Author Topic: BASIC MARINADES  (Read 25348 times)

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Offline Hub

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BASIC MARINADES
« Reply #-1 on: July 22, 2016, 01:51:24 PM »
Here's another one in the BASIC series . . .

BASIC MARINADES
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Marinade, soak, brine, bath, yada yada.  “Marination” takes place when cooks dunk a chunk of meat in a liquid concoction in order to give it some deep flavor or to tenderize it a bit.  It may take a lot of concoction or not much.  The concoction may be a few simple ingredients or it may be a whole bunch.   What you put in the stuff varies a lot but it always takes time.  Using a marinade isn’t part of fast food.  All that being said, the “what, when and how” of marinades may need some sorting out for new or less experienced outdoor cookers.  So, here’s a look.

I’ve seen marinade recipes with just about everything in them – soda pop,  cinnamon oil, whiskey, drink mixes, buttermilk – even over-the-counter headache remedies!  Okay.  Why?  We seem to have varying attitudes about chewing and tasting meat.  Sometimes we’re frugal, too.   So be it.  I’m guessing some pioneering caveman somewhere discovered ages ago that a haunch of wooly mammoth soaked in homemade beer or wine tasted and chewed differently than one that was hacked right off the critter then consumed without soaking it first.  That’s progress – that’s how we got microwave ovens and Pringles™ -- but that’s another article.

There Are Flavor Marinades . . .

Herbs, spices, and condiments like salt and sugar (or food additives that contain high concentrations of all these) stimulate our taste organs and frequently combine with the natural tastiness of meat itself to create yet another set of flavors we like.  Properly done, a flavor marinade will create a third and separate flavor profile that (we hope) is even better than the meat or the spices alone.  We just have to get it in there and see what happens. 

There Are Tenderness Marinades . . .

Some common foods contain elements that alter the tissue structure of meat over time and in various ways and degrees.  Also, there are chemicals (sometimes derived from natural sources and sometimes laboratory-made) that do the same or similar things.  Proper additions of these can be the salvation of something we might not otherwise be able to chew or would prefer not to unless we convert it to hamburger or sausage with a grinder.

And There Are Brines . . .

A long soak in a salty/sugary solution is often used to tenderize and “jucify” meats that lack moisture and tenderness.  Think of a brine as a super-purpose marinade.  They can be flavored, but mainly use salt and, usually, sugar to attack the tough in some beasties.

And There Can Be A Eureka Moment . . .

If we know what does what, to what, when, and how, we can use a marinade that will both flavor up a chunk of critter and make it easier on our molars!  We may thumb our noses at megabucks Kobe filets and use round steak instead, reinsert tenderness back into over-bred low-fat pork that tastes like chicken (remember what pigs used to taste like?) or even make some game animals that taste as bad as they look, palatable!  Miracles abound.

First, The Mechanics . . .

Marinades work by getting into the meat, not just on it.  For fast flavor results, nothing beats a great barbeque sauce or a zingy rub, but by using a marinade we can get great flavor all the way through each bite, not just touching it.  The problem with this?  It takes time. 

Marination can be speeded up a tad by using a vacuum sealer to draw air and moisture out of the meat that will be at least partially replaced by the marinade ingredients.  There are also “tumblers” that keep the meat and marinade in motion to, we hope, speed things up.  However, nothing makes it happen instantly.  Meats that are more porous (sometimes that means less fatty, but not always) may soak things in faster but until you’ve actually used your marinade on the meat things will stay somewhat experimental.  Make your own decisions. 

To get the most out of a marinade it will almost always take at least several hours to get a good soak.  Many recipes advocate at least overnight soaking.  And, some even advise you to let it sit for a full day or more.   Can you over-marinate?  Yes.  But, you won’t know it until you’ve cooked the meat.  So a little experimentation won’t hurt much (and you can eat your own mistakes and not tell anyone).  For thinly cut, lean meats try at least five or six hours.  For bigger chunks and those with lots of internal fat, try overnight.  If you don’t get what you want from the marinade, go longer.  If all you taste is the marinade or the texture of the meat changes too much, go shorter.

You’ll Need A Container . . .

For big jobs like brining a turkey or maybe marinating a large chunk of cow you may need a five gallon bucket and lots of refrigerator space.  I even know folks who keep an old fridge in the garage specially reserved for their meat bathing (and maybe a repository for wheat and barley which has been converted into liquid form).  If you don’t have this facility you can just use a lot of ice and keep the groceries in the coolest spot you can find not subject to neighborhood pet predation.  Another angle is to appropriate one or both of those drawers at the bottom of the fridge where you age vegetables until they turn fuzzy.  Just remove last month’s cucumbers, wash the fuzz off the drawer, and get on with it!

Fortunately, many marinating efforts don’t take dedicated facilities or much space.  Chicken chunks, pork parts, and many cow cuttings are easily contained in a one-gallon sealable plastic bag that you can jam into the fridge between the bottles and the cartons and the things being aged.  Just be sure to get the kind that really seal, not the cheap ones.  The cheap ones will inevitably also marinate the bottles, cartons, and things being aged in addition to your target meat.  Turn the bag over a few times during the process just to keep everything mixed up and covered with your elixir.

There Is Better Living Through Chemistry . . .

Getting a marinade to tenderize meat means getting a reaction of some kind that breaks down the muscle and connective tissue and softens it.  The most common tool for this is MSG, or monosodium glutamate – a chemical that is found naturally in some foods and that can also be manufactured and synthesized into other things.  In small amounts it does little but tenderize and make things taste good and most people tolerate it very well.  However, in larger amounts it can be hyper-effective and cause side effects (most notably headaches) for some people.   Use it carefully.

Accent™ is MSG available in the spice and condiment aisle of most grocery stores.  It has competitors that do the same thing but with varying amounts and using more and different ingredients.  Adolph’s™, for example,  uses pineapple enzymes  In addition to the health impacts, one key problem with full-on chemical meat tenderization is you run a high chance of making things mushy, or too tender.  Sometimes, you can even get what I call a “skin effect” where the outer layer of the meat softens from the MSG but then hardens back up during cooking.  This doesn’t mean you shouldn’t use MSG, just that you should sneak up on it as an ingredient.

Some highly acidic foods have a slow, but pleasant and very controllable tenderizing impact.  Wine and vinegar (most vinegars are more acidic than wines) both do that.  That’s why lots of good marinades will have one or the other of them.  Citrus juices like lime and lemon also tenderize over time.  Fresh pineapple juice (canned won’t work) is a natural tenderizer because of enzymes it contains.  Fresh papayas contain a natural substance called Papain that breaks down connective tissue in meat. 

Finally, there are commercial marinades specifically designed to either enhance flavor or tenderness or both.  In barbecue competition you frequently see cooks use a product like Butcher’s™ or FAB™ as an injection (fast marinade) or a soak.  These products use both natural and chemical components and work relatively quickly compared to a marinade you might concoct yourself from stuff in your kitchen.

Figuring Out What And When To Marinate . . .

There’s no hard and fast rule but some things fairly cry out to be marinated.  Modern, factory-produced pork, for instance.  Leaner pork is healthy but often tough and doesn’t taste like the pigs we used to eat fresh from the farm.  Marinating will make a lean cut of modern pork, like the loin, a lot more flavorful and tender.  Game of just about any kind often needs a marinade to keep it from being leathery.  Some cuts of beef like the round and sirloin have great beefy flavor but need a little dose of tenderization to bring out their best and avoid jaw cramps.

Other things don’t need marinades for tenderness, but may still benefit from the flavor impact.  Caged or factory chicken is usually moist and juicy without a soak, but free-range birds can be tough.  Turkeys are wonderful marinade or brining targets but check the label.  Most commercially produced turkeys have already been treated with a brine solution for tenderness.  And, super-tender steaks like filets and ribeyes don’t need marinades for tenderness but can and will soak up some great extra flavor from a marinade.

As the hippies used to say, if it feels good – do it.  You’re not too likely to hurt anything significantly by marinating it so don’t worry.  As long as you’ve gotten this far and understand that there are typical reasons and likely targets, you’re golden. 

Now For Some Quick Examples . . .

As with all my “Basic” posts, these are not so much recipes as they are approaches.  Feel free to experiment and improve them to your liking.  They’re just a place to start:

    1.  Basic Brine (works for all tough meats)

2 Cups kosher salt
1 Cup sugar
1 Gallon water

Recipe is scalable – for a big bird in a 5 gallon bucket, for instance, you’ll need to make about three gallons of brine.  For a small pork loin you might need only a half gallon or so.  Hint:  Mix it in a big pot on the stove then cool it.  If you try to mix brine cold it’ll wear out your arm stirring it.

    2.  Basic Marinade for cheap steak (dynamite for London Broil)

1/3 Cup Worcestershire Sauce
1/3 Cup cider or white vinegar
1/3 Cup extra virgin olive oil
1 TBSP (heaping) McCormick Montreal Steak seasoning

Put all the ingredients in a sealable one-gallon plastic bag and shake around to mix before tossing in the beef.  This is quick and easy.  If you want to go to all the trouble to chop and mince your own fresh garlic and grind your own pepper and rustle up our own salt you can wear your fingers to the bone and do that instead of using the Montreal Steak stuff.  Suit yourself.  When I use this marinade I try to soak the steak for at least six hours, but you can get some benefit in as little as three.  If you substitute wine for the vinegar it’ll take at least six (lower acid content) but a good cheap red like a Cabernet will add some flavor of its own.

    3.  World’s fastest chicken marinade

Wishbone™ Italian Salad Dressing

That’s all.  Just put the chicken bits in a bag and enough of the salad dressing to at least partially cover them.  Let ‘em soak overnight. 



RECAP FOR PERFECT MARINATION:


* Marinate for tenderness or flavor or both
* Know what chemicals you’re using and why to avoid disappointment and future regret
* Allow marinade time to work – get faster flavor from sauce and rub
* In all the time you spent reading this you could have been marinating something  ::)
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Offline ericpete

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Re: BASIC MARINADES
« on: July 22, 2016, 02:22:26 PM »
Nice write up on marinades.  I've done the Italian dressing with poultry and some overnight marinades with teriyaki as well.  I haven't done a brine yet  :-X , but I think the next turkey I do will swim in a brine bucket for sure.

Looking forward to more of these...

Eric
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Offline muebe

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Re: BASIC MARINADES
« Reply #1 on: July 22, 2016, 02:46:51 PM »
Great write up as usual Gordon

I have used 7-up with Italian dressing for chicken and love the results!
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Offline ACW3

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Re: BASIC MARINADES
« Reply #2 on: July 22, 2016, 04:43:50 PM »
Gordon,
You nailed it again.  Love your articles.  I can usually get a chuckle or two out of your writing. 

Good info for those less experienced around a grill.  Or, a gentle reminder for those of us who have been around a grill for a long time.  Remember, we might be a little marinated ourselves from time to time.

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Offline muralboy

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Re: BASIC MARINADES
« Reply #3 on: July 22, 2016, 07:33:43 PM »
Excellent write up Hub.  Thank you for taking the time and willingness to "share the wealth" of your knowledge.   

Couldn't agree more on the Italian dressing marinade for chicken.  Also great for chicken kabobs.  About as easy as it gets.
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Offline Pappymn

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BASIC MARINADES
« Reply #4 on: July 22, 2016, 08:12:47 PM »
Thanks Hub. Do a write up on gravy next. 8)
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Offline Savannahsmoker

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Re: BASIC MARINADES
« Reply #5 on: July 22, 2016, 11:08:09 PM »
Interesting read Hub.
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