Marinades are a great way of adding flavour and tenderness to meat dishes. But what are the best ways of marinating different types to get a great result?
What does a marinade do?
There are two things that marination achieves – tenderisation and brining. If a marinade incorporates salt or sugar, it has a softening effect, but if it contains an acid like lemon juice or vinegar, over time the marinade will change the surface texture of the meat.
How long to marinate for?
Salt in a marinade acts like a brine to give it more seasoning and help make the meat juicier. To achieve this, you need to marinate your meat for a long time – between 5 and 6 hours for optimum flavour. However, even just a few minutes in a marinade can add flavour to meat. If you’re using a marinade containing acidic ingredients, it’s important not to leave the meat in for too long, as this can make it dry and stringy.
You can use a bowl to mix the marinade and then put the meat in if it’s diced, or use a large dish if not. You could use ovenable trays to save on washing up, as you can mix the marinade and use it to marinate the meat, as well as using it to cook in the oven. These come in various shapes and sizes and are available from suppliers such as southerncrosspackaging.com/ovenable-trays.
Favourite Marinades
You can basically make a marinade out of any ingredients you like, but the most common ones are Mediterranean, Teriyaki, Jerk, Tandoori and Barbecue. Most marinades will contain some liquid, whether that’s lemon juice, beer or wine, sugar, salt, aromatic herbs and fat such as olive oil.
The benefits of marinating are only achieved through cooking, usually over a high heat such as a grill or barbecue. The sugars help with caramelisation, while the heating of fats, herbs and spices helps with overall flavour.
You can even marinate vegetables. So if you’re vegetarian or vegan, it’s worth considering to add taste and interest.
