Game marinades are special in that they noticeably change the taste of the product. The final taste and aftertaste of the dish is in the hands of the chef, he can determine it and create a wide range of flavors for the same dish.
Types of marinades
The word "pickling" comes from the Latin word marinus, meaning sea water used to preserve food. The original meaning of this word was different from today's understanding of pickling - usually the salt used at that time was not supposed to affect the taste of the product, but to help keep the meat as long as possible or even to destroy the bacteria that had grown in it.
The main purpose of marinating is to allow the food to absorb the desired flavors and aromas, and also to soften the meat. Many centuries ago, Indians knew how to marinate meat by wrapping pieces of it in papaya leaves. the meat became tender as the enzyme in the leaves broke down its proteins. Today, vinegar and wine are more popular marinade additives.
Marinating is thought to tenderize meat only if it is not pounded or otherwise processed. The more we cut the meat, the more its juice and marinade will flow out during frying or cooking.
There are many different types of marinades, but four main categories can be distinguished:
- Liquid and unprocessed - the meat is soaked in oil, vinegar and sprinkled with spices. Larger pieces of it can be left in the marinade for several hours or overnight. After removing the meat, the marinade can be used for further cooking;
- Liquid - they contain a lot of spices, but not sour or "killing" the natural taste of the product;
- Boiled - they are boiled with the addition of various spices, then cooled. Since spices or aromatic additives are added while baking, the desired aroma is absorbed better;
- Fast - they are similar to liquid and raw marinades, the only difference is that in this case the meat is kept in the marinade for a much shorter time, because it is very strong (high concentration of spices). The main ingredients are lemon juice, chili and salt.
Peculiarities of game processing
Wild animal meat dishes are quite popular in Lithuania. Game meat is very different from the meat of domestic animals. Animals living in freedom are constantly moving, their muscles are well developed, they are not covered with fat and blood vessels, and fat accumulates in the abdominal cavity. Therefore, the game is dark, hard, lean, with coarse fibers.
Forest grasses, berries, stems and roots of young trees, which wild animals eat, give the meat a unique taste and aroma. It tastes best in autumn, when the animals are fattened. The culinary value of game is determined by the age, species and sex of the animal. The tastiest, tenderest and easiest to prepare is the meat of young animals. It does not need to be marinated and heat treated for a long time, you can prepare a variety of steaks from this meat.
The meat of young animals can be prepared after two days, while the meat of older animals is marinated longer, even for a week. Experienced chefs, not wanting to change the taste of young roe deer meat, do not marinate it at all. It is very important to know what kind of dish you will need to prepare: if you are going to stew the meat, you should marinate it for a shorter time, if you are going to fry a large ham, marinate it longer. Also, the meat of an old animal needs to be marinated longer, and in order to make it softer and more fragrant, you need to add various spices. Here, for example, wild boar has a specific smell, which is "killed" by juniper berries.
Spices and marinating time
The preparation of a good marinade is determined not only by its additives, but also by their exact ratio and coordination.
The most commonly used spices for marinade are pepper, thyme, bay leaves, rosemary, marjoram, red and white wine, garlic, salt, lemon peels, oil (for rubbing the meat with), nutmeg and dried fir and pine needles, juniper berries, which give the meat a pleasant smell. Salt should be used carefully, because if the meat is kept in it for a longer time, the juice will escape from it, and the dish will be dry.
Depending on the size of the piece of meat, marinating can last from several hours to one week. If we are preparing to fry a large venison ham, we marinate it for a week and only add salt 12 hours before frying.
Marinade base, acidity and spices are the most important components of every marinade. Oils are usually chosen for the base, and vinegar, lemon or soy juice for the acid. When we use more acidic additives, the marinating should be shorter.
Part of the vinegar can be replaced with mild wine or lemon juice - the meat will be more aromatic and tastier. Marinade is also prepared from oil with wine vinegar, less often with beer. Onions and other vegetables can be added to the marinade.
Young game and softer parts of the carcass can be kept in sweet milk or sour milk, whey, wrapped in nettles for a few hours in clay, enamel, porcelain or glass containers.
It is advisable to keep the meat at a temperature of 7 degrees, turning it every day - then it will absorb the desired taste and aroma equally. Game can be marinated dry. Then the meat is rubbed with dry spice mixtures, covered with onion slices, sprinkled with oil or vinegar (lemon juice is possible) and placed in a ceramic dish.
RECIPES
Cooked marinade
2 parts water, 1 part vinegar, black, allspice, bay leaves, thyme, spiced vegetables. meat is poured with boiled and cooled marinade.
Wine marinade
5 parts dry white wine, 2 parts vinegar, 1 part oil, celery, garlic, cloves, thyme, bay leaves, allspice and black pepper, salt. this marinade is poured over the meat.
Source: http://www.gurmanogidas.lt/
prepared by marytė petkevičienė, rytis davidovičius
