3 Ways to Marinate Meat

There are many ways to marinate meat. We will share a few of them with you so you can make it for the whole family to enjoy.

Written and verified by the nutritionist Eliana Delgado Villanueva.

Last update: 27 May, 2022

For quite some time, human beings have developed culinary arts and have figured out ways to prepare an infinite amount of food. Below are 3 ways to marinate meat to improve your cooking skills and create more flavors.

Marinades were formerly used as a technique to preserve foods. Any type of meat, whether it be beef, chicken, or fish would be submerged in marinades for a certain amount of time. Nowadays, it’s used not only used to preserve meats but also to add flavor to them.

This is a well-known technique in gastronomy because it improves the flavor, color, moisture, and texture of meats as well as liquid retention. Consequently, it’s an excellent technique to preserve food and keep it juicy. There are many ways to marinate such as by vinegar, wine and fruit juice.

3 Ways to Marinate Meat

1. Vinegar Marinade

The most frequently used type of marinade is vinegar because it gives food a little bit of acidity. The time you should marinate your meat depends on the type of meat you will cook. For example, it’s recommended to marinate red meats for 3 to 4 hours, poultry from 2 hours to overnight, and fish for 30 to 60 minutes.

Ingredients

• Beef (2 kg)
• 4 cloves of garlic (5 g)
• 1/2 cup of honey (100 ml)
• 1 cup of water (225 ml)
• 2 cups of vinegar (450 ml)
• 3 tablespoons of oregano (45 g)
• 2 tablespoons of parsley (30 g)
• 2 tablespoons of cumin (30 g)
• 1 tablespoon of pepper (15 g)
• 1 plastic zip-lock bag (large)

Preparation

• First, cut the meat in medium-sized pieces.
• Then add the vinegar, water, honey, oregano, parsley, cumin, pepper, and garlic to the bag.
• Next, add the meat to the bag and refrigerate it for 3 to 4 hours. Some people prefer to let it sit in the fridge over night, which is longer.
• Once it’s done marinating, take it to the grill and cook it for 10 minutes on each side. 
• Finally, let it sit for 10 minutes, then serve.  There is no problem with cutting the meat into finer slices.

2. Red Wine Marinade

The majority of professional cooks love to marinate white meat with wine. This technique, absorbs the aroma and flavor of wine with other ingredients without being too overpowering in meats like poultry.

Ingredients

• 2 onions (200 g)
• 1 whole chicken (2 kg)
• 4 bay leaves (3 g)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (5 g)
• 1 teaspoon of sugar (5 g)
• 2 cups of red wine (450 ml)
• 1 teaspoon of pepper (5 g)
• 1/2 cup of olive oil (100 ml)
• 2 teaspoons of mustard (10 ml)
• 1 tablespoon of wine vinegar (15 ml)

Preparation

• First, cut the onions in slices and split them into rings.
• Put the onion rings, wine, mustard, vinegar, salt, pepper, sugar, olive oil, and bay leaves in a bowl or large container and mix well.
• Then, put the chicken in the bowl and flip it over while covering it with the marinade. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put it in the fridge.
• Let the chicken marinate for 2 hours or let it sit overnight.
• Finally, drain well before cooking the chicken.

3. Lemon Juice Marinade

Ingredients

• 1  hake (1.5 kg)
• 1 teaspoon of salt (5 g)
• 1/2 teaspoon of oregano (3 g)
• 3 minced cloves of garlic (4 g)
• 1/2 onion, cut into cubes (50 g)
• 1 teaspoon of pepper (5 g)
• 1/2 cup of lemon juice (100 ml)
• 5 tablespoons of olive oil (75 ml)
• 1/2 red pepper, cut into cubes (100 g)

Preparation

• First, begin by cleaning the fish; i.e. gutting and deboning the fish .
• Then mix the lemon juice, garlic, salt, pepper and oregano in a large bowl.
• Add the fish to the bowl and flip it over to marinate it and to assure it absorb the marinade well.
• Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let it sit in the fridge for 1 hour. 
• Once the hour has passed — when you’re just about to fry or grill the fish — make sure you let it drain a little then put it into pan with onions and peppers over a low flame.
•  Cook it until it’s golden brown, about 10 minutes per side. 
• Finally, serve it with whatever side dish you like.