Marinating is the key to tasty fuss-free meals from the grill—Grandma’s three flavor-packed marinades give you the perfect head start.

As the hot days of summer arrive, Grandma is the first to pull out the grill and move the kitchen outside onto the deck. Her marinades make easy work of outdoor cooking, adding great flavor to all sorts of grilled meat. The best part? All three marinades can be made in advance.

So choose beef, pork, lamb or chicken and then take your pick from Grandma’s tangy-sweet fruit marinade, her slightly spicy ginger-soy soak, or her herbaceous flavor-booster.

Ginger-Soy Marinade

• 1 1/2 cups soy sauce
• 1 1/2 cups ketchup
• 3/4 cup olive oil 2/3 cup fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 cup finely grated peeled fresh ginger
• 1/4 cup dark molasses

Mix all the ingredients until blended. Makes 5 cups. You can refrigerate the marinade for up to 3 weeks or freeze it for up to 3 months. This terrific mix of spicy and salty flavors is great with:

Rib-eye or strip steak: Marinate for 2 to 12 hours. Grill over a  medium hot fire for 8 to 16 minutes (depending on thickness), basting frequently for moist beef. Let stand for 5 minutes before slicing.

Country or baby back ribs: Marinate for 2 to 3 days. Wrap in foil and grill over a medium fire for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the meat begins to pull away from the bone. Remove the ribs from the foil, brush with additional marinade, and grill for 5 to 10 minutes longer.

Turkey breast: Score the skin, then marinate for 2 to 3 days. Grill over a medium fire for 1 1/2 to 3 hours (depending on the size of the breast), until cooked through.

Bone-in chicken parts: Marinate for 8 hours to 2 days. Trim the chicken of excess fat. Grill over a medium-hot fire, turning often, for 25 to 30 minutes for white meat, 30 to 40 minutes for dark meat.

Grandma's Best: You can also use Ginger-Soy Marinade in Flank Steak with Summer Greens and Firecracker Chicken Wings.

Fruity Honey-Mustard Marinade

• 2 cups orange juice
• 1 jar (8 ounces) Dijon mustard
• 1 cup honey
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons cider vinegar  
• 1 tablespoon black pepper

In a bowl or large glass measure, mix all the ingredients until blended. Makes 4 1/4 cups. You can refrigerate the marinade for up to 2 weeks or freeze it for up to 2 months. Try this tangy-sweet mixture with the following: 

Pork chops or cutlets: Marinate for 1 to 8 hours. Grill over a medium-hot fire for 5 to 15 minutes (depending on thickness), basting frequently to keep the pork moist.

Bone-in chicken parts: Marinate for 8 hours to 2 days. Trim the chicken of excess fat. Grill over a medium-hot fire, turning often, for 25 to 30 minues for white meat, 30 to 40 minutes for dark meat.

Grandma's Best: You can also use the Fruity Honey-Mustard Marinade in Pork Chops with Grilled Nectarines.

Herbed Marinade

• 2 1/2 cups olive oil
• 1 1/2 cups wine vinegar
• 6 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup chopped parsley
• 1 tablespoon each dried thyme, pepper, marjoram and basil, crumbled

Mix all the ingredients until blended. Makes 4 cups. Refrigerate for 1 week or freeze it for up to 1 month. The somewhat-mellow marinade is good with:

Beef tenderloin: Marinate for 1 to 2 days. Grill over a medium-hot fire for 8 to 10 minutes for medium rare. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Lamb chops: Marinate for 1 to 2 days. Grill over a medium-hot fire for 8 to 16 minutes (depending on the thickness), until lightly charred but still pink inside.

Leg of lamb, butterflied: Marinate for 1 to 3 days. Grill over a medium-hot fire, turning every 15 minutes, for 30 to 40 minutes for medium rare.

Grandma's Best: You can also use the Herbed Marinade in Rosemary-and-Mustard Lamb.