Lots of people believe that a tough piece of meat will be made tender by a good marinade, so they buy cheaper grades than they should. Unfortunately, that is not really the case. Good meat has to start out as good meat, and while many marinades taste great, they do not tenderize all that much. Let us look at three major categories of marinade and see how they work.
Marinades come in three basic types – acidic, enzymatic, and dairy. Acidic marinades that are too strong can make your food tough, while enzymatic marinades at an overly high strength will turn many steaks to mush. Dairy marinades can improve the tenderness of meat, but they are not necessarily suited to certain kinds of cooking.
Acid marinades are among the most common in Western cooking, and use vinegar, wine and citrus to denature the proteins in the meat, unwinding them and tangling them back together. The same general process occurs when we heat food. This mesh of proteins will trap water initially, and the steak will be more tender. However, highly acidic marinades will tighten those bonds further, forcing out the water and making the food tougher.
Milder acid marinades are preferable to really strong ones, since they allow us to add plenty of flavor without the danger of tightening the meat and toughening it. Meats that start out with a closer grain, including flank steak, will do okay in a stronger acidic marinade, but they are also tougher to being with.
Enzyme marinades actually have the ability to break down animal tissue, including muscle fiber and connective tissue. Many fruits contain enzymes that can break down protein, but papaya and pineapple are probably the most common. Overuse them, and they will create a mushy, unappealing piece of meat. The same thing happens if you use them too long. This kind of activity is present in commercial meat tenderizers, too.
The last category of easy steak marinades is based on mildly acidic dairy products, like yogurt or buttermilk. These are commonly used in India for goat and lamb, as well as for southern fried chicken.
Steaks can be interesting in this kind of marinade, but you may need to look at how you are cooking them, since this is not the most common type of marinade used for them. Try curry flavors along with your marinade for a good result.
Marinades do not have to be complicated, and if you know the kind of results to expect from your ingredients, you will have no problem getting a great end product every time. Take a little while to investigate the different varieties of marinades to find the one that is likely to go best with your steak. The results might surprise you.
Knowing the different types of marinades makes it easy and fun to make great steak every time you set out to make great steak. Just like there are different types of steak, there are different types of marinades and using the right marinade with the right cut of meat is a must but if you pair these two together properly, the results will be well worth the time and effort it takes to learn these tricks.
Looking for quality steak recipes and tips that will improve an already great steak? When you need to know how to make a great steak tips marinade you want to find out all the secrets to produce a great steak. But where do you get this information? These secrets can be found at http://www.EasySteakMarinades.net for advice informative articles and terrific recipes that you will love.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/so-what-are-the-principles-for-easy-steak-marinades-1446711.html
Filed under Recipe, Techniques by on Nov 11th, 2009. Comment. 
The time had come to light up the barbeque grill! There was only one small problem. With all the preparations he had made for the cookout, Frank had forgotten charcoal lighter! Not to be detoured by such a small detail, he entered the tool shed at the back of his yard and returned with a large can of gasoline.
Frank had built a gorgeous new backyard barbeque pit, whom, to the disgust of the brick masons, supervised every detail of the project. It was a beautiful fireplace style grill with the chimney just about head, high built of the same brick that covered his home.
Proud of owning the best looking barbeque pit in our neighborhood, Frank’s grill featured an arched flat black steel bonnet for enclosed cooking; with a warming tray built into the side of the brick pit to keep rare steaks from getting cold while others cooked longer. There was even a compartment built on the opposite side to house starter fluid for the charcoal.
After dumping a large amount of charcoal into the bed of the grill, he picked up the can of gasoline. By now the neighbors had begun to realize what Frank was about to do and began hollering at him to put down the gas can!
Several friends offered to run to their homes and get charcoal lighter fluid. No Way! Frank was determined to kick off this celebration with a big fire! He also guaranteed everyone that he knew what he was doing! He was enjoying the spotlight; being the center of attention!
He dumped the container of fuel over the charcoal and continued pouring even after the briquettes had been thoroughly drenched. Now came the moment of truth! He lit a match and with a melodramatic flair and tossed it onto the charcoal! Whoooomp!
Brick mortar is very porous and does not always bond perfectly to a surface without leaving a tiny crack in the joints between bricks. When gasoline fills that fissure, it will flow into the base of the structure, such as a barbeque pit.
Vapors from the gasoline that had flowed into the grill did what they do when they come in contact with a flame. The grill exploded! Bricks and mortar blasted into pieces and rained down from the sky onto all of us who had observed the big bang! No one was hurt because most of the crowd had run for cover when they saw what Frank was about to do.
He was slightly hurt by a fragment of brick skimming across the top of his head. Nothing serious, but his grill was destroyed! A few seconds before, it was a magnificent example of craftsmanship; something to be proud of and enjoy for years to come. Instantly it was just a pile of trash!
Although Frank has recovered from last year’s calamity, he has made plans to build an even bigger charcoal cooker than the last one. I doubt he will ever use gasoline to start a fire again!
Bob Alexander is well experienced in outdoor cooking, fishing and leisure living. Bob is also the author and owner of this article. Visit his sites at:
http://www.redfishbob.com
http://www.bluemarlinbob.com
Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/dont-use-gasoline-to-light-up-the-barbeque-grill-1330160.html
Filed under Techniques by on Oct 12th, 2009. Comment.
For many of us, getting out that grill is just the first step to making a great steak, and while there are lots of foods that do well on the grill, none of them are quite as good as the perfect steak. However, if you do not know what you are doing, it can be extremely difficult to produce a great steak. Lots of people say they have the best method, but choosing can be pretty tricky. Here is a quick overview of how long and how hot you should cook your steak.
Step one is remembering that you do not start with cooking. You start by selecting the best possible steak, and some people even purchase a whole tenderloin and butcher it themselves to make sure they’re getting great meat.
You will need to look for steaks that are three to five ounces each, whether you cut them yourself or buy them. Consistency is important, since consistent thickness and size mean your steaks will be a lot more reliable when you cook them.
The next step is learning to cook beef on the grill, if you do not already know how. Many people think that grilling takes no skill at all, but they would be wrong. If you do not know what you are doing, you will get meat that is safe to eat, but does not have a lot of taste. Remember that grilling is a fast, intense type of cooking, which makes your mistakes that much more difficult to work around.
Be sure your grill is very hot and your steak is seasoned correctly before you start cooking. Seasoning should be gentle enough to allow you to taste the meat, but strong enough to complement the flavor of the beef. Put the side you would like to show off on the plate down on the grill, and cook it until it is about three quarters of the way done. Then flip it and finish it to your preferences. Grilling beef does not have to be complex if you pay attention.
So, how long to cook a steak, and how hot should it be? Unfortunately, the answers start getting complicated pretty quickly. Usually, all we can say is that you should cook a steak till it is done. However, the process of cooking a steak is something that happens the same way every time, as long as you know what you are looking for. Keep an eye on the changes that happen in the meat to know when your steak is ready for eating.
At a hundred sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit, the proteins begin to coagulate, and the steak will shrink and stiffen, with sides that begin to tend toward gray or brown. At three hundred twenty degrees, the grill marks start to show and the sweet smell that says the steak is cooking right begins to appear.
The steak will then begin to bubble, as the juices come up from the bottom. At this point, the steak is half to three quarters done, and it is time to flip it.
Looking for quality steak recipes and tips that will improve an already great steak? When you need to know how long to grill a steak, you want to find out all the secrets to produce a great steak. But where do you get this information? These secrets can be found at http://www.EasySteakMarinades.net/ for advice, informative articles, and terrific recipes that you will love.Article Source:http://www.articlesbase.com/food-and-beverage-articles/so-what-is-the-best-cooking-temperature-for-steak-1247096.html
Filed under Techniques by on Sep 18th, 2009. Comment.
