Beef & Pork Marinade Version 1 & 1.1

The Hub and I are having a few friends over for a BBQ tonight. The weather is just right ... a nice, cool 65°F. I definitely wanted pork - the last BBQ was all churrasco - time for a change. 

So yesterday I prepared the marinade the pork would sit in until grill time.  I use this marinade for beef or pork.  It's a bit robust, really compliments and stands up to these heavier cuts. You may have noticed that the title to this post shows version 1 and 1.1 for the marinade and that's because when I grill pork, I add one extra ingredient ... achiote paste! I love how it enhances the flavor of the pork and it gives it a nice reddish tone which looks awesome once it is grilled!

Version 1.0 

Ingredients:

Version 1.0
4 green onions, use all of it, white and greens
1/2 of a large onion
1 red sweet pepper
4 garlic clove
6 tablespoons white vinegar or cider apple vinegar
1 tablespoon yellow mustard
2 tablespoons worcestershire
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Pepper to taste


Rough chop all the first four ingredients. Add to a blender or food processor. Add the remaining ingredients for version 1.0 
Process until all the ingredients are and well blended and no large pieces are visible. Pour over meat or pork. Marinate at least 4 hours 
or richer flavor overnight. Grill to your preferred perfection.


For Version 1.1

Add one tablespoon of achiote paste.  
You can get the recipe to make your own achiote paste here.

Add the achiote paste and blend. Pour over  pork. Marinate at least 4 hours or richer flavor overnight. Grill to your preferred perfection.

Top Image: Achiote Paste. 
Bottom Image: Marinade with Achiote Paste 

  Recipe Notes:  When using pork I always brine. For this BBQ I had two pounds of pork loin cut into strips about 5"-6" long and, roughly 2" wide. For the brine I used 2 quarts of water, 3 tablespoons of kosher salt and 2 tablespoons of brown sugar. I brined overnight. Then placed the pork in the marinade and let it soak up the marinade overnight as well. So yes, planning goes a long way here.