By Barbara Beltrami

Chances are this Father’s Day, if you’re not taking Dad out, you’re probably grilling. And since Dad is usually the one who’s slaving over a hot grill (even though he may have an ice cold beer in one hand), wouldn’t it be nice if you did the grilling for a change? No? Well then, how about you do some marinating to make whatever he’s grilling moist, tender, flavorful and fit for the king of the household and patriarch of the family. Here are some marinades to give that meat, poultry or fish an extra special taste. The rest is up to you. Note: Salt should be added to all marinades just before grilling.

Lemon, Garlic and Rosemary Marinade

YIELD: Makes about one cup.

INGREDIENTS:

Freshly squeezed juice from 3 large lemons

1/3 cup olive oil

1/3 cup dry white wine

1/4 cup fresh rosemary leaves or 2 T dried

2 garlic cloves, minced

DIRECTIONS: 

Combine all ingredients except salt in a small bowl and whisk vigorously; pour into gallon size resealable plastic bag. Place meat in bag and tilt to coat thoroughly. Rotating and tilting bag every half hour, refrigerate for 3 hours. Use marinade to baste while grilling. This is especially good with chicken or pork accompanied by roasted potatoes and Vidalia onions.

Teriyaki and Scallion Marinade

YIELD: Makes approximately two cups

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup dry white wine

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tablespoon vinegar

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

4 scallions, trimmed and sliced

4 garlic cloves, minced

Freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

In a medium bowl whisk together all ingredients. Pour into resealable gallon plastic bag and add beef, pork or poultry, then seal; tilt bag to coat thoroughly; refrigerate for up to 12 hours, rotate and tilt bag every so often to evenly distribute marinade. Use marinade for basting. This is best with beef but also very good with fish, poultry or pork accompanied by your favorite rice and a cucumber salad.

Cilantro and Lime Marinade

YIELD: Makes about 1 1/2 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 cup vinegar

1/3 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1/4 cup rose wine

3 garlic cloves, minced

Freshly squeezed juice of one large lime

1 tablespoon cumin

3 tablespoons chopped oregano leaves

1 tablespoon chili powder

Hot red pepper flakes to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

In a medium bowl combine all ingredients except salt. Whisk thoroughly, then pour into resealable gallon plastic bag, add meat or poultry and seal; tilt to evenly coat. Refrigerate for up to 12 hours; tilt and rotate bag frequently. Use marinade to baste. This is a wonderful marinade for steak or chicken accompanied by fresh corn and roasted peppers.

Tropical Citrus Marinade

YIELD: Makes about 1 2/3 cups

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup pineapple juice

1/2 cup orange – mango juice

1/3 cup soy sauce

Freshly squeezed juice of one lime

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger

Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS: 

In a medium bowl whisk together all the ingredients; let sit until sugar dissolves, then transfer to a gallon resealable bag; add chicken, fish or pork, seal bag and tilt to coat thoroughly. Refrigerate for up to one hour for fish, 4 hours for pork or chicken; tilt and rotate from time to time to even distribute the marinade. This is particularly good with swordfish, chicken or pork accompanied by pineapple salsa and sweet potato fries.