Consider This Tip To Avoid Marinating Lamb To Mush

Lamb is delectable. It's also pricey, and may not be most people's go-to compared to more common proteins, like chicken and steak. And like any meat, it has rules of its own. Techniques that work for pork or beef won't necessarily work well with lamb. Sure, you may know how to marinate a cut of steak, but how long should lamb soak?

There's no hard answer. As a general rule, marinate lamb for four or five hours. Different cuts should marinate for different amounts of time, though. A leg of lamb can marinate for up to 24 hours, while a day-long soak risks making lamb chops mushy.

The ingredients in your marinade matter, too. If the recipe that you're using is heavy on salt, sugar, or acids, the meat will break down quickly. If you know that your meat will be marinating for a long time — say, if you have a busy day ahead and won't be back until later — go easy on those ingredients. Need help? Stick to the perfect marinade ratio of three parts fat, to one part acid, and one part seasoning.

Struggling to fit a marinade into your schedule? Remember that the purpose of a marinade isn't just seasoning or tenderizing the meat. It also adds flavor from the outside; when marinade-soaked meat hits the pan, the marinade caramelizes into a crispy crust. A 30-minute marinade is better than nothing, and preferable to an overnight soak for tender meats like spring lamb.

Sometimes, life gets in the way and you leave a marinade in the fridge for too long. While it's safe to marinate meat for over 24 hours, the meat will start to break down around day two. But even if mushy meat sounds appealing to you, you should avoid longer marinades.

Most cuts of raw lamb last for three to five days in the fridge (though ground lamb gets iffy after 48 hours). However, that doesn't mean that it's safe to marinate lamb for the better part of a business week. The ingredients in the marinade make a difference, too. One helpful guideline to remember is that, generally, foods only last until the first ingredient expires. So if your marinade contains ingredients that go bad faster than others, like chopped garlic, onions, or dairy, leaving your marinating meat in the fridge too long can be a recipe for disaster. 

Remember to follow other safety rules for marinades, too. Be sure to avoid brushing used marinades over meat while it's cooking, since the raw juices might not fully cook and could potentially make the meat unsafe. If you want to baste with leftover marinade, the department recommends boiling it first. The USDA also warns against saving leftover marinade for later. If you want to reuse a marinade or skip the boiling, you should reserve a portion of it to use for later.