Freezer Cooking: Marinades

The next step in my freezer cooking process was something quite simple. Marinades. The thing that often stops me from wanting to cook anything is the prep. Don't get me wrong. I love to cook. But, when I've been running around all day or have been at work, sometimes I just don't feel like standing in the kitchen for an hour or more. This led me to preparing marinades to stick in a bag with meat and throw in the freezer.

My first step in marinating was looking for something on hand and simple for half a pork loin I had in the freezer. I found one at www.busy-at-home.com and it was made up of mostly things I had in my fridge.


MAPLE GLAZED PORK LOIN MARINADE:

• 1 (3 lb)  boneless pork loin
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup barbecue sauce
• 1/4 cup maple syrup (I just used our pancake syrup.)
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Mix all the marinade ingredients and pour over pork loin.  Bake at 375° for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or in crockpot set to low for 6 to 8 hours.

To freeze: Place the loin in a zip-top freezer bag and pour marinade over the top.  Seal the bag, being careful to push out as much air as possible.  Freeze.

To cook from frozen: Empty contents of bag into crockpot.  Set temperature to low and bake 8-10 hours.

Beyond a prep photo, I didn't really think anyone needed a step by step for mixing a marinade. Mix and pour into a bag. Freeze. I will post the chicken marinade below. I'm sure you can find a better one than this, but it came from everything I already had on hand.


CHICKEN MARINADE:

This one came from www.cooks.com  

1/2 C oil
1 C Vinegar
1 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning
2 tbsp. salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1 egg
paprika

Mix together all ingredients. Add chicken. Refrigerate for several hours.

Nat's notes: I am a little skeptical about this marinade. It seems relatively simple, however I'm not sure I'll be thrilled with all the vinegar. I will let you know how it is once we eat it. Anyway, again you can pour in a bag and freeze.

Enjoy!

Oh, and to be continued...