May 2021
Update April 2024
Marinades are usually considered to be “flavour changers / enhancers” that are used before cooking. Most people think of meats when marinading but you can also use a marinade with vegetables!
In both cases, you add herbs, spices etc to add flavours to the meat (or veg) and these are left for a couple of hours. In the case of meat, 2 hours seems to be optimum, longer does not cause the marinade to penetrate deep into the flesh. If you want a deeper penetration, you could try the “Injection” method. The thickness of the meat is a factor.
Here’s a good read for marinades for vegetables.
Marinades for different meats can be found by trawling the web – no shortage of ideas and there are plenty of favourites. Some marinades can be used as part of the cooking process e.g. sauces or “broths”. A good example would be a stew or hot pot where everything is cooked in one pot.
Generally, marinades are usually either a “wet” type – usually herbs and spices mixed with oils or they are more of a “paste” type where the herbs and spices (a.k.a. “Aromatics”) only contain a small amount of oil e.g. Basil and garlic “wet” rub!
Dry “Rubs” are a marinade but these are just flavour changers, applied to the meat immediately before cooking but can be left longer. Generally, they help create a crust which seals in the juices and helps to stop the meat drying out.
Note. Marinades generally do not tenderise meat
Tenderising meat (prior to cooking), You could include “tenderising “agents” with the marinade. These would include oils, vinegars, wine and “enzymes”.
Tenderising meat is not about flavour changing or enhancing. It is mainly about trying to get the meat tender, especially the cheaper cuts
One popular method of tenderising is the “Percussive method” 🙂 basically you beat the meat with a meat mallet, heavy pan or even a baseball bat or similar 🙂 “Percussive” treatment will help break down the “tissues” and make the meat softer. This is usually successful with any meat but you can go too far, you don’t want to destroy the meat and make it a pile of mush !
It would be nice to know if the meat is tough and needs tenderising when you buy it but there doesn’t seem to be a reliable way of gaining this knowledge. I’ve bought meat and paid a lot for it and have found that it was tough when cooking in the “usual” way. I’ve also bought cheaper cuts of meat and found them to be “melt in the mouth”. It seems to be “you pay your money and you take your chance” 🙂
As a (very) rough guide. Beef that has a good layer of fat and a good amount of “marbling” will likely be tender after cooking, if cooked correctly! Buying meat that is from “grass fed” / free range animals (high welfare) that are well cared for will likely be your best bet because this tends to produce meat with a good layer of fat and a good “marbling”. The “marbling” is created by the “connective tissues” and fat within the meat. Animals that are “grass fed” and basically better treated will give the best meat, with regards to both flavour and tenderness. Unfortunately meat of this quality comes at a premium price! When cooked correctly, the connective tissue breaks down and “in effect” tenderises the meat. Your butcher should be one of your best friends 🙂
If your wallet is on the thin side or you want the challenge of cooking the tough cuts of meat to produce melt in the mouth meat at rock bottom prices; read on 🙂
Slow cooking, Any meat will become tender and “melt in the mouth” if you cook it long enough and keep it moist.
Pressure Cooking will tenderise just about any tough meat that you can find but be careful if your meat is still on the bone! Pressure cooking softens bones too!
Other methods of tenderising meat prior to cooking.
Salting (Dry Brine) has been used for years to preserve meat by drying it out but we don’t want to dry out the meat, we want to tenderise it and make it succulent. So here’s the “rub” (Pun intended), You can oil, salt and pepper the meat immediately before cooking but this will mainly be to enhance the flavour. To get any meaningful tenderising effect you need to apply the (sea) salt at least 40 minutes before cooking. If you salt the meat and leave for about 24 hours or overnight, this will probably give the best result, depending on the thickness of the meat.
Salting works by the salt being absorbed into the meat which draws out the moisture and in turn produces a brine. In turn the brine is re-absorbed into the meat and this breaks down the connective tissues and can increases the moisture levels by maybe 10%. This is a very effective method of tenderising any meat, I find overnight works fine but otherwise at least 40 minutes before cooking. I use this method even with 36 day matured Angus Steaks and the results never fail to please.
You also try the “Wet Brining” method – basically water and salt but here is a good read about brining
You can still use a marinade or rub after salting / brining to get extra flavour to your now tender meat 🙂
Enzyme treatment can be very effective but can be a little tricky and depends on the thickness of the meat. Yogurt and Buttermilk are good options and can be an overnight treatment for thicker cuts of meat. It is unlikely that yogurt or buttermilk will penetrate deep into the meat so maybe a couple of hours will be optimum, as in marinades.
Pineapple, Kiwi, Mango or other (citrus) fruits can be very effective but is mainly for thin cuts of meat and not for more than say 30 minutes or so because the “Enzymes” quickly turn the meat into mush.
Note, the pineapple needs to be a fresh pineapple, not juice. Canned pineapple and pineapple juice don’t have the “Enzymes”.
Acidic “sauces” (gravy) tend to be best for tenderising “cooked or browned” meat. A tomato sauce is a good example. e.g. Bolognese but adding things like Cider / Wine vinegar is also quite good.
Alkaline “agents” e.g. Bicarb of soda can be very effective. Apparently used a lot in Chinese (Asian) cooking.
I have today actually tried the Bi-Carb and Cornflour method and was very pleased with the results. Have a read about Velveting Chicken, I can certainly recommend this as a good method of tenderising meat. A few days ago I bought a tray of chicken breasts and cooked one. I split it length ways and added garlic butter and then wrapped bacon round it and then wrapped it all in foil. I cooked it for 40 / 45 mins and expected it would nice and tender but it was so tough we couldn’t chew it 🙁 I cut it up into small chunks and then cooked it for about 30 mins in chicken stock, it was better.
Today I tried a couple of the breasts from the same batch and cubed them. I then made a cornflour “slurry” and added Bi-Carb then added the diced chicken and a give it a good stir to make sure it was fully coated. I left it for about 30 mins, stirring occasionally, and then rinsed it in cold water and left it to drain while I cooked some veg to make a chicken and mushroom pie. I browned the cubed chicken and then added it to the veg pot along with some chicken stock and cooked for 30 mins. The chicken was so tender, it just fell apart.
In conclusion. Marinades and Tenderising meat is something that you can have a lot of fun with. If you have good quality meat, marinades will help to get the best flavours. If you are cooking cheaper cuts of meat and don’t want to use the “percussive method”, there are a myriad of “Tenderising methods and agents” to have a play with and these can be used in conjunction with a marinade. Salting / Brining is definitely one of the best methods of tenderising red meats and pork. If you want to mess about with tenderising, make sure your butcher is your friend and only buy welfare raised meat.
Cooking should be fun and the end result should be “smiles all around” and result in “clean plates” 🙂
The use of aromatics (herbs and spices) should enhance / bring out the flavour of the meat and not overpower it.
Most of the time, a bit of salt and pepper applied to the meat before cooking is all you need and maybe a little “percussive” treatment for the cheaper cuts. It depends on the meat you are cooking (and possibly the method of cooking e.g. pan fried, oven roasted, pot roasted, BBQ (grilled)). Beef, Veal, Pork, Lamb, Chicken and “game” all have a “best” method of cooking but “best” is not always to everyones liking, we’re all different!
Quite often the simple things like Onions and Tomatoes with a bit of salt and pepper and maybe a herb or two will satisfy the “flavour enhancement” and the tenderising of the meat. KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) and don’t forget about the myriad of wonderful flavours you can add by browning your meat during the cooking process see Maillard reaction on another page.