There’s always one person in our lives that swears by some secret marinade, that makes the meat oh so perfect, you can’t just salt and pepper meat. Or can you? Do we really need to marinate our meats to impart better flavor or can we save ourselves the hassle and just salt and pepper our meats instead?
It’s no mistake that marinades became popular in the 70s, 80s, and 90s, because in 1977, the US dietary guidelines were revised, focusing on reducing the consumption of things which (at the time) were supposedly connected to chronic diseases, one of them being sodium. With sodium being in the public eye as bad, salting and brining took a back seat and many cookbooks favored using acids, herbs, and sauces to impart flavor to meat, which is essentially the method of marinating.
The thought process behind marinating makes sense. Acids in marinades denature (break down) the meat protein, and by changing the shape of the protein network, you’re able to trap other flavors into the the meat’s top surface.
Most people who say marinades don’t work are wanting the marinade to penetrate the entire meat, which is practically impossible because marinades only soak in a millimeter or so below the surface. If you marinate meat and slice off the outer layers and eat only the center part, you won’t get any flavor of the marinade, but no one eats meats like they’re eating a crust-free peanut butter and jelly sandwich, we eat the crust and the interior of the meat.
So is there really a point to marinating? Yes and no, and it all comes down to what you’re making and how you’re cooking meat. Prime cuts of meat really taste the best with simple salting, this imparts a good crispy sear and seals in the moist juices. When you’re searing good cuts of meat, you generally do it over a high heat, meaning if you marinate a steak, the marinade would simply burn.
Other cuts of meats like flank steaks, which are very thin and a little tougher, benefit from marinades but only if it’s cooked over a medium cooking heat, which prevents the marinade ingredients from burning. Thin pieces of chicken are also great for marinades, soak chicken in white wine and garlic before breading and frying and you’ll have a moist but complexly flavored chicken parmesan.
So marinade lovers aren’t completely wrong, but you don’t need to marinade everything!