While there are many ways of making tough cuts of meat tender, it’s hard to top a marinade. Made with the right ingredients, a marinade transforms the protein’s composition, both flavoring and tenderizing the cut. Yet, the science of what really happens when you marinate meat is tricky, with the potential for failure just as possible as success.
A surefire way to ruin a meat marinade is by adding chunky ingredients. Solid components complicate the process for several reasons. For one, they simply won’t infuse as much flavor. Whether it’s a whole clove of garlic or unground spices, their aromatic palate won’t transfer the same amount of flavor into the meat, especially considering the fact that marinades don’t fully seep into the interior anyway, so you’re hardly getting any flavor impact, just sparse surface contact.
Furthermore, once you’re cooking the meat, you’re left with uneven bits of ingredients. These complicate heat application, creating an uneven sear and potential burning. No one wants an entire piece of coriander or a whole grilled garlic clove in the midst of a tender prepared piece of meat. So, put in the work to pulverize the marinade ingredient list, and your resulting dish will impress.
Don’t add chunky ingredients to meat marinades
To assemble a delicious, well-textured marinade, keep in mind which ingredients have the most outsized effects. Components with acid as well as salt are what truly modify the composition of the meat, while other additions are only used to season. For this reason, an easy two-ingredient marinade of soy sauce and lemon juice can be enough; this simple combo satisfies. However, you’ll likely want to add further flavoring ingredients, too.
So, consider melding chunkier components into a liquid base. Marinades frequently incorporate a fatty component like oil, which aids in seasoning the exterior and evenly spreading the flavors. You can toast your spices, grind them, and then add to the oil to make sure they permeate. Or, use a blender to combine ingredients like chili peppers, pineapple, onions, garlic, herbs, and citrus with the oil. And don’t forget to throw in powerful seasonings like fish, soy, or Worcestershire sauce for more bold liquid additions. As long as you keep track of ingredients you should never to add to marinades (like oils with low smoke points), the canvas is blank.
All the while, not every marinade necessitates a completely smooth consistency. Russian chicken shashlik skewer recipes can employ nuts — finely ground yet solid — in the dish. Meanwhile, Nigerian beef suya incorporates a marinade comprised of peanut powder with spices and aromatics. However, even if ingredients aren’t fully blended, you’ll dependably find them pulverized for uniform application.
