How To Safely Reuse Meat Marinade To Make The Perfect Sauce

It's a common problem: You've been letting your chicken or steak sit all day, soaking up a delicious concoction of spices and liquids, but then it comes time to cook and you are left with a full cup or more of that sweet, sweet marinade once your meat is on the grill or in the oven. You can't use it as is because it's been resting with raw meat, but it seems like such a shame to toss it in the trash. Luckily, there is a safe way to reuse your marinade and transform it into a delectable sauce that will punch up your dish perfectly.

In an interview with Chowhound, celebrity chef and restaurateur Marcus Samuelssen details how to safely repurpose your leftover marinade. "Bring that marinade to a boil and let it simmer for a few minutes," he said. "That high heat kills off anything harmful, and you're left with a deeply flavored reduction that can be used as a glaze, a sauce base, or even brushed back onto the grilled meat in the final seconds of cooking."

Boiling your marinade brings your liquid, including those pesky, bacteria-laden meat juices, to the safe temperature of 165 degrees Fahrenheit. Make sure to use a food thermometer to ensure you've reached this ideal temperature, and keep it boiling for five minutes to be extra safe. By then, it will reduce it into a great base for a sauce; though be aware that the flavor and composition of the sauce may be a little different after boiling. Always make sure you do a taste test before slathering it all over the meat you just cooked perfectly.

You can turn almost any sauce into a marinade, so it stands to reason that your marinades can become great sauces, too. Marinades tend to be thinner and punchier in flavor than thicker sauces in order to better penetrate into the meat. Therefore, when heating and reducing your leftover marinade to transform it into a sauce, you may want to add something that may tame those powerful flavors. Finishing off with some dairy is great in these cases. Butter, heavy cream, or milk will all mellow out the intensity of your sauce while providing that thick, creamy texture. You can also use a cornstarch slurry, if you want to avoid dairy.

If your marinade is rich and savory, maybe consisting of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce and ingredients like black pepper, garlic, and onion, it's easy to transform the liquid into a luscious brown gravy with the help of some extra broth and a thickener of your choice. If your leftover marinade has a citrus zing — perhaps from lemon or orange juice — finish it in a pan with some butter, capers, and fresh herbs, like cilantro, chives, or parsley for a fresh, light sauce that will brighten up boring dinners.

Marinades that include thick sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, brown sugar, or apricot preserves can instead be reduced down into a sticky, finger-licking glaze that you can brush back onto your meat as it finishes cooking or even pour over as a sauce right after. However you flavor your meat, there's a chance to safely use the leftover marinade to take your dish to new heights; so don't waste it!

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