Marinade Recipes

Marinade Recipes

The purpose of marinating steaks or chops is to add flavor and in some cases, tenderize meat. The word marinade dates back to the 1600's when meat was cured in brine to preserve them. Marinating is a great way to experiment with new flavors.

Marinated steak recipes vary from recipe to recipe, but they generally contain three basic components, oils, seasoning and food acids or tenderizing enzymes.

The oil content in a marinade locks in the natural flavor of the food and prevents it drying out. Some oils can also add flavor, good oils include olive, sesame and peanut.

Seasoning provide different and unique flavors. Try different recipes using herbs, spices and sweetener, such as sugar or honey.

Food acids or enzymes tenderize meat by unraveling its proteins, this softens the surface and allows flavors to be absorbed. Tough cuts of meat will benefit from acidic ingredients, however the best steak marinade will only penetrate about 1/4 inch per side into the meat, therefore thinner cuts of meat are best suited.

Acid ingredients include vinegar, wine, sherry, citrus juice, yogurt, buttermilk and Italian dressing. You can find tenderizing enzymes in fresh garlic, pineapple, papaya, kiwi and figs.

Tenderizing Marinade Recipes

Less tender cuts, benefit from a marinade with tenderizing ingredients (food acids or enzymes) and marinating times of 6 to 24 hours, more than 24 hours and the meat becomes mushy.

They work best on thinner cuts, under 3/4 inch, if you are marinating a large or thick piece of meat you will end up with a mushy exterior and an unaffected center. Thicker cuts can be marinated if you puncture with a fork to penetrate the meat, but this may give uneven results, with further undesirable side effects of allowing meat juices to be lost while cooking.

Tequila Marinade	Beef Rib Marinade
Simple Steak Marinade	Great Steak Marinade
Pork Marinade	Pork Roast Marinade

---

Flavored Marinade Recipes

Tender cuts are marinated only to add flavor, therefore need short marinating times of only 15 minutes to 2 hours. A highly acidic marinade for steak can actually toughen fibers in tender cuts, similar to overcooking a steak or roast.

SouthWest Marinade

Asian Marinade

---

Marinating Tips

• Best to marinade in resealable plastic food bag, a bag will help to cut down on clean up and allow you to turn, to evenly distribute the marinade.
• You can marinade in plastic, glass, or stainless steel containers, covered with lid.
• Don't marinade in aluminum containers or foil, a chemical reaction could spoil the meat.
• Don't reuse leftover marinade for other food.
• Don't use marinade from raw meat unless its boiled first for several minutes.
• Always marinade recipes in the refrigerator, never at room temperature.
• Tenderizing marinades penetrate about 1/4 inch into the surface of the meat.

---

Can't find a cut of meat or recipe you are looking? In the Google search box simply just enter the word you are in search of.

Return To Home Page

Return To Top