On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:22:24 -0500, Sky
wrote:

Sometimes, I'll use some Kraft Zesty Italian dressing as a marinade for
flank steak (grilled rare to med-rare).

Oh...that is good. Also, Kraft French Dressing is good topping for
left over roast beef slices. Put under the boiler until bubbly.

On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 13:19:08 -0700 (PDT), Bobo Bonobo®
wrote:

On Jun 13, 7:14*am, Billy Hereiam@hotmaildotcom wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 07:28:24 -0400, "Nancy Young"
wrote:

This is my hands down favorite:

Sounds good. * It is amazing how cheap flank steak was before fajitas
became popular. * It was a piece of meat not many would buy!

It was never cheap in St. Louis. It is the one cut of beef that
almost never went on sale.

I don't know how old you are...but in 1955, it was 19 to 25 cents a
pound. No one would eat that price of beef....it was dog food
quality.

Billy wrote:
On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 14:48:07 -0400, "Nancy Young"
wrote:

Goomba wrote:
Gloria P wrote:

I have marinated anywhere from an hour to overnight (20 hrs?)
Cooks Illustrated says marinating longer than 20 minutes makes
the meat "mushy" but we've never experienced that.
I've experienced it with chicken on odd occasions, but NEVER with beef
or lamb.

Just as with cheviche, the lime juice starts cooking the chicken if
left too long in the marinade. It will become mushy.

But I think chicken leans to being more vulnerable to this than beef.

In article ,
"Nancy Young" wrote:

One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. It was
mushy. 20 minutes? You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.

nancy

I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Huffy and Bubbles Do France: http://www.jamlady.eboard.com

In article ,
blake murphy wrote:

yep, that will be very good. there are many variations, but this hits
the high spots. (i wish i had a heat source hot enough to char it on
the outside and still have a rare interior. damn apartment dwelling!)

your pal,
blake

Your stove doesn't have a broiler? Complain to the manager!
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Huffy and Bubbles Do France: http://www.jamlady.eboard.com

On Sat, 14 Jun 2008 13:07:51 -0500, Melba's Jammin'
wrote:

In article ,
blake murphy wrote:

yep, that will be very good. there are many variations, but this hits
the high spots. (i wish i had a heat source hot enough to char it on
the outside and still have a rare interior. damn apartment dwelling!)

Don't you have a fire escape? Set a hibachi or small Weber out there.


--
I never worry about diets. The only carrots that interest me are the number of carats in a diamond.

Mae West

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

"Nancy Young" wrote:

One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. It was
mushy. 20 minutes? You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.

I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.

Definitely, though I had the idea marinade contains some
acid by definition.

nancy

Nancy Young wrote:

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

"Nancy Young" wrote:

One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. It was
mushy. 20 minutes? You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.

I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.

Definitely, though I had the idea marinade contains some
acid by definition.

Yes, without acid it might be a brine but not a marinade.

Steve
nancy

"Nancy Young" wrote:
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
"Nancy Young" wrote:

One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. *It was
mushy. *20 minutes? *You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.
I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.

Definitely, though I had the idea marinade contains some
acid by definition.

Not all marinades are designed to tenderize, some only add flavor.
With pineapple it's not so much acid, fresh pineapple contains a meat
tenderizing enzyme (bromelain) it works fairly rapidly, don't let meat
rest in it more than a couple hours or it will become digested, you'll
have steak with a texture somewhere between mashed potatoes and
liverwurst. Papaya contains a similar enzyme.

meat tenderizers
Hanging and aging is how many meat processors tenderize meat, but the
home cook can easily do so by simple mechanical or chemical methods.
Tenderizing meat mechanically is accomplished by breaking down the
meat's tough fibers through pounding. Meat pounders (also called meat
bats, mallets and tenderizers ) come in metal or wood and in a
plethora of sizes and shapes. They can be large or small, have
horizontal or vertical handles and be round-, square- or mallet-
shaped. Some have smooth surfaces while others are ridged. Tenderizing
meat chemically refers to softening the meat fibers by long, slow
cooking, by MARINATING it in an acid-based MARINADE, or by using a
commercial meat tenderizer. Most forms of the latter are a white
powder, composed mostly of a papaya extract called papain, an enzyme
that breaks down tough meat fibers. The use of this enzyme is nothing
new — South American cooks have been using papaya juice to tenderize
meat for ages. Powdered meat tenderizer is available at most
supermarkets. Most brands contain salt, sugar (in the form of
DEXTROSE) and the anticaking agent calcium stearate.

© Copyright Barron's Educational Services, Inc. 1995 based on THE FOOD
LOVER'S COMPANION, 2nd edition, by Sharon Tyler Herbst.

On Jun 14, 3:52�pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
Nancy Young wrote:
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
"Nancy Young" wrote:
One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. �It was
mushy. �20 minutes? �You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.
I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.
Definitely, though I had the idea marinade contains some
acid by definition.

Yes, without acid it might be a brine but not a marinade.

Steve

Nonsense. Idiot.

"Sheldon" wrote in message
...
On Jun 14, 3:52?pm, (Steve Pope) wrote:
Nancy Young wrote:
Melba's Jammin' wrote:
"Nancy Young" wrote:
One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. ?It was
mushy. ?20 minutes? ?You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.
I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.
Definitely, though I had the idea marinade contains some
acid by definition.

Yes, without acid it might be a brine but not a marinade.

Steve

Nonsense. Idiot.

I love the way Sheldon signs his comments these days, this is the second
time. Must be a sign it is true.
Elly

On Fri, 13 Jun 2008 10:06:44 -0600, Gloria P
wrote:

wrote:
I want to grill a flank steak. I've done it before but I'm looking for some new
marinades. Anyone have a favorite? Also, how long to marinate? I know I can
Google this but I'd like to hear what regular folks like to do.Thanks.


For many years we have had flank marinated with:
(amounts are approximate)

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vermouth or dry sherry
finely chopped onion
minced or grated garlic
a few scrapes of ginger
1 or 2 tsp. sugar
fresh ground black pepper

Mix well and pour over flank in a zip-lock bag. Refrigerate.

I have marinated anywhere from an hour to overnight (20 hrs?)
Cooks Illustrated says marinating longer than 20 minutes makes
the meat "mushy" but we've never experienced that.

gloria p

while we're on the subject, the washington *post* had an article in
their food section on june 11:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/06/10/AR2008061000614.html

The Myth About Marinades
A Flavor Bath, In a Flash

Putting together my favorite marinade takes some time, not least
because I allow it to.

I always start with red wine: one glass for me, one for the marinade.
Then I set the two apart by adding garlic and chopped parsley to the
wine I won't be drinking. When I pick some thyme from the veranda and
rub the leaves between my hands, my kitchen fills with the smell of
the Greek islands and never-ending summer. I throw the leaves in,
along with grinds of black pepper, a crushed bay leaf and sometimes a
drop or two of Tabasco, for temperament.

I taste and adjust, adding a little sugar, some soy sauce. When I am
satisfied that the marinade is just right, I pour it over a couple of
steaks.

While the meat is marinating, I indulge in a ritual to pass the time:
I count to four. One, two, three, four. That's it. And finally I can
dedicate myself to the masculine cooking technique that involves the
burning of eyebrows, slight smoke poisoning and the charring of meat
over red-hot coals.

Marinating meat is one of those mysterious fields in the world of
cooking in which there are plenty of opinions and few facts; an area
that many people -- mostly men -- claim to master but few can explain.


....which seems kinda fishy to me. he also says he will return the
meat to the marinade during the process of cooking. he claims the
food scientist harold mcgee backs him up on this in that the marinade
doesn't greatly penetrate the meat no matter how long you marinate.

it would be very interesting to me to see what others think of the
article. it seems counterintuitive, to say the least.

your pal,
blake

In article ,
"Nancy Young" wrote:

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

"Nancy Young" wrote:

One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. It was
mushy. 20 minutes? You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.

I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.

Definitely, though I had the idea marinade contains some
acid by definition.

nancy

I think you're probably right -- I'm thinking about the amount.
Have you ever had a chicken breast get mushy before it's cooked. Blech.
It's gross. IMO.
--
-Barb, Mother Superior, HOSSSPoJ
Huffy and Bubbles Do France: http://www.jamlady.eboard.com

blake wrote on Sat, 14 Jun 2008 20:59:29 GMT:

wrote:
I want to grill a flank steak. I've done it before but I'm
looking for some new marinades. Anyone have a favorite?
Also, how long to marinate? I know I can Google this but I'd
like to hear what regular folks like to do.Thanks.

For many years we have had flank marinated with:
(amounts are approximate)

3/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup vermouth or dry sherry
finely chopped onion
minced or grated garlic
a few scrapes of ginger
1 or 2 tsp. sugar
fresh ground black pepper

Mix well and pour over flank in a zip-lock bag. Refrigerate.

I have marinated anywhere from an hour to overnight (20 hrs?)
Cooks Illustrated says marinating longer than 20 minutes
makes the meat "mushy" but we've never experienced that.

gloria p

while we're on the subject, the washington *post* had an
article in their food section on june 11:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...ticle/2008/06/
10/AR2008061000614.html

The Myth About Marinades
A Flavor Bath, In a Flash

Putting together my favorite marinade takes some time, not
least because I allow it to.

I always start with red wine: one glass for me, one for the
marinade. Then I set the two apart by adding garlic and
chopped parsley to the wine I won't be drinking. When I pick
some thyme from the veranda and rub the leaves between my
hands, my kitchen fills with the smell of the Greek islands
and never-ending summer. I throw the leaves in, along with
grinds of black pepper, a crushed bay leaf and sometimes a
drop or two of Tabasco, for temperament.

I taste and adjust, adding a little sugar, some soy sauce.
When I am satisfied that the marinade is just right, I pour it
over a couple of steaks.

While the meat is marinating, I indulge in a ritual to pass
the time: I count to four. One, two, three, four. That's it. And
finally I can dedicate myself to the masculine cooking
technique that involves the burning of eyebrows, slight smoke
poisoning and the charring of meat over red-hot coals.

Marinating meat is one of those mysterious fields in the world
of cooking in which there are plenty of opinions and few
facts; an area that many people -- mostly men -- claim to
master but few can explain.

...which seems kinda fishy to me. he also says he will return
the meat to the marinade during the process of cooking. he
claims the food scientist harold mcgee backs him up on this in
that the marinade doesn't greatly penetrate the meat no matter
how long you marinate.

it would be very interesting to me to see what others think of
the article. it seems counterintuitive, to say the least.

It's very untraditional but quite often there is very little taste from
the marinade unless a substantial amount is left on the surface of the
food when cooking. I am pretty well convinced by the Washington Post
article. I am going to cook some salmon where the recipe calls for
marinading for 12 to 36 hours and, AFAICS, an hour is enough.

It would not surprise me at all if traditional wisdom is wrong and has
never been tested. Just think about how long people were treated,
according to traditional medical wisdom, by the use of horrible bland
diets for stomach ulcers that were due to bacteria.

--

James Silverton
Potomac, Maryland

E-mail, with obvious alterations: not.jim.silverton.at.verizon.not

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

"Nancy Young" wrote:

Melba's Jammin' wrote:

"Nancy Young" wrote:

One time it worked out that I wasn't able to make a flank
steak that I'd marinated so I made it the next day. It was
mushy. 20 minutes? You'd hardly noticed you'd marinated
the flank steak, I think 4 hours is too short.

I'm thinking that's the acid in your pineapple juice.

Definitely, though I had the idea marinade contains some
acid by definition.

I think you're probably right -- I'm thinking about the amount.
Have you ever had a chicken breast get mushy before it's cooked.
Blech. It's gross. IMO.

I can just picture it. Yuck. I know there is a 'too long' to marinating,
and it's different depending on the cut of meat. I think it would
take a shorter time for chicken to go ... digested looking, for lack
of a better term. Ugh.

nancy