Marinating the meat doesn't always yield a tender dish. Try this next time!

Marinate your meat only to find out the flavor is uneven after you grill?

Did you buy marinated meat at the grocery store, but found it to be too mushy once it was cooked?

It's not quite summer yet, but my stomach didn't get the memo and I'm craving flame-cooked red meat. So until it's warm enough to cook outdoors, I'll open the windows and use my grill pan indoors instead. Grilling is not only a healthy way to cook because it call for minimal oil -- it also adds a smoky, rich note to your food. Make it even more flavorful when you add a simple marinade created from things already in your cabinets.

Flank steak is one of my favorite meats to grill and especially when it's been soaking in an orange chipotle marinade. If you're not a fan of spicy foods, there are plenty of other ways to flavor your steak. Mustard makes a great start and you can mix in soy sauce, honey, steak sauce or lemon.

Read on for the Orange Chipotle Marinade recipe.

I'm not gonna pretend that this picture is pretty, or in the least bit appetizing, but I will note that the results are disturbingly delicious. The heart of the matter is that I went to a cookout a few weekends ago and was offered a grilled chicken heart by a friend who has yet to serve me anything that is less than madly tasty. Emboldened by this, I picked up a package of chicken hearts on a shopping jaunt this week, and started perusing my favorite recipe sites for marinades. It didn't take me long to find a 1956 James Beard recipe suggesting that these would make a dandy appetizer for a group of 25. Twenty-five of whom, I'm not entirely sure, 'cause even as staunchly carnivorous as my pals tend to be, few of 'em dig getting their offal on as much as I do, and I wouldn't subject them to it. There are exceptions, though.

Some friends came over this afternoon to serve as panel members for AOL Food's upcoming Hot Dog Taste Test. As I tended the grill between rounds, one of them began holding forth about how methods of barbecuing and grilling really were born of the necessity to bring greater flavor to cheap and previously discarded cuts of meat, and how folks were getting way too fancy-schmancy with the whole thing these days. I left my post at the flames, walked him to the fridge, pulled out the plastic container full of marinating hearts and started putting them on bamboo skewers.

He shut up and started eating.

James Beard's 1956 Grilled Chicken Hearts Recipe on Epicurious

(Note: In the above pic, I was out of sherry and subbed in brandy, which proved perfectly yummy.)

Check out the color on that chicken. Those legs and thighs spent some good time in their yogurt and spice marinade before getting to a very hot grill. Yumm-y! The picture belongs to Flickr user my amii and you can find the recipe here.

I'm still taking suggestions on different foods to feature in this space. Shout out your ideas in the comments section and I will do my best to respond.

Serve this satisfying specialty straight out of Veganomicon with garlicky collared greens and a hearty starch like sweet potato fries.

Jerk Tofu
You will need:

1 lb. of extra firm tofu (press between two heavy plates for an hour)

Marinade: (blend all of the following together)

1/2 large chopped white onion
4 cloves garlic
2 Tbsp. grated fresh ginger
juice of 2 limes and lime zest
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 Tbsp. dried thyme
2 tsp. allspice
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 jalapeno peppers, seeded and chopped (or one if you don't want it too spicy).

Slice the tofu into thin triangle shapes, and marinate for one hour.

Then, heat olive oil in a skillet and fry for 8 minutes on each side.

Back to home

A really high-quality, aged balsamic vinegar is something that no chef should pass up, as it is basically the standard to which all other vinegars aspire. Other vinegars have their uses, of course, but few will be coveting the taste of white vinegar to top off a nearly perfect dish. Aged balsamics can be expensive, though, and as a finishing touch to a dish or to enhance the flavor in a dressing or marinade, flavored vinegars can be great options.

Flavored vinegars are infused with everything from sweet berries to fiery chilies and they seem to be everywhere right now. Trader Joe's, for example, is carrying at least four kinds right now, including the ones pictured above: California Grapefruit, Mango Chili, Strawberry Balsamic and Pomegranate. The flavors tone down the astringency of vinegar, while retaining its brightening properties. Of the ones pictured above, Grapefruit and Pomegranate are delicious in salads, while Strawberry is good on desserts and Mango works well as a marinade.

If you can't find a flavor that matches your own tastes, you can make your own fairly easily, with fresh herbs, fruits and spices.

After talking about Throwdown with Bobby Flay earlier this week, I couldn't resist tuning in to view the steak episode. Early on in the show, I though that Bobby was guaranteed to win; grilling steaks, and meat in general, is one of his strong suits. Then I saw the competition. Eric Dominijanni, a.k.a. Captain D, a captain in the Marine Corps stationed in the California desert knew what he was doing, not to mention that he was really fun to watch on camera.

Bobby perfected his recipe in the test kitchen and headed out to the Mojave Desert to challenge the Captain at his base. They fired up their grills and started to cook in 112°F heat. Bobby Flay got progressively redder throughout the show, either from the heat or from a sunburn, and it was pretty funny to watch, although Captain D complimented him on how well he was holding up.

Here's a spoiler: Bobby Flay actually lost the challenge, although not by much. Watch the episode when it reruns to see Bobby Flay turn (adorably) into a beet and to cheer on Captain D. You can find Bobby's almost-winning recipe here.

Update: You can find Captain D's famous Hot and Tangy Marinade recipe here (Thanks, Tony C!).

[Image source]

More throwdowns:

• Chowder and Wedding Cake throwdowns
• The chili throwdown