Food QTNA, dumb or not

[Hornbeliever 712]

Maybe this becomes a place you can ask questions on food.  Or maybe you just answer this question that I actually would like to know.

i am hosting a Saturday lunch before the game.  Marinated fajitas cooked on the griddle are what has been requested but due to certain events, I have to buy the marinated fajitas from a meat market on Thursday (tomorrow).   However, I just read various articles that you shouldn’t marinade for more than 24 hours before cooking for several reasons that all seem logical.

Hence my question:  Mexican meat market marinated fajitas were marinated but now out of the liquid so can I buy them 48 hours before cooking without affecting the taste or texture?   Or even though out of liquid, that length of time would negatively affect the meal?   At the root is the definition of marinate I guess.

[Zepol87 9185]

I’ve frozen fajita marinada for a few days many times before cooking. Never had an issue 

[Shaddie 1651]

No chef here but some simple rules. 
 

Depends on the marinade. Using lots of acid (citrus, vinegar or such) will break the meat down to mush if allowed to sit too long. 
 

Pineapple is a good marinade but 12-24 is max, otherwise it will mush stuff up. Olive oil plus spices is usually ok for longer but still got to be careful. 
Having said that my guess is market marinade will usually be mostly olive oil and spices. Might ask the guy at meat counter to be sure. 
 

Edited October 17 by Shaddie

[jimmyjazz 45877]

Rinse them off when you get them, refrigerate, and season lightly before cooking?

[gsoda3 3245]

The HEB stuff is in the bag for days on end and I can't remember having bad experiences with that. Should be alright unless your cut of meat is bad to begin with 

[hornbri 1391]

28 minutes ago, gsoda3 said:

The HEB stuff is in the bag for days on end and I can't remember having bad experiences with that. Should be alright unless your cut of meat is bad to begin with 

This 

I supposed if your marinade had enough acid it would matter, but I think most stuff you get at a meat market is going to be fine. 

[SydneyCarton 48051]

12 hours ago, Hornbeliever said:

Maybe this becomes a place you can ask questions on food.  Or maybe you just answer this question that I actually would like to know.

i am hosting a Saturday lunch before the game.  Marinated fajitas cooked on the griddle are what has been requested but due to certain events, I have to buy the marinated fajitas from a meat market on Thursday (tomorrow).   However, I just read various articles that you shouldn’t marinade for more than 24 hours before cooking for several reasons that all seem logical.

Hence my question:  Mexican meat market marinated fajitas were marinated but now out of the liquid so can I buy them 48 hours before cooking without affecting the taste or texture?   Or even though out of liquid, that length of time would negatively affect the meal?   At the root is the definition of marinate I guess.

Why don't you just buy the meat at the meat market on Friday instead of today? Or saturday morning? Meat Markets in my neck of the woods (houston) generally open anywhere from 5 to 8 am, even on weekends.

also, I seriously doubt meat markets are throwing away meat that's been marinated 24 hours too long, so if you've bought meat market food before and it's been fine I wouldn't overthink it. 

Edited October 17 by SydneyCarton

[luke duke 6412]

You’re overthinking this. You’ll be fine.
Also, I would use a grill, not a griddle, for fajitas. Save the griddle for peppers and onions. Get some tablitas while you’re at the Mexican grocery store. You can thank me later.

[Deej 76750]

Just have plenty of toilet paper on hand for your guests in case things go bad with the meat. Maybe rent a porta potty or two?

[Steel Shank 9421]

this or Costco's

[Hornbeliever 712]

11 hours ago, SydneyCarton said:

Why don't you just buy the meat at the meat market on Friday instead of today? Or saturday morning? Meat Markets in my neck of the woods (houston) generally open anywhere from 5 to 8 am, even on weekends.

also, I seriously doubt meat markets are throwing away meat that's been marinated 24 hours too long, so if you've bought meat market food before and it's been fine I wouldn't overthink it. 

Didn’t get into details since I felt I bored you enough with the long question but since you asked haha….i had to leave today from Houston to our country house near La Grange because a plumber is coming early tmrw morning.  We regularly buy Michoacana fajitas and chorizo and spare ribs on a Friday and we make them on saturday but this time, because I came up one day earlier than normal, it made me start thinking about this marinade question.

and the closest grocery store is 25 minutes from house so we do everything possible to not forget or screw up food stuff because it’s a full hour back and forth for one fucking ingredient.

And y’all gave me courage so I bought 12 lbs of meat from them and feel good about it.  I’ve never been nervous of sickness, just that meat becomes too soft and texture isn’t ideal.  

[Hornbeliever 712]

11 hours ago, luke duke said:

You’re overthinking this. You’ll be fine.
Also, I would use a grill, not a griddle, for fajitas. Save the griddle for peppers and onions. Get some tablitas while you’re at the Mexican grocery store. You can thank me later.

Tablitas are delish and regularly purchased.  We don’t have grill at this house, just a live fire Santa Maria contraption and a big blackstone.  Griddle is fantastic for peppers and onions but I also cook fajitas and costillas and chorizo on there too for one stop shopping.  For live fire stuff, save that for chickens, steaks and shrimps plus veggies in cast irons and lard French fries.  Ps French fries made in lard will cost you 5 lbs of your life

[RPM 26315]

Do you have any Eye-talian dressing?

[CooterBrown 18001]

On 10/16/2024 at 8:21 PM, Shaddie said:

Pineapple is a good marinade but 12-24 is max, otherwise it will mush stuff up. Olive oil plus spices is usually ok for longer but still got to be careful. 
Having said that my guess is market marinade will usually be mostly olive oil and spices. Might ask the guy at meat counter to be sure. 
 

Just an FYI, the tenderizing enzyme in pineapple, bromelain, is only in fresh pineapple.  The canning process kills all the enzymes.  So, if you're using canned juice, it's only for flavor and you can leave it for a long time in the marinade.  If you use fresh pineapple, I've never had a good result with more than 8 hours in the marinade.  I did some tablitas overnight once and it was so tender, that half the meat fell through the grates while grilling.