Wine Salt Marinade Recipes for Steak, Pork, Chicken with Herbs

Wine Salt is a great finishing salt with the added luxury of red and white wine and it is a fabulous marinade for steak, pork and chicken using the recipes provided with added herbs and spices.

Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz and white wines such as Gewurztraminer are reduced by simmering to concentrate the flavors. Salt and herbs are added and the mixture is dried and crystallised for storage.

These marinades and finishing salts are easy to make and keep well for months. The finishing salt can be used as a rub for vegetables, tomatoes, pasta, roasts and seafood as is also visually attractive.

Learn how to make and use wine salt marinades with a delightful range of recipes for grilled, baked and barbecue dishes.

Homemade wine salt marinades are versatile and provide a tasty outer crust to beef steak, pork, chicken and seafood dishes. They can be made with red and white wines. Source: John Anderson

Beef Steak marinated with homemade red white salt. Source: John Anderson

What is Wine Salt and What are its Benefits

Making the marinades concentrates all the flavors in the wine with salt, and avoids the liquid suspension of standard marinades that can dry out the natural oils in the meat and swamp its natural flavor.

The salt complements and mellows the sweetness, bitterness and strong flavors of the concentrated wine.

The wine salt draws the flavors and oils to the surface when used as a marinade.

After marinading the meat the cooking process creates an outer crusty coating on the meat that stimulates the taste buds.

You can try various varieties of wine. Some red wines impart a purple color to the meat which some people don't like. You can also choose dry or sweeter wines depending on your preferences.

These marinade can enliven bland dishes and make them much more appealing. This applies to all sorts of vegetables and pasta dishes. It expands your existing used of garlic, 'chicken' and other salts.

You can also add all sort of herbs and spices making your own garlic wine salt and other varieties.

Red Wine Sea Salt Recipe

► 2 cups red wine (Cabinet Sauvignon, Syrah, Pinot Noir or other variety of wine)
► 3/4 cup coarse sea salt
► 1 cup sugar
► 8 springs thyme, chopped (or other herbs)
► Zest from one lemon

Transfer the wine to a saucepan and bring to the boil over medium heat, then reduce to a brisk simmer. Reduce the volume of the wine to about one half, and reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Continue heating with the lid off until only about 2 tablespoons of liquid remains. Set aside to cool down. Transfer the reduced wine to a food processor, add the sugar, sea salt, thyme (and other herbs), lemon zest to a food processor and pulse in short bursts until the mixture is just homogenized and has assumed the consistency of table salt. Spread the mixture out on a clean baking sheet and let completely dry out overnight at room temperature. You can speed the process up be placing the sheet in a warm over (element switched off after warming). Red wine imparts a purple color to the meat and so you can also try white wines such as gewurztraminer.

Dry Brining

The marinading method is dry brining. Coat the meat in the wine salt and add spices, garlic, ginger and scallion) on a plate. Cover it with a sheet of foil and let it sit uncovered in the refrigerator overnight. Brush off the excess remnants of the marinade and then roast, pan-fry, grill or barbecue. The wine salt imparts flavorful and gives it a nice thin crust when it is seared or grilled. The marinate is also suitable for pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables that are grilled, pan fried or baked. Try it as a rub for lamb chops with crushed coriander seeds. It is a delight on large grilled fish cutlets, such as swordfish and Spanish Mackerel. It is also a nice finishing salt for sliced tomatoes, grilled peppers, potatoes and pumpkins, eggplant, zucchini and cabbage.

You can also use the wine salt as a finishing touch just before serving a dish, or simply sprinkle over meat before it is cooked. The salt can also be combined with olive oil and added to French Bread or homemade flatbread. A jar of this salt also makes a wonderful gift.

Grilled Pork Loin rubbed with Wine-Salt

Place a 3 1/2 pound (1.5 kg) center-cut boneless pork loin piece in a baking pan. Rub 1/2 cup of the wine-salt rub all over the pork, combined with freshly chopped garlic and rosemary. Cover the pan tightly with plastic wrap and let sit in the refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. Cook the pork on a grill or barbecue slowly, turning every half hour until the interior of the meat reaches 140 degrees F (60 degrees C). This will generally take 60-90 minutes. Test for doneness and then transfer to a cutting board, sprinkle with remaining wine salt and let the meat rest 10 minutes or so before carving and serving.

Salt and Pepper Squid with Wine Salt

► 2 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
► 1 cup whole-egg mayonnaise
► Vegetable oil for deep frying
► 700 g (1 1/2 pound) squid tubes, cleaned and scored (slice if preferred)
► 1 cup plain flour
► 1 cup rice flour
► 2 tablespoons of Wine salt
► Freshly ground pepper

Combine the plain and rice flours and 1 tablespoon of wine salt in a bowl. Add squid and toss in the flour shake off any excess. Heat enough oil to cook the squid in three batches, in a large, deep pan or fryer over high heat to a temperature of 180 degrees C (350 degrees F). Cook squid in batches until crisp and golden, drain on absorbent paper, then season to taste with freshly ground black pepper and wine salt. Combine the balsamic vinegar and mayonnaise in a bowl. for a sauce.

Roasted Garlic Salt

► 1 head of garlic
► 1 cup of coarse salt
► 1 teaspoon olive oil

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Place the garlic on a piece of tin foil and run a little olive oil over it. Enclose the foil around the garlic and cook it for about 3o-40 minutes oven. Let the garlic cool and then squeeze out the roasted garlic oil over the salt in a small oven- proof bowl or dish. Using a fork throughout mix the garlic through the salt. Meanwhile lower the oven to 200 degrees F (100 degrees C). Spread the garlic out in a single layer and dry for about 20-30 minutes. Use a fork to break up the salt and transfer to small jars for storage.

The salt complements and mellows the sweetness, bitterness and strong flavors of the concentrated wine.

The wine salt draws the flavors and oils to the surface when used as a marinade.

After marinading the meat the cooking process creates an outer crusty coating on the meat that stimulates the taste buds.

You can try various varieties of wine. Some red wines impart a purple color to the meat which some people don't like. You can also choose dry or sweeter wines depending on your preferences.

You can also add all sort of herbs and spices making your own garlic wine salt and other varieties.

Red Wine Sea Salt Recipe

Dry Brining

barbecue. The wine salt imparts flavorful and gives it a nice thin crust when it is seared or grilled. The marinate is also suitable for pork, chicken, seafood and vegetables that are grilled, pan fried or baked. Try it as a rub for lamb chops with crushed coriander seeds. It is a delight on large grilled fish cutlets, such as swordfish and Spanish Mackerel. It is also a nice finishing salt for sliced tomatoes, grilled peppers, potatoes and pumpkins, eggplant, zucchini and cabbage.

You can also use the wine salt as a finishing touch just before serving a dish, or simply sprinkle over meat before it is cooked. The salt can also be combined with olive oil and added to French Bread or homemade flatbread. A jar of this salt also makes a wonderful gift.

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