Most people have gone to the store and bought a marinade, dumped it into a bag with their meats and fired up the grill. That’s easy. But if you really want to create food that goes from good to outrageously amazing, you should make your own marinade.

Summer is just around the corner, and with it, out comes the grills and backyard shindigs. Before you invite your friends and family over for a feast of meats, get your marinade game going strong. Here’s how to make the best marinade every time.

Know the ratio

There’s a success ratio to creating every marinade you’ll ever make. It requires you add 1 part acid and 3 parts oil plus whatever seasonings you desire. Once you have this ratio down, you can’t fail when it comes to creating your own magical marinades.

Choose your acid or enzyme

This is the part that builds the foundation and tenderizes your meat. For acids, you can choose vinegar, wine, beer, citrus juices, peach nectar, cranberry juice, or rum. Or go with an enzyme such as yogurt (including Greek yogurt). Milk, papaya, honey, or pineapple juice.

Pick your oil

Next up, you can choose an oil or fat. This will help keep your food from getting stuck on your grill. Extra virgin olive oil is a popular choice, though you can also go with truffle oil, hot chili oil, sesame oil, or mayonnaise.

Add your flavor twist

And now, you’ll add your own flair to your marinade, the most fun part! Try fresh or dried herbs, garlic, fresh grated ginger, citrus zest, spice blends, ethnic seasonings, or hot pepper flakes. Feel free to mix and match to add that perfectly unique flavor that’s all your own.

Don’t add salt

Another thing to remember is never add salt to your marinade. Salt dries out your foods. It’s best to sprinkle it on just before grilling to draw out the natural flavors.

Marinate for the right time

Another thing many people don’t realize is how long they should marinate their foods before grilling them. Shrimp and other shellfish only needs 15 minutes while fish filets should be marinated for 20 to 30 minutes. Vegetables need a good 30 minutes while chicken and pork should minimally be marinated for 3 hours on up to 12 hours. Beef and lamb also has a minimum of 3 hours for marinating to soak up the flavors of your marinade and can be left, refrigerated, for 24 hours of margination.

Never use leftover marinade

If you want to use your marinade as a sauce, make sure you reserve some of it before pouring it in with your meats. If you forget, you can bring it to a rapid boil for at least 3 minutes so it kills off any bacteria. One last thing – use non-reactive containers like stainless steel, glass, or even plastic zipper bags to seal your marinated foods. Pop them in the refrigerator until they’ve marinated for long enough and then you’re ready to fire up that grill and let the good times roll.