Kebab lovers should take note: how long can marinated meat be stored in the refrigerator and without?

Marinating is a necessary stage in preparing meat for further preparation of kebab.

Marinade not only gives the product a unique taste, but also gives a preservative effect, preventing spoilage.

But even in this case, meat has a limited shelf life and requires compliance with storage rules.

We will tell you later how long marinated meat can be stored in the refrigerator, freezer, at room temperature and in a marinade.

Shelf life

Marinated meat is a perishable product. Its shelf life depends on a number of factors.

Among the main ones:

• organizing suitable conditions;
• the original state of the cape itself;
• type of marinade.

Fridge

The refrigerator provides optimal conditions for the pickled product. The recommended time for keeping meat in the marinade in the cold is one day, maximum two days.

The temperature in the chamber should not be higher than +5? C. And the sauce should not contain perishable ingredients.

Sauces based on:

• dry wine,
• vinegar,
• lemon juice.

Freezer

It is not advisable to freeze marinated meat. But if the situation is forced, then this can be done.

Procedure:

1. Transfer the pieces into a plastic container or a tight sealed bag.
2. It is advisable not to place vegetables with meat.
3. It is recommended to drain off the excess marinade.
4. For reliability, the workpiece can be placed not in one, but in two bags, carefully tying them or fastening them with a zip fastener.

At room temperature

You should not store barbecue meat at room temperature for a long time (longer than two hours). If the weather is very hot outside, then the time spent in the heat is further reduced and cannot be longer than an hour.

The barbecue preparation is placed in it straight from the refrigerator, and they go on a picnic. Ready kebab should also not be stored in a warm place..

In the marinade

When preparing meat for future barbecue, you need to thoroughly mix all the pieces so that each of them is in the marinade on all sides. It is in this case that the product will not only be more tasty after cooking, but will also be better preserved until the moment of cooking.

Chicken, pork, beef

The shelf life of marinated meat products in the cold is on average up to a couple of days.

There is no clear dependence on the type of meat. At the same time, it remains important what the marinade itself is made from, since some types of sauces can significantly reduce the shelf life.

If several types of meat are marinated, then a separate container should be allocated for each.

Container, temperature, conditions

To ensure that meat marinated for barbecue not only does not go to waste, but also retains its taste and consistency to the maximum, it is necessary to adhere to the rules for preparing and storing the product.

Important requirements are:

• cold storage;
• finding the workpiece under the lid;
• isolation from other products;
• protection from direct sunlight;
• avoiding exceeding storage periods.

It is also important to choose the right container. Suitable for these purposes:

• polyethylene packaging;
• enamel pan;
• Plastic container;
• glass container.

The following utensils should not be used:

• stainless steel;
• aluminum;
• cast iron;
• copper;
• wooden containers.

Home-pickled

If meat is marinated at home, it is important to follow the cooking technology and choose only high-quality products.

The meat, cut into separate pieces, is marinated and left in a container with a lid. The semi-finished product must be put in the cold.

The best conditions for storage for 1-2 days are in the refrigerator. If there were a lot of meat pieces prepared, then some of them can also be moved to the freezer in an airtight container - a plastic container with a lid or a zip-lock bag.

It is important to minimize air access to the product. Therefore, the semi-finished product should be packed tightly, and the container should be selected according to size - not too large and not too small. This will prevent chapping and help maintain juiciness.

If the kebab marinating container does not have a lid, you can use foil, pressing it tightly around the perimeter.

Shop

Meat that has been marinated industrially should be kept cold until cooked. Storage conditions and terms are indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging. If this information is not available, you should not purchase such a product.

Ready kebab

Meat cooked on the grill and pre-marinated also has a limited shelf life. In warm weather, and without a refrigerator, it can be kept for no more than 5 hours.

If the air temperature is very high, then even less, no more than an hour. Placed in a cold container with a lid, this dish can be used within 4 days.

If you need to extend the shelf life of the product, Can be vacuum packed and/or frozen. With this approach, the prepared dish can last up to 2 months.

If kebab is prepared in different batches with an interval of several hours or days, then it should be stored separately, and the one that was prepared earlier should be eaten first.

When storing shish kebab, it is recommended to keep meat separate from vegetables.

7 useful tips

When marinating meat for barbecue, various recipes can be used. But in all cases, the following basic recommendations should be followed:

1. When raw, different types of meat should be separated into separate containers.
2. If the pickled product was previously frozen, then you need to defrost it gradually, first by simply moving it to the refrigerator shelf.
3. The meat must be washed and dried before marinating. Leaving moisture on the cut pieces will trigger oxidation processes and speed up souring.
4. The finished kebab and the marinated one should not touch.
5. If fermented milk products are used in the marinade, the shelf life of the product is reduced. Meat that is marinated along with fresh vegetables can also sit for less time.
6. The shelf life of barbecue preparations can be increased by adding vinegar, alcohol, salt, sugar and hot spices.
7. Once defrosted after freezing, marinated meat is not re-frozen.

Conclusion

The shelf life of marinated meat depends on several factors. The ideal conditions corresponding to the technology are that the product is in the refrigerator, but other options can be used.

Prepared products are also perishable and has a limited shelf life. This point must be taken into account when planning a barbecue.