Why you should marinate your steak and, have I got a recipe for you!
Marinating meat means to smear or submerge the protein (in this case, steak) in a seasoned liquid with other flavours.
Why do we marinate our steak?
To:
- Tenderise
- Preserve the moisture
- Provide flavour
As we all know, there are so many marinades out there. Of all the ingredients of which they are made with, marinades should have:
- An acid
Examples are vinegar, lemon juice and red wine.
They help to tenderise the meat.
They carry their own flavours as well as the flavours of any herbs and spices dissolved into them.
Lemon juice and vinegar are strong acids. This means that you either use very little of them or marinate with them for a short time. The reason being is that it could almost ‘cook’ the meat during the marinating process meaning the meat could possibly come out tough after cooking.
- Oil
It is important to use oil because it helps to preserve the meat’s moisture.
The bland oils are best to use – vegetable and canola. An oil such as olive oil runs the risk of overpowering its flavour onto the marinade.
- Other flavourings:
Here I am referring to spices and herbs whose role is to add flavour.
Some marinades are thick (for example Phil’s Magic Marinade). In this case you would smear the marinade onto the meat.
Other marinades are thin – thin as water. In this case the steaks would be submerged.
I know there are many marinade recipes out there but I would like to leave you with one.
Phil’s Magic Marinade:
This is a delicious tried and tested curry flavoured marinade (page 65 of the soft cover). It is absolutely delicious and moreish on skirt steak as well as tender cuts from beef, veal, lamb and pork! I am so sure that once you make it you will use it over and over again. I advise to double or quadruple the quantity so that you have plenty to use again. It can last up to 3 months refrigerated.
I make it in my cooking demonstrations at butcher shops and the public love it!
Ingredients:
- 4 cloves garlic, crushed
- 2tbsp curry powder
- 2tsp paprika
- 2tsp salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper to taste
- 1 tsp ground cumin
- 3 tbsp freshly squeezed lemon juice
- 3 tsp teriyaki sauce
- 3 tbsp canola/ vegetable oil
- 4 shallots, chopped
This is suitable for 1.5kg – 2kg of steak
Method:
Blend all ingredients until smooth. Best to do this in a bowl using a handheld blender. Coat all over the meat and cover.
Refrigerate. Marinate for at least 2 hours (best to do this overnight).
Sit at room temperature an hour before cooking.
Happy marinating! Enjoy your steak and please let me know if you have any questions.
For more on cooking red meat please visit www.yourmeatmate.com