Top 3 Tips for Seasoning Meat Properly
Great food starts with great seasoning. Learning how to season meat properly isn’t about using more salt — it’s about building layers of flavour and giving it time to develop.
1. Always Prep Your Meat Properly
Before seasoning, wash meat with water and lemon or vinegar, then pat dry. Check and remove any remaining hairs. This step keeps things clean and helps the seasoning stick better to the meat.
2. Cut, Slit & Poke for Maximum Flavour
Use a knife to slit the meat and poke small holes throughout. This allows the seasoning to penetrate deep inside rather than just sitting on the surface.
As my mum and grandmother used to say: “Poke the chicken — make sure it’s dead.”
Of course, what they really meant was make sure the seasoning can get inside the meat.
3. Season Well — and Give It Time
Use a mix of seasonings that suit the dish you’re making — all-purpose seasoning, jerk, salt, pepper, thyme, garlic, herbs and spices. Properly seasoned food shouldn’t taste salty; it should taste balanced, vibrant and full of flavour.
Massage the seasoning into the meat really well, cover, and marinate in the fridge (bottom shelf) for at least 4–8 hours, or overnight for best results. Seasoning on the day doesn’t give the flavours enough time to develop.
Final Thought
Seasoning is an art. It’s about training your palate and building a flavour memory. Once you understand how ingredients work together, you’ll taste when something is right — and when it needs more time.
As my grandmother always said, “If the meat isn’t seasoned properly, you might as well not eat.”
A bit extreme — but she wasn’t wrong.
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