Sweet and Smoky Marinade

This Sweet and Smoky Marinade is perfect all summer long. Common ingredients, easy preparation and tons of flavor. Great on chicken, pork and beef.

Grill all season long with this Sweet and Smoky Marinade. It’s easy, uses simple ingredients and brings all the flavor.

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During the hot summer months we’re grilling almost every night. It’s easy, usually healthy and doesn’t heat up the house. Buuut, it can get a little boring after awhile.

This sweet and smoky marinade totally mixes things up. The combination of ingredients results in a sweet, smoky and slightly tangy marinade that is great on everything.

This Sweet and Smoky Marinade is perfect all summer long. Common ingredients, easy preparation and tons of flavor. Great on chicken, pork and beef.

Ingredients for Sweet and Smoky Marinade

  • Olive oil: You need oil in a marinade to help transfer the flavors and to add moisture to whatever you are marinating. If you don’t have olive oil, you can substitute vegetable or canola oil instead.
  • Apple cider vinegar: This helps tenderize the protein and balance out the flavors. I love the flavor of apple cider vinegar but if you’re out you can use white vinegar or red wine vinegar in its place.
  • Dijon mustard: Adds lots of flavor and a little bite.
  • Worcestershire sauce: This brings some major umami and richness to the marinade.
  • Brown sugar: This is where the sweetness comes in. The brown sugar also helps balance out the acid of the vinegar.
  • Smoked paprika: Adds lots of smoky flavor to the marinade.
  • Ground chipotle pepper: Just a little is added to make it a little spicy but nothing overpowering. If you like things hotter feel free to add more. If you don’t have chipotle pepper you can use ground red pepper in its place. Keep in mind, the marinade won’t be quite as smoky if you do this.
  • Garlic: Because garlic makes everything better.
This Sweet and Smoky Marinade is perfect all summer long. Common ingredients, easy preparation and tons of flavor. Great on chicken, pork and beef.

How to Prepare Sweet and Smoky Marinade

As with most marinades, all you need to do is whisk up the ingredients in a large bowl to get it put together. Next pour in a large container with a lid or a ziplock bag.

Add your protein of choice, seal the container and swish it around until the meat is fully coated.

I used pork loin but chicken, pork chops or steaks would be delicious as well. You could cut chicken, beef or pork into chunks, marinade and make kabobs out of them with your favorite veggies.

Let it marinate in the refrigerator for as little as 1 hour or up to 8 hours. The longer it marinates the richer the flavor will be.

This Sweet and Smoky Marinade is perfect all summer long. Common ingredients, easy preparation and tons of flavor. Great on chicken, pork and beef.

How to Prepare

Once the marinating time is up you can cook your protein in a variety of ways. I’m obviously obsessed with grilling right now so that would be my top choice.

If you don’t have a grill or it’s not grilling season, you can definitely saute it in a skillet or bake it in the oven.

No matter how you cook your protein, you are sure to have a smoky, slightly sweet main dish that is packed with flavor.

This Sweet and Smoky Marinade is perfect all summer long. Common ingredients, easy preparation and tons of flavor. Great on chicken, pork and beef.

More Marinades to Try:

This Sweet and Smoky Marinade is perfect all summer long. Common ingredients, easy preparation and tons of flavor. Great on chicken, pork and beef.
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4.67 from 3 votes

Sweet and Smoky Marinade

This Sweet and Smoky Marinade is perfect all summer long. Common ingredients, easy preparation and tons of flavor. Great on chicken, pork and beef.
Prep Time5 minutes
Marinade Time4 hours
Total Time4 hours 5 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: American
Keyword: sweet and smoky marinade
Yield: 1 cups
Author: Meg’s Everyday Indulgence

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup olive oil
  • 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
  • 2 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
  • 1 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
  • 2 Tbsp. brown sugar
  • 1 tsp. smoked paprika
  • 1/2 tsp. ground chipotle pepper
  • 1 tsp. minced garlic

Instructions

  • Whisk all the ingredients together in a bowl. Place protein choice in a bowl with a lid or ziplock bag. Pour marinade over and turn to coat well. Marinate for 1 to 8 hours.

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