting into the fridge after sitting on the counter for 30 to 60 minutes). The more the meat sits in the marinade the better the meat tastes.
When you are preparing to cook the meat, pull it out of the fridge about 20 to 30 minutes before cooking and let it sit to warm up.
Before opening the container, shake the container well to coat the meat once more.
When you've placed the meat onto the grill, frying pan, in the oven, etc, pour the last of the marinade over the meat while it cooks. This is good stuff -- don't waste it in the kitchen sink.

Notes:
This marinade helps to keep the meat moist while it cooks, as well as adding a good flavor to the meat. While this has seasonings used in Greek and Middle Eastern cooking, it is not spice-laden like some Middle Eastern cooking can be.

I've used this on steaks, kabobs, chops, roasts, chicken, lamb, etc. It is a great marinade for almost any meat.

I also use a little of this on mushrooms when grilling or pan frying them to serve over the meat. Simply brush olive oil over the mushrooms and then rub a little of this marinade on each side of the mushrooms. Serve the mushrooms across the top of the meat. Large, sliced portobello mushrooms are excellent for this.

A few things about the ingredients:

The rose water, while it tastes a bit funny or bitter uncooked, is great even on it's own over meats, such as lamb.
Possible additions are: 1 teaspoon of cinnamon powder; 1 teaspoon lemon juice; 1 to 2 tablespoons red wine (more to taste).
The sumac (NOT poison sumac, aka. poison ivy) has a very nice flavor when cooked on the meat, but it is not heavy. It is rather a subtle flavor that melds well with the juices from the meat as it cooks.
You can add more of any of the ingredients. But if you add any more of the dry ingredients, remember to add more rose water and olive oil to keep the mixture from becoming a paste. The mixture should remain the consistency of a salad oil.