Four marinades to make for Father’s Day gifting and grilling

I always struggle with what to give my husband and my dad for Father’s Day. I usually find myself buying them a new shirt, a tie or something for the grill.

This year, I decided to stick with the grilling theme but give it a twist by creating a few of my favorite homemade marinades. I packaged them up in recycled wine bottles, replaced the wine labels with my own handwritten versions and topped the bottles off with cute wooden cork stoppers I found online.

Since my father is from Texas and loves Mexican food, I made him a carne asada marinade that’s loaded with smoky chili flavor and is great over steak or pork. I also made him a lighter classic Greek-style marinade with lots of fresh lemon and herbs for chicken or beef.

My husband is a fan of Jamaican jerk dishes that we enjoy on trips to the Caribbean, so I made him a marinade inspired by these flavors. I also whipped up a kicky Korean barbecue marinade that doubles as a stir-fry sauce. Both of these can be used for chicken, beef or pork.

Make these for the father figures in your life, or concoct your own version based on flavors you know they enjoy. Throw in a new meat thermometer or silicone mitts, and you’ll be all set to celebrate Dad.

On the menu:

Carne asada marinade

Jamaican jerk marinade

Korean barbecue marinade

Classic Greek marinade

Grilling tips

• Use 1 cup of any of these marinades to 2 pounds of beef, pork or chicken.

• For best results, always allow your desired protein to marinate for at least 2-3 hours before grilling.

• Make sure to bring your marinated protein up to room temperature before placing it on to the preheated grill.

• Use a meat thermometer to check the internal temperature of your meat.

• Always allow grilled meat to rest for 5 minutes after removing it from the grill before slicing to keep it tender and juicy.

This article was originally published in the June 2025 issue of 225 Magazine.