Are you guilty of being boring?  Not you personally, but your meat?  Do you just slap your burger or steak onto the grill and call it barbecue?  There’s nothing sadder than having your mouth water from the smell of something that should taste wonderful, only to take your first bite and find that you’re actually eating charbroiled cardboard?

Do something about it!  Most meat can benefit from a little MRB (that’s the meat equivalent of TLC), so read on and learn how to bring out the best in your roast.

Marinade

With a marinade you infuse your meat with liquid flavoring.  Most marinades have a bit of oil and an acidic component, such as wine or balsamic vinegar or even lemon juice; the acid helps to tenderize the meat.  Be innovative, look around your kitchen for possible additions - ketchup or barbecue sauce, or honey or molasses that you thin out with Worcestershire or soy sauce.  Add in a handful of dry spices from your spice rack but go easy, remember you can always add but you can’t take away.  Marinate in your fridge for a couple of hours or overnight.  Marinades make the most of cheap cuts.

Rub

Rubbing spices and herbs onto and into your food is a simple way to add flavor, especially if your prep time is limited, since you can rub it into your meat in the half hour before cooking.  Combine your spices and herbs in any combination you like, or use a pre-made combo like Cajun.  While it’s not necessary, putting a little oil on your meat helps the spices to stick better.

Brine

Brining is the least common method of adding flavor to food.  It involves soaking the meat or poultry in a salt solution, and adds a significant amount of moisture to the food - that’s especially important if you’re grilling meat that tends to dry out quickly, such as pork.  Naturally, the primary ingredient of a brine is salt, but you can add in your own herbs and spices to jazz up the flavor - consider peppercorns, fresh herbs, bay leaves, etc.  Keep your meat in the fridge for a minimum of 24 hours.  Brined meats tend to be a bit on the salty side, so you may want to rinse it off before slapping it on the grill.