Marinades are thin liquids that the meat swims in before cooking. They flavor it, add moisture, and tenderize it slightly. But only the surface. Unless they are heavy with salt, in which case they more properly are called brines, marinades do not penetrate very far, perhaps no more than 1/8 inch, even after days of soaking. They do find their way into cracks and crevices in meat, but they are just not very good at penetrating muscle tissue. But they are very efficient at flavoring the surface.
Marinades usually contain four working components: Salt, acid, flavoring, and oil, and if you remember the acronym SAFO, you can create your own easily.
SAFO
S is for Salt. Salt is important because it is a flavor enhancer and it is good at penetrating meat and pulling the other flavor components in the marinade by osmosis.
A is for Acid. Acid can break down protein slightly. Typical acids are fruit juice (lemon juice, apple juice, white grape juice, pineapple juice, and orange juice work well), vinegar (cider vinegar, distilled vinegar, sherry vinegar, balsamic vinegar, raspberry vinegar, or any old vinegar), and soft drinks.
F is for Flavoring. Typical flavorings include herbs and spices such as oregano, thyme, cumin, paprika, garlic, onion powder, and even vegetables such as onion and jalapeno. It's a good idea to add some umami. That's the meaty flavor from glutamates found in meat stocks, soy sauce, and mushrooms.
O is for Oil. Oils are used in marinades because many flavorings are not water soluble, and oils are needed to release their aromatics. Most green herbs are oil soluble. Oils on the surface of the meat aid in browning and crisping.
Tips
No sugar. While you're concocting your signature marinade, skip the sugar. The big fat sugar molecules just thicken the liquid and clog up the pores in the meat. Keep your marinade thin.
No Alcohol. A lot of folks like to use wine, beer, and spirits in their marinades, but this may not be a good idea. Here's what the great Chef Thomas Keller says in his award winning French Laundry Cookbook: "If your marinating anything with alcohol, cook the alcohol off first. Alcohol doesn't tenderize; cooking tenderizes. Alcohol in a marinade in effect cooks the exterior of the meat, preventing the meat from fully absorbing the flavors in the marinade. Raw alcohol itself doesn't do anything good to meat. So put your wine or spirit in a pan, add your aromatics, cook off the alcohol, let it cool, and then pour it over your meat. This way you have the richness of the fruit of the wine or Cognac or whatever you're using, but you don't have the chemical reaction of "burning" the meat with alcohol or it's harsh raw flavor."
A shortcut. If you don't want to make a marinade from scratch, just buy a bottle of your favorite oil and vinegar salad dressing. Salad dressings usually have all the necessary ingredients. Just make sure you don't get the Caesar. We don't need no cheese or no stinkin' dead fish in our pork.
Now here's a neat trick. Fresh pineapple has an enzyme called bromelain that tenderizes meat. The enzyme works fast. Within 30-60 minutes the meat is ready for the grill. Surprisingly, the pineapple adds little flavor to the meat in such a short time. Some people like the softer meat, others feel it is mushy. You decide. The enzyme is destroyed by the canning and bottling process, so be sure to use fresh pineapple. Likewise, papain is an enzyme in papaya and the main tenderizing ingredient in Adolph’s Meat Tenderizer. You can liquefy papaya or add smashed papaya to your marinade to tenderize.
Save money. Some recipes call for marinating in barbecue sauce. Don't do it. It's just a waste of expensive sauce because it is too thick to penetrate very far.
Warning. Remember, all uncooked meat is potentially poisonous. It is rife with microbes and spores. Used marinades are contaminated with raw meat juices so if you plan to use it as a sauce, it must be boiled for five minutes.
Try this. Click here for a wonderful all-purpose Italian vinaigrette recipe, how to adapt it to become a great marinade, and how to use it to make wonderful Tuscan ribs.
This page revised 8/29/2008
