How To Make The Most Of An Apple Cider Vinegar Marinade

Pumpkin and apple-flavored desserts may get all the glory in the fall, but there are plenty of other ingredients you can incorporate into seasonal meals. If you're a fan of apple notes but want to whip up a savory dish, go for an apple cider vinegar marinade. When you douse a protein with all that acid, your meat becomes more tender as the tissues break down and their ability to hold onto moisture increases.

But especially if you're trying to take advantage of apple cider vinegar in the fall, how can you make the most of your marinade? Michael Lomonaco, Chef at Porter House, is here to help. "I often use apple cider vinegar in marinating cuts of pork, ribs, chops, shoulder," he said in an interview with Tasting Table. "I love cider vinegar for its fruity, bright qualities, which naturally enhances other flavors." Lomonaco also advises deploying this ingredient for chicken marinades, vinaigrettes, and other types of salad dressings. If you're going for the latter options, feel free to replace any other vinegar in a basic salad dressing recipe with this apple cider version, and combine it with ingredients like olive oil, Dijon mustard, honey, and garlic.

If you want to stick with meat marinades, Lomonaco has a few tips — specifically, on how he uses apple cider vinegar mixtures for ribs. "I often make a marinade for ribs with cider vinegar, olive oil, white vermouth, cumin, chilies, [and] cardamom and make extra to set aside and apart from the marinade. I then reduce this extra marinade to a syrup to glaze the ribs before serving," he said. You can use anywhere from 2 tablespoons to 3 cups of apple cider vinegar for each rack of ribs. But either way, let your meat sit in all those juices for at least 24 hours before you start cooking.

When it comes to the glaze, Lomonaco cautions against reusing liquid. "Never reuse a marinade in which raw foods have been marinated, but make extra marinade and use this clean and unused marinade for splashing on before serving," he said. To do this, make about an extra cup of marinade, and boil (then simmer) it on the stove with brown sugar until it's nice and thick, which should take less than 10 minutes. The sugar will balance out the potent spices and acidic elements of your marinade, and make a sticky liquid that you can brush on your cooked ribs before you chow down.