Use a marinade when you want to add flavour, and a little seasoning and moisture, to lean or thin foods that cook quickly over direct heat: chicken breast, pork tenderloin, flank or skirt steak, prawns, fish, tofu and vegetables. Use a dry rub when you want a flavourful crust, especially on fattier cuts and long, slow cooks such as ribs, brisket and pork shoulder. Neither one tenderises meat as much as people think. Most marinade ingredients penetrate only a few millimetres, and salt is the one that travels deeper. Once you know that, choosing between them gets much easier.
What a marinade actually does
A marinade is a seasoned liquid that food sits in before cooking. Most combine four things:
- Salt, from salt itself or from soy sauce, fish sauce or miso. This is the hardest-working ingredient. Salt loosens some of the proteins near the surface so the meat holds on to more moisture, and over time it moves further in.
- Acid, such as citrus juice, vinegar or wine. Acid brightens flavour, but it works only on the outside, and too long in a strong acid leaves meat mushy or chalky.
- Oil, which carries the fat-soluble flavours of garlic, herbs and spices and helps food brown without sticking.
- Aromatics and sugar, such as garlic, ginger, chilli, herbs, honey or brown sugar, for flavour and colour.
Yogurt and buttermilk are gentler. They are only mildly acidic, work slowly and suit longer marinating, which is one reason yogurt is traditional for tandoori chicken. Fresh pineapple, papaya and kiwi are the opposite: they contain enzymes that break down protein quickly, and left too long they turn the surface soft and mealy.
What a rub actually does
A dry rub is a mix of salt, spices and often sugar, pressed onto the surface of the meat. As it cooks, the rub combines with the juices and rendered fat to form a crust, which on a long smoke becomes the dark bark barbecue is known for. The salt in a rub also works as a dry brine: given time, it draws out a little moisture, dissolves in it and is absorbed back into the meat, seasoning it below the surface.
Wet rubs and pastes sit between the two: spices bound with oil, garlic, citrus zest or fresh herbs and spread on thickly. Jerk seasoning and many herb pastes work this way.
Which to use: a quick guide
| Food | Best choice | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Chicken breast | Marinade, or a salty dry brine | Lean and mild; gains from salt and flavour |
| Chicken thighs and drumsticks | Either | Forgiving; both work well |
| Chicken wings | Dry rub | A dry surface gives crisper skin |
| Ribeye, sirloin and other prime steaks | Salt and pepper, or a simple rub | Good beef needs little help |
| Flank, skirt and hanger steak | Marinade | Thin, quick and loves bold flavours |
| Pork chops and tenderloin | Marinade or brine | Lean and prone to drying out |
| Ribs, brisket, pork shoulder | Dry rub | Long cooks need a crust, not a soak |
| Fish and prawns | Short marinade or herb rub | Delicate; acid firms them quickly |
| Vegetables and tofu | Marinade | Soak up oil and flavour well |
How long to marinate
- Fish and seafood: 15 to 30 minutes in an acidic marinade, up to an hour for firmer fish.
- Chicken pieces: 2 to 12 hours; yogurt marinades can go up to 24 hours.
- Pork and beef: 2 to 24 hours, depending on the cut and how strong the marinade is.
- Vegetables and tofu: 30 minutes to a few hours.
- Enzyme marinades (fresh pineapple, papaya, kiwi): keep it short, usually under two hours for meat.
Longer is not always better. Past these times the flavour barely improves while the texture can suffer, particularly with lots of acid.
How to use a rub well
- Pat the meat dry. A dry surface holds the rub evenly and browns better.
- Use a binder if you like. A thin film of oil or mustard helps a rub stick. It adds little flavour and is entirely optional.
- Apply evenly. Sprinkle from a height for an even coat, then pat it on rather than rubbing hard. About 1 tablespoon per 450 g (1 lb) of meat is a common starting point.
- Give the salt time. For salty rubs, apply at least 40 minutes before cooking, or up to 24 hours ahead, uncovered or loosely covered in the fridge.
- Match the sugar to the heat. Sugar-heavy rubs burn quickly over direct heat. Save them for low-and-slow cooking and use salt, pepper, herbs and spices for fast grilling. Our guide to direct vs indirect grilling explains the difference.
Using both, and where sauces fit
You do not have to choose. Marinate chicken thighs, pat them dry, then dust them with a little rub before grilling. Or rub ribs for a crust and brush on a sauce at the end. The one rule is timing: marinades and rubs go on before cooking, while sugary sauces and glazes go on during the last 10 to 15 minutes, so they caramelise rather than burn.
Food safety with marinades
- Always marinate in the fridge, never at room temperature.
- Use a non-reactive container: glass, ceramic, food-grade plastic or a sealed food bag. Acid reacts with aluminium and some other metals.
- Set some aside before it touches raw meat if you want to serve it as a sauce. A marinade that has held raw meat or fish must be brought to a rolling boil before it is served.
- Use separate brushes and tongs for raw and cooked food.
- Cook to a safe temperature. Marinating does not cook meat or make it safer. Chicken still needs 74 °C (165 °F) and burgers 71 °C (160 °F); see our guide to meat temperatures for grilling.
Common mistakes
- Marinating too long in strong acid. Fish and prawns in particular turn mushy.
- Expecting a marinade to rescue a tough cut. Tough cuts need slow cooking, or thin slicing across the grain.
- Grilling meat dripping wet. It steams, sticks and flares.
- Putting sugary rubs over fierce heat. They blacken long before the meat is done.
- Leaving out the salt. A marinade without salt, soy or another salty ingredient flavours only the surface.
- Salting twice. Soy marinades and most shop-bought rubs are already salty. Taste first, and season at the table if needed.
Recipes to try
BBQ Grill Secrets has dozens of rubs, brines, marinades and sauces, so you can build flavour separately from the meat. Try the Korean Bulgogi Marinade for thinly sliced beef, the Yogurt-Tandoori Marinade for chicken, the Memphis Dry Rib Rub for a proper bark on ribs, and The 24-Hour Dry Brine when you want well-seasoned meat with nothing but salt and time. You can also browse marinades in the recipe finder.
Questions people ask
Does marinating overnight make meat more tender?
Only slightly, and mostly at the surface. The salt in a marinade helps meat stay juicy, but real tenderness comes from choosing the right cut, cooking it correctly and slicing it across the grain.
Should I oil meat before adding a rub?
It is optional. A thin film of oil helps the rub stick and can help browning over direct heat. For long smokes, many cooks use nothing at all, or a thin coat of mustard.
Can I marinate meat and then freeze it?
Yes, as long as the meat is fresh when it goes into the marinade. Freeze it flat in a sealed bag and thaw it in the fridge, where it will carry on marinating. Avoid doing this with enzyme marinades such as fresh pineapple, which can over-soften the meat.
Is a dry brine the same as a rub?
A dry brine is simply salt, sometimes with a little sugar, applied well in advance. A rub is usually salt plus spices and herbs. Any salty rub works as a dry brine if you give it time.