I usually do the same as the Editor and reserve some of the marinade before adding the meat - but sometimes I use pan drippings for sauce. It depends really. I don't use "grill" drippings per se. I think super high heat could def. change the taste of the sauce. Maybe that's the problem?

Isn't there a serious (or at least increased) risk of food poisoning if you use the marinade the meat's been sitting in? That's what I've always been told.

I've always heard the same thing that Beth G has heard. To NEVER use a marinade (even saw it on food network MANY times) that has been on meat for a sauce. I just double the marinade recipe and save back half and it doesn't ever smell or taste funky and since I'm just doubling it's always easy for recipes and I know I won't run out.

The whole never use a marinade thing is BS. Think about it. How do you make chicken soup? You put raw chicken in water and boil/simmer it. Then you consume the water and the chicken. There's no reason you can't boil a marinade and then use it as a sauce. You just need to make sure to bring the marinade to at least 180deg for 3 mins and you'll have killed any bacteria. So if you boil it (which is 212 deg) and then let it simmer for another few mins you're fine.

As long as you cook the marinade and bring it to a boil, it should kill anything that might be in it from the meat. Depending on the marinade though, it may get too concentrated to taste good, in which case you should do as previously suggested and reserve some. (I still wouldn't use anything I had marinated chicken in though-- it should be fine, but I think it gets a weird flavor)

"Meat funky?" I'm with the previous posters. Boil down the marinade. If you have some leftover to add to it, great. Unless the meat was bad to begin with, I can't imagine the marinade is going to be any the worse for wear after it's properly cooked.

We always marinate it before grilling. Not only it tenderizes the meat, but it also adds tons of flavors to meats. Check out this super-easy, sugar-free marindade - http://7th-taste.com/2012/07/30/lavender-yogurt-chicken-kabob/

I think the word sauce adds to peoples' confusion. Many sauces are not cooked so maybe the person asking the question was using marinade that raw meat was in which would be a definite no-no. Heating the marinade past the danger zone would be the only way to use the left over marinade in a "sauce."

As this is my question, I thought I'd clarify a little.

In recipes like Alton Brown's Molasses Coffee Marinated Porkchops (http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/molasses-coffee-marinated-pork-chops-recipe/index.html) he states to remove the porkchops from the marinade, and to immediately heat the marinade in a pan.

So, I tried something like this (not that recipe, not yet) a few times (5, off the top of my head.)
And even after using meat fresh from the butcher/store/etc that was kept cold and placed immediately into a cool marinade in the fridge, and sitting for 2-4 hours, when the meat is removed, the used marinade smelled almost like bad meat (before and after heating.)

Hence, my question.

I guess in the future I will ensure to make extra marinade for times when I want to use it as a sauce/gravy/etc.

Thank you!