Michael Ruhlman's recent post on marinades and why those containing some form of acid are largely undesirable, got me thinking about why I don't like acidic marinades and why over the last couple of decades I have used them for experimental and didactic purposes only.
One of the reasons I don't like to soak meat in acidic liquid is that over the years my taste in food has become very narrowly focused on flavor profiles from the north of Italy and France, and what is probably best described as traditional foods from the East Coast and Southern (from Louisiana eastward) Untied States. And the flavor profile of meat soaked in lemon juice or vinegar really does not play much of a role in the cuisines of any of these areas. Of course, saying that I don't like meat soaked in acidic liquids because it does not conform to what I have grown to like is about as revealing as saying that I don't like it because because I don't like it. But not to worry. I'm not going to cop out on this. There are scientifically verifiable reasons why I chose not to use acidic marinades.
With the exception of marinades that contain protein digesting enzymes, acidic marinades are not usually strong enough to tenderize meat. In fact, they usually have the opposite effect and directly and indirectly cause the meat to toughen. Here's how.
- Whenever you lower the pH of muscle (make it acidic) it lessens its ability to hold water and interfere with the bonding of the protein molecules that make up the muscle fibers. So an acidic marinade will tend to dry out the outer layers of the meat making it tough and stringy as the muscle fibers lose water and fall apart.
- Lowering the pH of protein retards Maillard browning. So meat that has been marinated in an acidic marinade takes longer to brown thus causing the meat to take longer to look "cooked" Because it takes longer to look cooked (browned) it cooks too long, dries out and becomes tough.
In my investigations of how marinades behave, I have dropped the pH of meat so low that it turns to "leather" before it browns.
If there is sugar and or salt in an acidic marinade, these two substances will tend to ameliorate the negative effects of low pH because
- sugar promotes browning
- sugar and salt both enhance water retention
Now, I am very much aware that my dislike of acidic marinades is a direct result of my preference for the kinds of foods that come out of the cultures that exist in the geographic regions that I mentioned above. As a matter of experience, I know that there are cultures that love cooked meat that has been soaked in acidic liquids. I used to work with Haitian cooks who, when they were cooking for themselves, soaked thin cuts of meat in lime juice before dousing it with Tabasco (also acidic) and cooking it until it curled up like the east witch's feet. So I do not believe that it is "wrong" to use acidic marinades unless you are trying to cook like I do.