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Epicurious
Bon Appétit

Universal Marinade

By Chris Morocco

5.0

(1)

A chunky marinade in a glass bowl.
Photo by Alex Lau, Prop Styling by Kalen Kaminski, Food Styling by Rebecca Jurkevich

Finely grating the aromatics in this Vietnamese-leaning marinade unlocks their flavor without endless chopping.

Recipe information

  • Yield

    4 servings

Ingredients

Vegetable oil (for the grill)
2 lemongrass stalks, trimmed, tough outer layers removed
1 serrano chile
3 garlic cloves
1 (1") piece ginger, peeled
1 Tbsp. dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. fish sauce
1 Tbsp. soy sauce
1 1/4 lb. boneless short ribs, skinless boneless chicken thighs, 1"-thick pork chops, or other cuts of steak
Kosher salt
2 scallions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup cilantro leaves with tender stems
Sesame seeds and lime wedges (for serving)

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Prepare a grill for high indirect heat (for a gas grill, leave one or two burners off; for a charcoal grill, bank coals on one side); oil grate. Using a Microplane, finely grate lemongrass, chile (seeds and all!), garlic, and ginger into a medium bowl. (Alternatively, you can chop very finely, then mash to a paste using the side of your knife.) Add brown sugar, oil, fish sauce, and soy sauce and mix well.

    Step 2

    Season meat with salt and add to bowl. Turn as needed to coat completely. Let sit at least 10 minutes and up to 2 hours. (If marinating longer, wait to fire up the grill.)

    Step 3

    Grill meat over hottest part of grill, moving to cooler zone as needed if browning too fast, until well browned, about 5 minutes per side (depending on protein). Transfer to a cutting board and let rest 10 minutes before slicing.

    Step 4

    Transfer meat to a platter and top with scallions and cilantro and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing over.

TagsMarinadeVietnameseSoutheast AsianAsianLemongrassHerbs & SpicesSerrano ChileChileVegetableGarlicRoot VegetableGingerShort RibBeef RibBeefMeatChicken ThighChickenPoultryPork ChopPorkSteakMainLunchDinnerDairy FreeNut FreeQuickEasyGrillingBon Appétit
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