Whats the longest you can marinate for?

[thecactuswill]

I'm sure it varies by type of meat, but in general, whats the longest you can marinade a meat for?

[buckytom]

i'm sure there are exact times for food safety reasons, but i like to go with my experience and judge it by the type of meat, and the ingredients in the marinade.

fish requires the least amount of time, usually no more then 4 or 5 hours. if there's acid in the marinade, any longer and you're starting to make ceviche. some recipes only call for 1 hour at most.

pork, beef, and chicken can withstand overnight, even 2 nights in a marinade, but again, it depends on the marinade. if there's a tenderizing agent like enzymes, too long in the marinade will make the flesh mushy, like the consistency of liver or worse.
if there are a lot of acids in the marinade, too long in that and you'll toughen up the meat.

brining, a type of marinade, has a lot of salt and usually only requires a few hours for all types of meat. too long and you end up with a salt lick.

then there are famous recipes like sauerbraten, which is a beef roast that is marinated for a minumum of 3 days.

so, like i said, it depends on the type of meat, and the ingredients in the marinade.

[Andy M.]

Do you have something that has been marinating for a while and are you wondering if it's still good?

[Gretchen]

It will depend totally on the meat/chicken/fish and what is in the marinade. Buckytom has given a pretty good overview of a number of different types. Vinegars/acids/lemon juices in marinades will tighten the proteins of meats so they need to be short, IF the cuts of meat are tender--like a steak. If the cuts are to be braised (like the sauerbraten example) then the time in the marinade can be longer because the cooking will tenderize the meat which will be a tougher cut to begin with.
And even with fish, it isn't "hard and fast". You marinate gravlax for several days, in some cases, again depending on the marinade. If it contains an acid, then a shorter time because the fish will "cook" in the marinade. If it is a tequila or just salt and sugar, then up to 5 days in some cases.
Recipes can be good guidelines in these cases.

[buckytom]

good info gretchen, thanks.

i forgot about cured fish like gravlax.

[thecactuswill]

Originally Posted by Andy M.

Do you have something that has been marinating for a while and are you wondering if it's still good?

No, lol. If that was the case, I would have said so, but thanks

[licia]

Some can be put in a marinade and kept in the freezer til time to thaw and cook. I haven't done any, but know several who do this quite often. I also don''t know what marinade they use.

[Zlatko]

we in my country, do a marinate (i think it same thing) for up to 6 days, in shed

[suzyQ3]

Originally Posted by Zlatko

we in my country, do a marinate (i think it same thing) for up to 6 days, in shed

Zlatko, that is a fascinating tidbit about your unnamed country. Would that be a shed made just for marinating? Is it an open-air shed or an enclosed shed? And would this also be where you would have mixed that pickle vinegar with pig fat that you mentioned in tonight's dinner thread? Inquiring minds want to know.

[Zlatko]

Originally Posted by suzyQ3

Zlatko, that is a fascinating tidbit about your unnamed country. Would that be a shed made just for marinating? Is it an open-air shed or an enclosed shed? And would this also be where you would have mixed that pickle vinegar with pig fat that you mentioned in tonight's dinner thread? Inquiring minds want to know.

the shed is not just for marinating (i think you joke ) but it is easy place if you have alot of foods to marinate. sometimes when all family was over we had 25-30 kgs of meat. it is enclosed, for putting tools and plows (i mean shed is).

silly, pig fat already come in jar, no need to make in shed!

[suzyQ3]

Originally Posted by Zlatko

the shed is not just for marinating (i think you joke ) but it is easy place if you have alot of foods to marinate. sometimes when all family was over we had 25-30 kgs of meat. it is enclosed, for putting tools and plows (i mean shed is).

silly, pig fat already come in jar, no need to make in shed!

Not bad, zlatko. Keep it up.