Marinating, any ways to screw it up?

Question

Hello,

I've made cochinita pibil (I guess everyone knows it as "puerco pibil" now because of robert rodriguez ) several times now. I'm planning to make it again for an event in a couple of days and was wondering, what the effects were if you let the meat marinate overnight? I've never done it for more than a few minutes and had it tasting just fine.

In general, can you wrong with marinating something too long?

Thnks.

Pork Butt, marinated with a spicy achiote paste.

Also containing about 5 lemons, some garlic cloves, orange juice, vinegar, and a splash of tequila.

Answer 1

24 hours or overnight is perfect! The longer the meat sits, the better it is going to taste and the more tender it will be. Just dont leave it more than 24 hours, the ingredients in the marinade penetrate the meat and actually start too "cook" it and you also don't want to run the risk of the meat going bad if it sits longer. Your dish will be fantastic is you let it set overnight or a little longer

Answer 2

How long you marinate depends on what you are using in your marinade

Marinades have some kind of acid in them (wine, vinegar, lemon, etc) which breaks down the muscle fibers of your meat, thus making it more tender and allowing the other juices of the marinade soak through. If your marinate for a long time with a really strong acid ingredient, your meat can become very mushy by the time you cook it.

Answer 3

Marinating is actually quite simple, the more acidic the ingredients-the less time needed for marinating. The acid will break the molecular structure down leaving some foods rubbery and others totally disintegrated. Trial and error is your best weapon. Remember, the thinner the cut of meat the less time needed.

Answer 4

Sometimes a prolonged exposure will result in an overly seasoned or overly spiced result.

Often, you reach an equilibrium point in a few hours and anything beyond that does nothing of benefit or harm. However this is not always the case.

It is hard to give a certain answer as the specific components can have a major influence.

Answer 5

I have had meat in marinade and because plans changed and it wound up being in it two or three days and it was just fine. So I would do it. But it could depend on the meat and the marinade ingredients and I'm not familiar with the dish you are making.

Answer 6

Yes you can marinate something too long - it will make the meat mushy when grilled. The general rule of thumb is the saltier the marinade, the less time the meat needs to be in it.........

Answer 7

Yes, just ask my wife.