Marinating from a frozen state...does anybody do this?
I'm talking about taking a piece of meat (in this case a pork tenderloin) from the freezer, putting it in a marinade, and letting it thaw while marinating in the fridge. Any reason not to do this?
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4 Comments:
Would the marinade get watered down when the meat eventually thaws? I'm sure it's not too terrible but maybe the flavor you're looking for will be less entense? Also depending on how frozen the meat was, I would think the marinade will not penetrate the meat until it's completely thawed out, which would extend the amount of time that you need to keep the meat marinated.
Thats my .2 cents
jscarpetta at 11:32AM on 09/27/07
No! You want to drain the freezing liquid off the meat before you marinate the meat. The freezing liquid will not only water down the marinade but it lends nothing to the flavor.
JerzeeTomato at 1:35PM on 09/27/07
There's no reason that it would be unsafe. However, it may produce less-than-desirable results. The reason that people marinate food is to flavor them and/or to change the food's texture (juicier, more tender, etc.). The less porous something is, the less a marinade will work -- in this case, you're starting with something that has been frozen solid.
As it thaws from the outside in, the marinade will be able to penetrate the thawed layer only. If your marinade is an acid-based one, then the acids will begin to denature the proteins in that outer layer and could result in a mushy texture on the outside.
For me, marinades (acid based) need to be quick, while brines and spice rubs can go for a longer time. As such, you might be better off thawing it in a brine which wouldn't have the same detrimental effect on the meat and (I think) does a better job of seasoning throughout than marinades do. Alternatively, just let it thaw in the fridge and put a spice rub on before you cook it.
Good luck!
Dominic
the zen kitchen
dvchurch at 3:58PM on 09/27/07
I always add apple juice to my pork, then freeze it. Or whatever marinade and whatever meat I am doing. That way as it thaws in the fridge it marinades as it goes!
Lilartist at 5:06PM on 09/27/07