Used pre-marinated meat for the first time!

[htc]

I used premarinated meat for the first time tonigh! I bought a piece of pre-marinated turkey loin and sliced it to use in my burrito.

I have to admit I have always been hesitant to use premarinated meat, just because my Mom never used it as a kid, so I consider it a new kitchen ingredient for me. I don't know if I will use it again. The cooked product turns out fine, tastes good. But I noticed that as I was slicing it, the meat was a lot softer than meat that has no pre-marinate in it.

I bought this meat last week and it comes vacum packed. The exparation on this piece of meat isn't til like Feb 20th. Sure does seem like a LONG time. Does anyone know why? Is it because it's vacum packed?

 

[Piccolina]

I would say that your huntch is right, vacuum packing must be the reason why it's dated so far in advance. I don't buy these types of meat myself, but I do recall the exceptionally rare treat of marinated Hawaiian ribs when I was growing up, they were wonderful!

 

[auntdot]

Forgive my ignorance, but never heard the term pre-marinated before.

Googled, but got no answers as to what the term means.

And have never seen the stuff in our local groceries.

Would love to know what it is.

Thanks, and God bless.

 

[valnaples]

The marinated meats at our supermarkets are mostly pork tenderloins (the brand is Hormel) and if you read the ingredients, there are a ton of chemicals in the marinades...so I generally stay away from them.

 

[Piccolina]

Forgive my ignorance, but never heard the term pre-marinated before.

Googled, but got no answers as to what the term means.

And have never seen the stuff in our local groceries.

Would love to know what it is.

Thanks, and God bless.

Hi Aunt Dot, don't worry at all, you're not "ignorant" for asking - as the saying goes, "you'll never learn if you don't ask"

Pre-marinated meat is meat/poultry (even fish or tufu) that comes in a package already dressed with a marinade (or sauce) or some sort. It is often vacuum sealed (but certainly not always) and can be cooked right from the package. The idea behind it being that you don't have to marinade the meat yourself as it's already done for you by the manufacturer. I hope this helps to answer your question

 

[auntdot]

Thank you so very much Piccolina for the explanation.

 

[GB]

I am guessing that there was a decent amount of salt in it as well. That might possibly contribute to the long exp date also.

 

[texasgirl]

Forgive my ignorance, but never heard the term pre-marinated before.

Googled, but got no answers as to what the term means.

And have never seen the stuff in our local groceries.

Would love to know what it is.

Thanks, and God bless.

this is Hormel's site. They have several flavors, lemon, terriaki, bbq, etc...

 

[Gretchen]

I have had the turkey tenderloin one time and it was good/acceptable. Do not overcook it--but of course, it needs to be "done".
On the whole, marinated meats are shot full of "stuff" which I think turns the meat mushy. Better to buy the naked product and do it yourself.

 

[subfuscpersona]

Wouldn't this meat get softer and softer the longer you kept it (assuming you kept it to the expiration date)? I thought long-term immersion of meat in a marinade breaks down the protein strands and the longer its in the marinade, the mushier the meat gets.

Is this marinade somehow injected into the meat, or is it like you'd do at home, surrounding the meat?

 

[htc]

Man, I'm glad that I'm not the only one who is nervous of the stuff. The cooked product was decent, but it was the texture of the raw meat that got me nervous (too mushy). Too weird. That said, I'm still happy I tried it, just to see what it's like.

 

[Constance]

Some years back, I saw a TV expose about how a certain supermarket chain dressed up old meat so they could sell it. They did things like re-grinding hamburger, then re-packing it with a new expiration date, washing off meat with clorox to remove the smell, and...pre-seasoning or pre-marinating the meat to disguise the funky taste and odor.
I know Hormel is a reputable company, but ever since seeing that documentary, I have shyed away from pre-seasoned and pre-marinated meats.

 

[texasgirl]

Some years back, I saw a TV expose about how a certain supermarket chain dressed up old meat so they could sell it. They did things like re-grinding hamburger, then re-packing it with a new expiration date, washing off meat with clorox to remove the smell, and...pre-seasoning or pre-marinating the meat to disguise the funky taste and odor.
I know Hormel is a reputable company, but ever since seeing that documentary, I have shyed away from pre-seasoned and pre-marinated meats.

That is disgusting!! There are some real idiots out there!!

 

[htc]

Washing w/ clorox? R U sure? wouldn't you get sick since it's bleach??

My parents used to own a VERY SMALL meat market and at our place, we did stuff kind of like that. Not to that extreme though. We were an old fashioned place, so no pre packaged stuff, pick what you want and we wrap it for you. Anyways, if a steak that is still good, but has been on the shelf for a couple days (and starting to discolor), it's not uncommon to take it and ground it into hamburger or chili meat. We didn't have to do that too often though. On a small scale, and since I knew the process, that doesn't bother me. But with the big companies, and I can't see it, I guess that's where the distrust of the big guys is.

 

[Constance]

Yes, I'm sure htc. I'm sure it was some sort of Clorox solution. You know you can purify drinking water with a few drops of Corox per gallon. It may taste and smell a little funky, but it's safe to drink.
I think it was 60 minutes who sent in several undercover people with concealed cameras. One guy actually got a job in the meat department.

I sure wish we still had some small meat markets like that around here, but they are few and far between. Most of the big stores don't even have butchers anymore.