How to Marinate Meat: 7 Tips for Delicious Marinades

Marinating meat adds flavor and moisture, particularly when the marinade contains an oil base. With the right ingredients and a few tricks, you can intensify the taste of your meat and make it nice and juicy. You don’t need many ingredients to create a tasty marinade, but there are a few basic rules to follow to marinate meat the right way.

  1. The Base Ingredients of Any Marinade
  • Acid – An acidic ingredient tenderizes the meat. This includes lemon or lime juice, vinegar, soy sauce, or mustard.
  • Oil or Fat – Oils and fat saturate the meat, making sure the flavor is fully infused. For your oil base, try olive, peanut, truffle, sesame, mustard, or chili oil. Alternatively, you can use milk, coconut milk, buttermilk, or yogurt as the fat component.
  • Salt – Salt intensifies the flavors of the marinade. Just use with restraint since it can dry out the meat.
  • To add a more complex flavor profile, get creative with herbs, spices, chili peppers, onions, shallots, ginger, and garlic. Adding sweet ingredients (molasses, or honey) can help form tasty caramelized, crispy coatings on grilled meats.
  1. Balance Your Flavours

Balance the flavors and check that there is enough to make it delicious.

  1. Pierce the Meat

Before marinating meat use a fork to poke holes in it so the marinade will be absorbed more easily.

  1. How to Marinate Meat

Fully coat or submerge the meat in a resealable bag or covered container and refrigerate. Flip the meat halfway through so both sides marinate equally.

Bonus Tip: 120 ml of liquid marinade for every ½ kilogram of meat will do the trick.

  1. Marinating Time

The whole purpose of marinating meat is to create great flavors and tenderize the meat. Marinate for a minimum of 30 minutes and up to 24 hours (refrigerated).

  1. Never Use the Same Marinade Twice

Never use the same marinade more than once (after it has been used) because it has juice from the raw meat. If you want extra to use as a sauce, separate a portion before you marinate the meat or boil used leftover marinade for at least 3 minutes before using it as a sauce.

  1. Remove Excess Marinade

Now for the fun part, cooking the meat. Whether you opt for baking or grilling, remember to remove excess marinade before cooking. Just let excess drip off before cooking. For the final touch, let it rest for maximum tenderness.

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