Marinating and Food Safety

[jennyema]

I'd think it was ok to leave the beef and the chicken out for 2 hours. IMO the beef would need more time in the drink to really get any flavor.

Anyone who marinates lobster and shrimp for 2 hours in this will likely be very unhappy, as there is quite a bit of acid in it.

 

[BreezyCooking]

I always marinate in the fridge. Always.

As far as time, I have no problems with marinating beef, lamb, & large cuts of poultry overnight. Seafood - no more than 30 minutes tops, otherwise the texture definitely suffers.

As a cookbook collector, I must add that one has to be really careful when following marinating recipes from old cookbooks. Particularly recipes that advise using the marinade - uncooked - as a sauce or dip. While I've definitely used leftover marinade as a sauce or sauce base, that's only when the marinade has been heated to the boiling point.

 

[YT2095]

VT thanks for the info on capsium, that was the type of info I was looking for.

it`s YT and you`re Quite welcome

 

[Uncle Bob]

this may help a little:

source: Capsium
Chiles and Foodborne Bacteria– Of the many health benefits offered by chiles, one of the most significant is their capacity to prevent foodborne bacterial disease. In a study published in the March 1998 volume of the Quarterly Review of Biology, researchers tested a long list of spices against thirty different harmful bacteria which can occur in foods. Chiles killed over 75% of the thirty germs in the study. The agent in chiles which appears to kill bacteria is capsaicin. In another study, capsaicin was found to inhibit the rare but sometimes fatal Vibrio vulnificus bacteria, which is found in raw shellfish. Eating chiles is not only a tasty and feel-good experience, but defends your body against nasty microbes as well.

and:

source: Aquatic Invasive Species, Ohio Sea Grant College Program/MB-2
Toxicity studies of two natural product antifoulants (NPAs): capsaicin and zosteric acid, were evaluated using both a standard Microtox assay and a static toxicity test. The EC50 values of various fresh water bacteria: P. putida and enriched bacteria isolated from the Lake Erie water, and marine bacteria: V. natriegens and V. parahaermolyticus, were found to the in the range of 3 to 23 mg/L for capsaicin, and 10 to 440 mg/L for zosteric acid. These values are substantially higher, meaning less toxic, than the currently used antifoulants, such as TBT (EC50 < 0.01 ppb).

Bon Appetite

I knew it!!!! I just knew it!!!!!! Tabasco, Louisiana Hot Sauce and jalapenos have been keeping me a-live!!!! Thanks YT for confirming it!!!

 

[Michael in FtW]

Thanks for posting the marinade details, Elf. That answers all my questions!

High acid environments are not hospitable for bacteria growth. You've got acid in two main ingredients - the salsa (tomatoes) and lime juice. Then you have the antimicrobial action of alcohol (tequila and beer) and the capsaicin in the jalapeños (and probably some in the "hot salsa"). Marinating at room temp on the counter for 2 hours would certainly not appear to be a problem, especially since the food will then be cooked.

I'm not even worried about marinating the shrimp and lobster in this marinade for 2 hours. The acid will actually firm up the proteins before it begins to break them down. I went out and looked at several ceviche recipes where the fish/shell fish is "cooked" by the acid in the marinade ... and times range anywhere from 1-8 hours, with 1 hour being the suggested minimum, 2-4 hours very common, and 4-8 hours being the most common especially if the ceviche includes firmer-fleshed fish.

One thing I would do, instead of having to "stir this once or twice", would be to put everything into a gallon-sized zip-lock bag - and squeeze out as much air as possible. Then, just mush the bag around to make sure everything is coated - then about every 30-minutes mush it around some more and turn it over. You could lay this on a cookie/baking sheet just in case it leaks.

If you try it - let us know how it turns out! It sounds good to me ...

 

[suzyQ3]

The marinade calls for 2 cups store bought hot salsa, 4 fresh jalapeno, 1/4 cup tequila, 1/4 cup lime juice, 1 cup beer, you are putting in a food processor then pouring it on the shrimp, lobster, chicken and skirt steak, then stirring the once or twice, for 2 hrs. then grilling the steak for 7 min. fliping and adding the chicken , shrimp, lobster and cooking another 7 min. now that I think about it, the shell fish would be on the mushy side. VT thanks for the info on capsium, that was the type of info I was looking for. It isn't that I am overly concerned, it just seemed odd to leave chicken and shell fish out that long.

Ah, well, two hours is better than "several" hours. Should be no problem, with the exception of the shellfish, which, as you and others note, would get a bit cooked.