Buzz
Do you know why our homemade marinated grilled dishes never taste as good as those from restaurants? It's because each type of meat requires a specific marinating method that we're not aware of.
If you want to enjoy delicious grilled dishes, you must find high-quality grill restaurants. If you want the authentic recipe, you have to explore numerous grill places here in Hanoi.
I've gathered these grilling recipes from countless visits to grill restaurants in Hanoi.
The most recent barbecue experience I had was at Hot N Tasty (located at 81 Láng Hạ, if you're from Đống Đa, you probably know this place, right?). They had a promotion of buy 5 get 1 free, and their menu offered a variety of options including chicken, pork, beef, seafood, etc., all marinated quite well. I'll use images and dishes from here as examples for everyone to visualize and understand easily!
I'll take the nearest barbecue buffet I've been to, Hot N Tasty, as an example!
Choosing the right meat for each animal
If you want your grilling to be delicious, first and foremost, the meat must be of good quality.
I noticed that the menu at Hot N Tasty exclusively uses pork belly for all pork dishes. This is a very smart choice that you should emulate when hosting a BBQ party at home because pork belly is fatty enough to be tender, sweet, not too dry, and not too greasy.
Choosing pork belly, wrapped with shiitake mushrooms, makes it even more delicious.
Combining pork belly with shiitake mushrooms, as done at Hot N Tasty, makes it even better!
As for ribs, whether beef, pork, or lamb, you should always go for baby back ribs or ribs cooked with the bone intact. If you're grilling at home, I advise against choosing lamb ribs because they require special preparation steps to remove the characteristic smell and gaminess of lamb before grilling.
For ribs, opt for baby back ribs or grill them with the bone intact.
I admire Hot N Tasty's choice of only selecting chicken thighs (but only the firm, thick meat and skin) for their grill menu. This is the juiciest and most flavorful part of the chicken when grilled.
Hot N Tasty only includes chicken thighs on their grill menu because this part is the most delicious.
Special marinating tips for each type of meat
You should immediately stop marinating meat with onions and garlic, and instead use garlic water or purple onion water to marinate the meat for about 30 minutes before grilling. Marinating meat with onions and garlic not only makes the grilled meat prone to burning but also diminishes its natural flavor and gives it an unpleasant smell.
Avoid marinating meat with onions and garlic.
One tip I learned at Hot N Tasty for grilled beef is to replace some of the fish sauce with soy sauce and add a bit of pear juice. This will make the meat much softer, more fragrant, and more flavorful. I personally confirmed this after eating a full belly of beef at Hot N Tasty that day!
Learn from Hot N Tasty and add a bit of pear juice to marinate beef.
Marinating pork or chicken with a bit of white wine before grilling will make it more fragrant and better absorb the seasoning. I noticed that at Hot N Tasty, they also add some finely ground lemongrass when marinating chicken, which not only enhances the aroma but also firms up the meat. Each bite is so juicy and tender, it's worth learning from!
Adding finely ground lemongrass to marinate meat before grilling not only makes it fragrant but also tender.
When eating grilled meat at Hot N Tasty, I found the meat to be more flavorful and tender than in some other places, with a sweeter and richer aroma. Finally, I discovered their secret: they add a little sweetened condensed milk when marinating the meat. Just a little bit makes the meat delicious, tender, creamy, and with a hint of milk fragrance. For beef, they switch to using laughing cow cheese instead!
Sweetened condensed milk - the secret to the fragrant, rich, and creamy meat of Hot N Tasty
Finally, one secret I discovered while dining at Hot N Tasty is that certain types of meat, when grilled directly over charcoal, may not be as tasty or visually appealing, such as crocodile meat, fish, deer, etc. If you want to change things up, why not learn from Hot N Tasty and wrap them in foil before grilling? The meat stays tender and retains the smoky flavor, definitely worth a try!
As for beef, you should switch to marinating or wrapping it in cheese!
Above are some marinating recipes I've derived from countless dining experiences at various grill restaurants. However, the amount of marinade should be adjusted based on individual preferences. I'll leave it to you to experiment and discover your own perfect marinade ratios!
You should also try the foil-wrapping technique for grilling, the flavor is absolutely fantastic!
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