Melanie Barnard takes the lid off grilling’s most jealously guarded secret: Wood chips, a fancy barbecue, and even the meat itself don’t outweigh the importance of a good soaking in a flavorful marinade. Barnard’s sauces run the gamut from sweet to sour, from hot to mild, from brazenly aggressive to delectably subtle. Cider vinegar, hot pepper sauce, lime juice, red wine, garlic, honey, and Dijon mustard all play their parts in the sweet, slow time of steeping until the critical moment when the coals are hot, the spatula is cocked, and the guests are hungry. With a wine steward’s savvy, Barnard provides indispensable advice on which marinades go best with beef, poultry, pork, seafood, and vegetables.
