Tenderize Meat Using Different Marinades
Edited by abdoul sow, Robbi, Rebecca M., Graciela Franchesca Rosario and 4 others
Cooking meat isn't a really difficult process. The trick is to cook the meat, while still keeping it tender and moist. The most effective way to ensure cooked meat ends up tender and moist is to tenderize a tough piece of meat, which gives it the flavour of whatever marinade you use. There are many different marinades, and the use of different herbs and spices in your marinade can transform an ordinary steak or chicken into a masterpiece.
Marinade for Beef
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When marinating beef, it is it is important to soak the meat in the marinade for as long as possible. The tougher the cut of beef, the longer it should soak. For example, a tender rib eye steak will not need to marinate for as long as something like a brisket. One of the great things about marinades is there is no set recipe. If there is something in the recipe that you don't like, simply don't put it in your marinade.
Ingredients for Beef Marinade
- 1 1/2 cups of olive oil
- 1 cup balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1/2 cup Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic, or 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon ground mustard
- 2 teaspoons salt
- 1 1/2 teaspoons black pepper
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce
Directions
- 1Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
- 2Place meat to be marinated in a heavy duty storage bag or in a shallow bowl that can be tightly sealed.
- 3Pour marinade over meat.
- 4Seal or cover.
- 5Refrigerate for 2 to 3 hours or overnight.
Marinade for Chicken
Light meats such as chicken have a more delicate flavor than beef and you don't want to overpower them with strongly flavored marinades. Using a lighter marinade will accent the taste of your meat without masking it. When marinating chicken, citrus flavors are very compatible with the flavor and texture of the meat.
Ingredients for Chicken Marinade
- 2 cups light vegetable oil
- 1 cup white wine vinegar
- 1/2 cup orange juice concentrate, not diluted
- 2 cloves of garlic, thinly sliced
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme, or 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1 tablespoon freshly chopped parsley
Directions
- 1Place all ingredients in a mixing bowl and whisk thoroughly to combine.
- 2Place meat to be marinated in a heavy-duty storage bag or in a shallow bowl that can be tightly sealed.
- 3Pour marinade over meat.
- 4Seal or cover.
- 5Chicken can be left to marinate overnight, but there is really no need because chicken will absorb the flavors more quickly than other meats.Refrigerate for 1 to 3 hours.
Some Recipes for Tasty Marinades
Here are a couple more recipes you can try. Be brave. All your own pizza to the recipes.
Orange and Onion Marinade
This marinade can be used for pork, chicken, and beef. The marinade must be cool before you use it on raw meat.
- Preparation Time 10 minutes
- Cooking time 10 minutes
- Total Time 20 minutes
- Makes about ¾ cup
- 1Ingredients:
- 3 green onions, finely chopped
- 1/3 cup orange marmalade
- ¼ cup white wine
- 1 tablespoon cider vinegar
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- ½ teaspoon soy sauce
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan.
- Let it simmer on low heat until all ingredients are well combined and marmalade has thinned.
- Let it cool completely before you use it on raw meats.
Roasted Garlic Marinade
Roasting garlic on a grill before you make this marinade provides a great smoky flavor.
- Preparation Time: 10 minutes
- Cooking Time: 45minutes
- Total Time: 55 minutes
- Makes about 2 cups
- 1Ingredients:
- 1 cup orange juice
- 2 heads of garlic
- 4 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup spicy mustard
- 1 teaspoon thyme
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 2Preparation:
- Gently cut off the top of the garlic bulb to expose the cloves.
- Add1 tablespoon of olive oil on the top the top.
- Put on preheated grill and roast over low heat for about thirty to forty five minutes or until the cloves are jelly like or soft.
- Remove from the grill and let it cool.
- 3Squeeze the cloves of the garlic into a blender.
- Add the remaining ingredients and blend until smooth.
- The marinade performs well with most anything - especially shellfish.
Tips
- For a more flavorful meat, reserve a little of your marinade to baste the meat while it is cooking.
- Seafood and poultry are not tough cuts and may turn to leather or mush after being left in a tenderizing marinade for long period of time.
- Fish can be cooked in an acid, and no need to heat, this is called Ceviche.
- Extended marinating of tender seafood may toughen it by overcooking it.
- ½ hour of marinating before cooking should be enough to impart the flavor of the marinade to seafood.
- Marinated recipes that will not be oven-cooked may require a longer time to marinate.
- 30 minutes to 1 hour tends to be enough time to successfully marinade poultry.
- Don't be tempted to reuse leftover marinade without cooking it first. During its contact with raw foods, the marinade is likely to have picked up harmful bacteria that may make you sick. So it is advisable to cook the leftover first before using it, using it while cooking the meat, or throw it in the garbage. You cannot store used marinade in the fridge after you've used it.
- If you want to use the marinade as sauce, you must boil it first for 5 minutes to kill any harmful bacteria. Boiling it will make it unusable as a tenderizing marinate, but it can still be used as flavoring sauce. The alkalines that were squeezed out of the first food after the interaction with the acids will reduce the sharpness of the original marinade.
- The marinade must have acidic component to assist infuse the flavor deeper and tenderize the meat.
- Put high smoke point oils into your marinade. Oils assist in absorbing the flavors into the fatty tissue and high smoke point oils are grill and flame friendly. High smoke point oils are canola, peanut, soy, or safflower.
- Marinate in the refrigerator. Marinating at room temperature can let dangerous bacteria accumulate and lead to food borne illnesses.
- Prepare an estimated half-cup of marinade per pound of seafood, meat, or vegetables.
- Turn your meat a few times during the marinating to let all surfaces have enough contact and this will maximize the flavor.
Warnings
- Do not use too much salt. Salt will suck moisture out of your meat making it dry and prevent flavor from being absorbed. Salt can be added later after you cook the food.
- Do not re-purpose marinades or use them as sauce. Marinades made contact with raw ingredients which may contain bacteria.
- Do not marinate in metal containers. Metal creates a chemical reaction with acids in the marinade and may cause a change in flavor.
If you have problems with any of the steps in this article, please ask a question for more help, or post in the comments section below.
