Meat Marinade: Ingredients, Recipes, and Safety

• A good marinade enhances flavor, tenderizes, and adds juiciness to meat.
• Marinades consist of an acid, oil, and herbs/spices.
• Acids like lemon juice, vinegar, yogurt, or wine tenderize meat by breaking it down.
• Oil protects and preserves the food during marination and cooking.
• Herbs and spices provide unique flavor and zest to the marinade.
• Experiment with different ingredients from each component to create unique marinades.
• Meat and poultry generally marinate for 2 hours to 2 days.
• Seafood and fish should marinate for no more than one hour.
• Non-reactive containers should be used for marinating, avoiding aluminum, copper, or cast iron.
• Marinades should cool before being poured over meat.
• Always refrigerate meat while it is marinating.
• Never reuse marinades.

Types of Marinades

• Pineapple Marinade: Works well on pork or chicken, creating a Hawaiian Teriyaki flavor.
• Pork Chop Marinade: An Asian-style marinade suitable for all cuts of pork, with a hint of heat from chili sauce.
• Jamaican Jerk Marinade: Infuses jerk flavor deep into meats and poultry.
• Pork Rib Marinade: Utilizes a pork rub mixed with vinegar and water.
• Teriyaki Marinade: Enhances the flavor of pork and poultry dishes.
• Pork Chop and Tenderloin Marinade: A marinade recipe for grilled pork.
• Bourbon Marinade: A sweet marinade suitable for any food, requiring several hours of marinating time.
• Mustard-Vinegar Marinade: Tenderizes and adds flavor to pork or poultry.

Effects of Heat on Meat

• Heat tenderizes connective tissue when moisture is present and cooking is slow.
• Heat coagulates protein, and meats can become tough and dry if overcooked at high heats.
• High heat can toughen and shrink protein, leading to excessive moisture loss.
• Roasts cooked at low temperatures shrink less and lose less moisture.
• Moist heat penetrates meat quickly, so simmering is preferred over boiling.

Methods of Cooking Meat

• Dry heat cooking methods include roasting, broiling, and sautéing.
• Moist heat cooking methods include braising, steaming, and poaching.
• Tough cuts of meat require slow cooking at low heat with moisture.
• Dry-heat methods typically involve high temperatures and short cooking times.

Dry Heat Cooking

• Dry heat cooking involves transferring heat without moisture, typically at temperatures of 300°F or higher.
• Baking or roasting uses hot air to conduct heat.
• Pan-searing involves heat transfer through the hot metal of the pan.
• Browning of food, including the Maillard reaction, is achieved through dry-heat cooking

Roasting & Baking

• Roasting and baking use hot, dry air to cook food, browning the surface to develop flavors and aromas.
• Convection ovens enhance browning by circulating hot air.

Grilling & Broiling

• Rely on heat from an open flame conducted through the air.
• Encourage browning reactions, developing complex flavors and aromas.
• Require food to be close to the heat source.

Sautéing & Pan-Frying

• Sautéing uses a very hot pan and a small amount of fat to cook food quickly, browning the surface.
• The pan should be heated before adding fat, then food, to ensure browning.
• Avoid overcrowding the pan.

Deep-Frying

• Involves submerging food in hot, liquid fat, considered a form of dry-heat cooking.
• Oil and water do not mix.

Moist Heat Cooking

• Moist heat cooking involves cooking with moisture (steam, water, stock, wine), with temperatures from 140°F to 212°F.
• Water can not get hotter than 212°F.

Simmering

• Cooking liquid is between 180°F and 205°F.
• Bubbles form and gently rise to the surface.
• Simmering cooks food evenly and is suitable for stocks, soups, potatoes, and pastas.

Boiling

• Water reaches its highest possible temperature of 212°F.
• The violent agitation can damage delicate foods.

Steaming

• A moist-heat technique using hot steam to conduct heat to the food.
• Steaming can be done on a stovetop with a pot containing a small amount of simmering liquid.

Braising & Stewing

• Braising involves partially covering food with liquid and simmering slowly at a low temperature
• Searing meat before braising enhances flavor and appearance, as moist heat does not permit browning reactions

Factors Affecting Choice of Cooking Methods in Meat

• Tender cuts like ribs and loin are best for dry-heat methods like roasting, broiling, and grilling.
• Less tender cuts from the leg or round are suitable for braising.
• Tougher cuts from the chuck or shoulder are usually braced.
• Least tender cuts from shanks, breast, brisket, and flank are cooked by moist heat.
• Ground and cubed meats can be cooked using either dry or moist heat.
• Meats high in fat are cooked without added fat, such as roasting or broiling.
• Meats low in fat are often cooked with added fat to prevent dryness, like sautéing, pan-frying, or braising.
• Developing flavor and appearance is also one of the objectives to get the desired quality.

Learn how to create flavorful marinades for meat. Discover the essential components of a marinade, including acids, oils, herbs, and spices. Explore marinating times, safe handling practices, and different marinade recipes. Ideal for enhancing flavor and tenderizing meat.