Marinating: Not just about the flavour.
- Chef Alex
- Oct 23, 2023
- 3 min read
What is Marination?
Marination is a broad term, but the crux of it involves soaking some food in a flavourful liquid before you cook it, usually for anywhere from 30 minutes to 24 hours.
Yes, marinating seasons meat protein via salt, and it does so effectively. It’s an ancient preservation method that's been used for millennia and is still used extensively in modern food preparation.
A basic marinade will contain a combination of the following:
Water: Water can come in the form of juice, wine or beer, a condiment like soy sauce, or just straight-up water.
Salt: Essential for basic seasoning and moisture retention, can come from condiments or pure salt. Salt partially dissolves proteins in meat (primarily myosin, which is responsible for muscle contraction), so that those proteins don’t contract as much when cooked. If the proteins don’t contract as much, the meat holds more water, so it tastes juicier and more tender.
Sugar: Whether white, raw, brown, or in the form of a sweet ingredient like honey, sugar seasons the exterior of meats and enhances browning and caramelization.
Flavours: These might include herbs, spices, fresh aromatics like garlic and ginger, or even fruit rinds.
Oil: Liquid fats such as olive oil, vegetable oil, and other seed oils are added for flavouring; they also conduct heat more efficiently than water, so the surface of meat may cook faster when oil is present.
Acid/Base/Enzyme: These ingredients alter the texture of meat by denaturing or breaking down proteins, these effects can be pronounced depending on the concentration of the additive and the amount of marination time you the protein has in the marinade.
Why Marinate?
With respect to meat proteins, the common reasons to marinate are for the following:
Marinating seasons the meat, primarily with salt.
Marinating sometimes enhances the exterior of meat by promoting browning.
Marinating keeps (or makes) meat tender when cooked.
Marinating flavours meat via aromatics, spices, or other ingredients.
Yes, marinating seasons meat protein via salt, and it does so effectively. It’s an ancient preservation method that's been used for millennia and is still used extensively in modern food preparation. Every South African knows how amazingly delicious biltong is, it really comes down to the marination in salt among other ingredients that brings that all to familiar taste and texture to biltong. I’d even go so far as to say that the most important ingredient in any marinade is salt, period.
And for sure, marinating can enhance the exterior of meat by promoting browning. Many marinades contain sugar (in the form of sucrose, fructose, even glucose), which promotes browning and caramelization (see: the Maillard reaction and caramelization). In these cases, a nice crust or char can form on the surface of meat, which can have a pleasing effect on both texture and flavour.
But what about those last two claims about marination improving tenderness and flavour? What matters here is how long the protein is in contact with the marinade and what the concentration of ingredients are. Maximum tenderness is normally achieved within 8 to 12 hours but can often go much further without much worry about any adverse effects on the protein. As for flavour it really only offers an enhancement to the outside of the protein with very little penetration into the actual meat. However it is a great way to make sure the flavours are evenly coated on the meat, binding it to it and making sure you can taste the flavours with every bite.
To make sure you always get the best marinated meats choose from Clean Plate Co.'s selection of marinated meats using the filter selector and selecting braai kits.
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Written for Clean Plate Co. at www.cleanplate.co.za Author © 2023:
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