Koji-Cola All-Purpose Marinade

Name: Koji-Cola All-Purpose Marinade
Total time: 10 min
Yield: Makes 1 3/4 cups
Ingredients: 3/4 cup uncooked koji rice; 1/2 cup Mexican Coca-Cola; 1/3 cup soy sauce; 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar; 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar; 3 garlic cloves, smashed; 1 small shallot, roughly chopped; 1/2 tablespoon black peppercorns; 3 pounds meat (such as salmon fillets, lamb rib chops, pork loin chops, skirt steak, or chicken wings ); 1 tablespoon kosher salt; Canola oil

3 Reviews

Koji rice teams up with cane sugar–rich Mexican Coca Cola to tenderize the meat of your choice while grilling up nice and crispy; find koji rice online or at Asian markets.

By Paige Grandjean

June 2020

Gallery

Credit: Photo by Victor Protasio / Food Styling by Chelsea Zimmer / Prop Styling by Claire Spollen

Recipe Summary

total:

10 mins

Yield:

Makes 1 3/4 cups

Directions

Step 1
Process koji rice in a high-speed blender until powdery, about 1 minute. Add cola, soy sauce, brown sugar, apple cider vinegar, garlic, shallot, and peppercorns. Process until mostly smooth, about 30 seconds.

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Step 2
If desired, remove 1/4 cup marinade for basting; cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Separate meat into separate ziplock plastic bags by type; divide marinade evenly among bags. Seal bags; turn to coat meat. Marinate salmon up to 1 hour; marinate all other meats 1 to 24 hours as desired.
Step 3
Remove meat from marinade, allowing excess to drip off. Discard marinade. Season meat all over with salt. Let stand at room temperature while preparing grill, about 30 minutes. Grill meat on oiled grill grates over direct heat, uncovered, for times specified in Note below. Baste chicken halfway through cook time; baste all other meats during last 5 minutes. Let rest 10 minutes before serving.

Make Ahead

Marinade can be prepared up to 5 days in advance and stored in an airtight container in refrigerator.

Notes

Salmon fillets: 4 to 5 minutes, skin side down; 3 to 4 minutes, skin side up
Lamb rib chops: 12 to 16 minutes
Pork loin chops: 12 to 16 minutes
Skirt steak: 14 to 18 minutes
Chicken wings: 25 to 30 minutes

Suggested Pairing

Ripe, full-bodied California red blend.

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mimichang34

06/27/2020

Amazing! Marinated only for a few hours on skirt steak and family devoured. SIL said most tender steak ever. Ordered Koji rice from amazon and know Mexican Cane Cola wd be better but just used normal Coke and delish.

caroll4re

06/26/2020

I was concerned the meat would be too soft, changed in texture. I had 2 new york choice steaks bone in that had been so touch to be almost inedible. Ordered the rice online and followed the recipe. On tasting the marinade after it sat a bit, I wondered if I liked the taste, but then realized the strong overtones were the raw garlic and shallot. I did buy a mexican coke as it is made with cane sugar and not corn syrup. This was fabulous, the steaks I cooked off heat until 98 degrees or so then seared and basted, this happens fast so be careful not to overcook. Texture perfect and tender and flavor really great!! I can't wait to try this on other meats!!

Philipp Schlüter

05/22/2020

Sounds perfect. Two questions: 1. Can I substitute the Mexican with normal Coke? 2. If I were to use my own Koji Rice, which is not dried - other than the ones you can buy in some Asian stores - what amount should I use in grams?

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Koji-Cola All-Purpose Marinade

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Make Ahead

Notes

Suggested Pairing

Reviews (3)

All Reviews for Koji-Cola All-Purpose Marinade

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Koji-Cola All-Purpose Marinade

Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients

Directions

Make Ahead

Notes

Suggested Pairing

Reviews (3)

All Reviews for Koji-Cola All-Purpose Marinade