Steak Marinade

We have probably all have eaten a steak that has been marinated and most of us liked the experience of having meat that actually tastes something in a different way that seasoning just can do. Steaks or any other kind of meat that are marinated will get much more juicy and tender while it at the same time really sucks up all the flavour of the marinade. One might ask what a marinade is and truthfully, a steak marinade could more or less be anything as long as the steak is allowed to bathe in it and gets those flavours moving. Here you will not be able to read about steak marinade recipes but about the history and foundations of steak marinades. There are a lot to learn simply by learning what steak marinade is and how it was used in the old days. Continue to read if you want to learn more about the basics and history of steak marinades.

Steak marinade – History

Marinade is probably one of the oldest ways of giving meat a taste other than its natural one. Why one might ask and truthfully it was probably to hide the taste of rot and mould in old meat. You see, throughout history there was always the problem of keeping meat fresh throughout a long period of time, there were no freezers or refrigerators back then. So instead of trying to keep the meat fresh people started to work out ways to hide the taste behind seasoning and marinades. As knowledge about storing meat became better the steak marinade instead became a way of making good meat even better and it is probably here that someone understood the effect of acidic products on meat. Today, when storing meat is more or less no problem at all steak marinade has become less common among the people and can more often be seen in fancy restaurants. That is a very ironic ending for something that began as a solution to make the meat taste less mould, don’t you think?

Steak marinade – Basics

The basics of steak marinades are extremely simple and could be done in a matter of seconds. All needed is a mix of oil and an acidic liquid such as vinegar or lemon juice. This simple mixture is the whole secret of steak marinade since the oil is used to carry the flavours added and the acid makes the meat much tenderer than it was before. One could even leave it with that not adding anything else, but where is the fun in that? Add spices and herbs to suit your specific taste and do not listen to that TV-chef, it is what you like that is important and not what is hot in south-central New Guinea, remember that. Then there is one last thing, to really let the marinade have a chance of getting any flavour it will have to soak in the marinade for at least a day, two are preferable. Letting it soak will ensure that the steak marinade had made the meat real tasty and juicy, ready to barbeque. Enjoy!

steak marinade