According to Harold McGee, author of "On Food & Cooking," marinades are acidic liquids in which the cook immerses meat for hours to a day before cooking. Vinegar is a traditional marinade, but wine, fruit juices, buttermilk and yogurt are frequently used as marinades as well.
Marinades have been used since Renaissance times, when their primary function was to slow spoiling and to provide flavor. Today, meats are marinated primarily to flavor them and to make them more moist and tender. Perhaps the most common marinated meat dish is a stew, for which the meat is immersed in a mixture of wine and herbs and then cooked in it.
The acid in marinades weakens muscle tissue and increases its ability to retain moisture. But marinades penetrate slowly and can give the meat surface an overly sour flavor. The penetration time can be reduced by cutting the meat into thin pieces or by using a cooking syringe to inject the marinade into larger pieces.
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The following marinades can be used to flavor and tenderize most kinds of meat, both light and dark. Meats for grilling can benefit from a marinade, but should only be left on the meat a maximum of 30 minutes to two hours at room temperature. Using marinades for grilling meat leaves a film on the surface which protects it from excess charring and keeps the inside moist.
A simple marinade that is useful for all types of meat, fish or seafood has equal amounts of olive or peanut oil and lemon or orange juice, with a bit of salt, pepper, minced garlic or onion and another aromatic herb.
Asian-Style Marinade
This recipe is good for marinating small strips of pork, chicken, seafood or beef for stir fry. Marinate for 30 minutes.
3/4 cup hoisin sauce
3/4 cup sherry
3/4 cup rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup soy sauce
½ minced garlic
Combine all ingredients and use as needed or store in refrigerator in a sealed container. Remove meat from marinade and pat dry prior to cooking.
Marinade can be added to pan to provide sauce at the end of cooking.
BBQ Marinade
This is delicious on beef, pork or chicken.
11/4 cups vegetable oil
1/2 cup 2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons Worcestershire Sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon Tobasco (or Srirachi, if you prefer)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon onion powder
2 teaspoon minced garlic.
Combine all ingredients and either use immediately or refrigerate in a sealed container.
Take meat out of marinade and cook directly; there is no need to remove any marinade clinging to surface.
Susan Havers is owner and chef of the historic Elk Mountain Hotel. She has a diploma in cuisine and pastry from l'Ecole de Cordon Bleu in Paris. For more information, see www.elkmountainhotel.com.
