The Basic Mechanics of Marinating Meat
Let’s talk about meat real quick. As this is the category of food many of us most oftentimes find ourselves marinating, taking a moment to touch on the science behind how your marinade interacts with meat seems in order. Note: When I say “meat,” I am lumping together chicken, beef, lamb, and pork… the common animal proteins that find their way into an oil + acid marinade.
Driskill explains that the moisture present in the proteins that make up your beef/lamb/poultry/pork flesh is what makes marinade absorption possible. Similar to how a dry brine works, the salt in a marinade draws moisture out of the meat, allowing the salt (as well as the marinade’s sugar component) to interact on the surface of the meat. Because of the moisture lost, the soaking meat will eventually start to draw moisture back in—thus, drawing in the salty and sweet elements of the marinade deeper into the meat (other flavoring components are largely restricted to the surface of the meat).