How long does marinated barbecue meat last?

It happens that plans change and the meat prepared in advance does not work out. How long does marinated meat stay fresh in the refrigerator in various marinades? How long does cooked kebab stay fresh? How to extend the shelf life of pickled food? Can marinated meat be frozen? The answers to all these questions are discussed in detail in the article.

2. How long can ready-made kebab be stored?

2.1. Video: how to marinate meat correctly

2.2. Video: how to marinate meat 2.2.1. Related articles:

General rules for marinating meat

Marinating meat products is a whole science; the final result depends on how correctly the process goes. To get a delicious kebab, use only fresh meat.

Signs of a fresh product:

presence of uniform color;
absence of foreign fragments, stains, shades;
dark red color of lamb;
red for beef, pink for veal and pork;
light, soft pink color of poultry meat.

A fresh, pleasant, slightly perceptible smell is a sign of the freshness of the product. The presence of a pungent aroma should alert you and make you refuse such meat.

When a meat product is purchased several days before a picnic, you need to properly preserve it to prevent spoilage. Chilled meat is stored for 2 days on a refrigerator shelf at a temperature of 0 to -3 degrees (pork can be stored for up to 5 days under the same conditions).

General rules for marinating meat:

Cut the product into large, oblong pieces; this will save you from the difficulty of threading them onto skewers. Make the pieces approximately the same size so the meat will cook evenly.
To improve the interaction between onions and meat, you need to puree them (use only the juice obtained) or cut the onions into traditional rings.
Add a small amount of vegetable oil, it will take the aromas of the spices and release them to the meat.
Add salt when the dish is ready, otherwise it will turn out dry. Another option for adding salt is to add salt to the pre-chopped onions (this will release more juice).
Marinate in containers made of glass, ceramics, or enameled metal. Do not use aluminum, it can oxidize.
The time for marinating shish kebab varies; some recipes require the meat to be in the marinade for about an hour, others require 24-hour aging. Store food marinated for longer than 60 minutes on a shelf in the refrigerator or basement.

How to distinguish fresh meat from stale meat

To keep meat in marinade for as long as possible, you need to immediately choose a good, high-quality product. Buy meat only in stores and supermarkets, but under no circumstances in spontaneous markets.

Everyone should know their consumer rights. If you have doubts about the quality of meat, ask the seller for a certificate of conformity and veterinary documents. If they refuse to provide them to you, you can safely look for another store.

We recommend reading: How long does vacuum-packed meat last?

How long meat can remain in the marinade depends on its initial freshness. Therefore, never buy ready-made raw shish kebab in bulk - you don’t know how long the meat lay on the counter before marinating.

There are three ways to determine the freshness of meat:

according to the color of the pulp;
by smell;
using palpation.

Depending on the type of meat, its color can vary from dark red to pale pink. The main thing is that this color is uniform, without dark spots. If there are dark spots on the meat, it means it has lain for more than a day at room temperature. It would be better to refuse to purchase such a product - you will only give yourself food poisoning.

You can tell whether the meat is fresh or not by the color of the juice. Cut the meat or ask the seller to do it. A good product will release a clear red liquid from the cut. If the liquid is cloudy, it means the meat is definitely stale.

The staleness of meat is indicated by its surface being too dry or, conversely, too sticky.

Good meat always has a pleasant, even slightly milky smell. Under no circumstances should you buy a product that smells!

Press the surface of the meat with your finger. When you remove your finger, the meat should “return” to its original shape.

Where to store marinated meat for barbecue

The pickled product is easy to find on grocery store shelves. But barbecue meat prepared by yourself undoubtedly has better taste, freshness, and quality.

Store marinated meat in the refrigerator. A temperature of no more than 5 degrees does not interfere with the marinating process. The shelf life of products depends on the products included in the marinade.

Shelf life of marinated meat:

mayonnaise, kefir – 24 hours;
vinegar, lemon, onion – up to 3 days;
wine, kvass, beer – 24 hours;
mineral water – up to 12 hours;
vegetable oil – up to 2 days;
tropical fruits – up to 2 hours.

Containers for storing marinated meat:

glassware (for example, jars with different volumes);
enameled containers, without chips of enamel;
stainless steel bowls;
clay jugs;
vacuum bags: oxygen does not penetrate inside, this slows down the flow of oxidative processes (for the same purpose, any containers are covered with thick cling film).

Vacuum packaging allows you to store meat for up to 7 days on the refrigerator shelf at a temperature of 5 degrees. If you put it in the freezer, the shelf life will increase to three months (at -18 degrees).

If special vacuum bags are not available, place the marinated meat in zip-lock bags. First, squeeze the air out of the bags, then close it. Inside the freezer, meat packaged in this way can be stored for up to 3 months.

Metal utensils cannot be used; they provoke the onset of oxidative reactions, which is why the product is more likely to deteriorate.

You can extend the shelf life of the marinade by adding products with an antibacterial effect - onions, garlic, pepper. The use of iodized salt, which increases the shelf life of meat, deserves special attention.

Purchasing already marinated meat has its limitations. This product retains its properties unchanged throughout the day. After this time has passed, meat cannot be consumed. The exception will be kebabs packaged in plastic buckets. They have an expiration date indicated by the manufacturer on the packaging.

Shish kebab after expiration date

Now a few words about the signs of spoilage of marinated meat for barbecue and cooked dishes. So, in case of spoilage, marinated barbecue meat will have the following characteristics:

Unpleasant odor;
The appearance of non-specific flakes and sediments at the bottom of the container;
Formation of mucus and mold.

In most cases, it can be difficult to distinguish whether marinated meat has spoiled or not due to the specific smell of vinegar and spices, as well as due to the fact that the product tends to absorb foreign odors. The best way to check the suitability of a product is to cook it.

In case of spoilage, the finished kebab has:

Unpleasant odor;
Sour or rancid taste;
If stored for a long time in improper conditions, mold may form;
The meat becomes too tough.

To avoid food poisoning and other health problems, we strongly do not recommend eating spoiled food.

How long can marinated meat be stored in the refrigerator?

The period of optimal preservation of marinated meat products on the refrigerator shelf depends on the composition of the marinade.

Important information:

kefir marinade cannot be stored for long periods of time, up to a maximum of two days;
a spicy mixture made with the addition of mayonnaise is stored for three days;
onions, garlic, extend the shelf life of the product and storage up to 4 days;
adding chili pepper increases shelf life up to 5 days;
white wine and vinegar allow you to safely store kebab on the refrigerator shelf for a week.

How long can marinated pork, beef, and poultry meat be stored?

Shish kebab, marinated with your own hands, is prepared using onions and garlic. The last two ingredients extend the shelf life of the marinade, having the ability to destroy microbes.

Properly selected containers and the absence of fermented milk additives allow the product to be stored for several days.

Shelf life of marinated pork:

in a plastic bag lying on the refrigerator shelf (with a temperature of +5 degrees) - up to a week;
in the freezer (with a temperature of -18 degrees) – up to 2 months.

Shelf life of chicken kebab:

7–10 degrees – day;
4–7 degrees – 2 days;
0–4 degrees – 3 days;
from -2 to 0 degrees – 4 days.

Boneless product lasts longer.

Features of storing marinated beef:

0–3 degrees – no longer than two days;
0–5 degrees – day;
5–7 degrees – 12 hours;
large pieces – up to 48 hours;
finely chopped meat – 24 hours.

How long does marinated meat in soy sauce last?

Soy sauce allows you to quickly get meat suitable for grilling. This liquid has a special taste, a spicy aroma that quickly penetrates into the meat fibers. Meat marinated with soy sauce can be stored for no more than 12 hours (provided it is on the refrigerator shelf).

How long does meat last in vinegar marinade?

Vinegar or wine marinades safely preserve the product in the refrigerator, but no more than 6 days.

How long does marinated meat in mayonnaise last?

Making kebabs by adding natural mayonnaise sauce reduces the shelf life of the product to three days.

How long can you store meat in marinade with onions?

Marinade, with garlic and onions inside, is the best option for long-term storage of kebab. Both vegetables are distinguished by the presence of antibacterial properties, which increases the shelf life of meat products.

Storing marinated fish

Fish doesn't last long. Any variety of it, be it salmon or trout, can marinate on the refrigerator shelf for up to two days.

Despite the addition of vinegar, sea salt, and lemon juice to the marinade, it is not recommended to increase the recommended storage duration.

Preparing the marinade for juicy beef shish kebab

Unlike pork, beef is tougher and less fatty. It has larger muscle fibers, and there are many veins. To make the meat soft, it is soaked in special spicy solutions. Today I will introduce you to the 5 most original options. Read the rest in the article “8 original marinades for beef kebab.”

We marinate in the Caucasian style. Add 1 bunch of chopped parsley and cilantro to the pureed onions (500 g). Enrich the mixture with 50 g of grape vinegar, juice from one lemon and season it with pepper. The beef is placed in it for 8-10 hours.

Here is an interesting recipe from Stalik Khankishiev. He will show you how to marinate meat with onion juice and spices.

Making a kiwi marinade. Puree the pulp of 3 exotic fruits and mix it with onions cut into rings (3 pcs.). Add barbecue seasoning to the mixture. And put the beef in the kiwi marinade for at least 4 hours.

Prepare tomato marinade. Cut 2 onions into rings. Fill them with 80 ml of lemon juice and 100 ml of water. Mix all this with tomato paste (150 g) and chopped black pepper. We immerse the beef in the spicy mixture and keep it here for at least 8 hours.

Aromatic mixture of wine. Squeeze the juice out of a chopped kilogram of onions and pour in 200 ml of semi-sweet red wine. Add beef seasonings here and place the meat in this mixture for 6-8 hours.

How to make lemon marinade. Cut 3 large onions into rings and fill them with freshly squeezed lemon juice. Mix all this with barbecue spices. And immerse the pieces of beef in the aromatic mass for 5-7 hours.

Is it possible to freeze marinated meat?

Freezing marinated meat becomes a necessity when insurmountable circumstances force you to postpone the date of the picnic. In order not to throw away already marinated meat, you have to look for ways to preserve it in a form suitable for consumption.

When the picnic is postponed for a long time, which does not allow storing the meat in the refrigerator, it is frozen. This method is not ideal, but it is an excellent way out of this situation.

Freezing Features:

The easiest way is to freeze a product where products with a small amount of acid (tomato paste, tomatoes, other sauces), mineral water, and a small amount of vinegar were used for marinade;
Freeze by placing the meat in a container made of plastic or vacuum bags (pour the marinade there);
defrost the kebab gradually before frying; the day before, move it from the freezer to the bottom shelf of the refrigerator;
Forcibly defrosting meat (in a microwave oven, hot water) is prohibited; the juiciness of the product will be preserved only with gradual thawing.

Is it possible to freeze marinated meat in mayonnaise?

Mayonnaise marinade is considered not the best option for marinating meat products. After storage in the freezer, when the product is defrosted, its components lose their appearance, resembling coagulated protein.

After freezing, you may be upset by the uneven consistency: you can solve the problem by rinsing the pieces with cool water and preparing a fresh marinade, put the meat there for a couple of hours. If you have doubts about quickly frying kebabs, use mineral water, sunflower oil, and tomato paste for marinating. These products do not in any way affect the taste of the product after it has been defrosted.

Is it possible to freeze marinated chicken?

Once the chicken is in the marinade, it can be frozen. Place the product in a convenient container and put it in the freezer. It is advisable that the future kebab should contain onions; after defrosting, they give off an unpleasant smell. Remove the onions in the marinade before freezing; after defrosting the product, add fresh onion rings to the chicken.

It is not forbidden to freeze finished poultry shish kebab. Place the meat in a container and cover with cling film. The product should be defrosted in natural conditions, heated in an oven or microwave.

Is it possible to freeze marinated meat with onions?

Most well-known marinades include onions, herbs, and other spices. After defrosting a product containing these components, their appearance is lost. The onion stops crunching and acquires an unpleasant smell.

Before frying defrosted meat, remove onions and herbs.

After thawing the kebab, make a new marinade. The meat should lie there for a couple of hours, then start frying. This approach will preserve the taste of the meat, leaving the herbs, onions, and other seasonings unchanged.

Is it possible to freeze marinated pork meat?

Freezing almost finished kebab - raw meat lying in the marinade - is possible, but it is irrational when it is planned to fry it in the near future. The pork can marinate for a couple of days while on the refrigerator shelf.

Features of storing pork meat in the freezer:

put the kebab in a plastic container, close the lid;
place the container in the freezer;
There is no need to defrost before cooking, immediately place the kebab on the grill and brown on both sides;
bring the product to readiness.

Which kebab should not be frozen?

Not all types of marinades are suitable for frozen storage. Experts do not recommend subjecting some of them to such manipulations.

Marinade containing herbs should not be frozen. After the defrosting process, it will lose color, become tasteless, and darken. When there are suspicions that the kebab will not be able to be fried at the planned time, greens are not added to the marinade. This can be done at any time when the decision about a picnic has not changed.

Experts generally do not recommend adding greens to kebabs; on the grill they char, burn, and spoil the appearance of the dish. It is much better to serve the finished product, framing it with fresh leaves of dill, parsley, and cilantro.

In addition to greens, chicken and beef are not frozen. Both of these products, after bringing them to normal, lose their taste and change in appearance.

Which kebab is better not to freeze?

It is advisable not to freeze chicken and beef - after defrosting, the meat loses its taste. They also do not freeze meat with a marinade that includes:

greenery. After defrosting, the grass becomes dark and loses its taste and aroma. We recommend removing the greens from the marinade before freezing and adding fresh ones after defrosting.
mayonnaise. The product has an unattractive appearance after defrosting. Mayonnaise essentially turns into a kind of coagulated protein.
tomatoes and onions. After defrosting, vegetables acquire an unpleasant taste and unsightly appearance.

Advice. It is best to freeze shashlik without filling. Remove the pieces of meat, blot them with a napkin and place them in a hermetically sealed container.

How long does marinated meat last at room temperature?

Room temperature is defined as a temperature ranging from 18 to 26 degrees. Under these conditions, store meat for up to 18 hours.

Close the container with the kebab hermetically, preventing contact with air and accidental penetration of insects.

How to preserve meat for barbecue without refrigeration

If the product is marinated in vinegar, place it in the shade and store there for no more than two hours. Therefore, it is important to make a fire in a timely manner and not put off the process of cooking meat until later.

The ideal option for storing perishable foods is a portable bag - a refrigerator. It has special thermal containers inside that keep the temperature inside cool. However, it is able to maintain cold for a short time. The entire period the bag should be in the shade, out of direct sunlight.

Protect the finished product from insects. It can stand on the table for up to three hours. If the entire dish has not been eaten, wrap it in foil and cover with a towel on top. This will keep the product warm until you return home. When the dish has cooled, fold it into a plastic or enamel container and place it in a refrigerator bag (if it has not yet lost its cooling properties, store the meat in it for up to 12 hours).

Preparation. 5 secrets of the right marinade

Cut the meat coarsely

It doesn’t matter if you know any secret marinade recipe for lamb kebab, and what ingredients you put in it. But if you chop the meat, you will end up with tough and completely tasteless pieces.

The correct “dimensions” of the pieces when cutting should be approximately equal to a child’s fist. This will allow the fibers to retain maximum juice during frying.

Don't use vinegar. Despite the fact that shish kebab in vinegar is a classic of domestic picnics, this method initially dooms the dish to complete failure. The fact is that acetic acid completely draws the juice out of the fibers, so as a result you get a coarse “network” of tasteless fibers.

Use alcohol, preferably white wine. By the way, this is what is used in the classic recipe for marinating lamb shish kebab in the Caucasus. The highlanders even have special varieties of white wine intended specifically for use in meat marinades. With this component you will get a rich, refined taste of the dish with any meat.

Use onions and don’t skimp on them! This component gives the pieces that real taste of Caucasian shish kebab. When marinating, lay out the meat in layers, sprinkling them with coarsely chopped onion half rings.

Leave to marinate overnight. How long should kebab marinate? The advice applies to all types of meat, except for chicken kebab, which needs to stand for 2-3 hours at room temperature. Pork, beef or lamb need long-term marinating under pressure, which will allow the components to penetrate deep into the meat fibers.

How to preserve marinated meat for barbecue in the heat

To preserve meat during a hot summer day, pay attention to the rules indicated above.

Tricks for preserving marinated kebab in the heat:

Make a marinade that includes onions, garlic, vinegar, and chili peppers. These products increase the freshness of meat.
The shelf life of kebab is increased by adding iodized salt and vegetable oil.
Avoid using kefir, other fermented milk drinks, mayonnaise, beer, carbonated water, and wine. They contribute to the rapid development of oxidative processes.
Store shish kebab in a glass container. Use enamel only if there are no chips on it; the use of ceramics is allowed. Do not store meat in iron; it leads to oxidative reactions that lead to spoilage of the product.
Shish kebab prepared commercially and purchased in a store is stored according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. You can find them on the label.

Secrets of cooking shish kebab

The subtleties of cooking barbecue will help make the dish truly tasty and delight your friends and family. If you know the simple secrets of creating this dish, the risk of getting a hard, overdried kebab disappears. Subtleties of preparing delicious meat:

The distance from the kebab to the coals should be no less than 15 centimeters.
The marinade along with the pork neck should be kept in glass, clay, or enamel containers. This eliminates the reaction of the metal with the food, as is the case with aluminum bowls.
Baste the meat pieces during cooking with oil, beer, wine or the marinade in which it was cooked.
Place fatty pieces in the middle of the skewer, small and lean pieces - along the edges. To ensure they bake well, alternate with onion rings or other vegetables.
Place the skewers tightly next to each other.
The wrong wood can ruin your efforts to find the perfect meat product and marinade. Use branches of fruit trees, such as apricot, apple, plum, as firewood.
Don't forget about sauces. Satsebeli, mustard, and ketchup will perfectly complement the food.
Watch videos of experienced chefs who will share their secrets of cooking meat.

How to store finished shish kebab

Sometimes there is a need to properly preserve already cooked kebab. For example, when the weather turns bad and vacationers are forced to go home.

Rules for storing cooked meat:

Wrap a warm dish with foil and a towel;
after cooling completely, place the pieces in an enamel bowl;
if the product is placed in a bowl without a lid, wrap it in cling film;
Place the dish in the refrigerator, or, if it is not available, in a portable cooling container;
the finished dish can be frozen: put it in a zip bag (after removing the air from it), a plastic container, put it in the freezer;
Defrost the finished product in the microwave, place it in the oven (pre-wrap the meat in foil), preheated to 200 degrees for 20 minutes.

Preserving already marinated meat is not difficult at all. The main thing is to follow the established rules in order to get a high-quality product with excellent taste during frying.

Pork kebab recipe with kefir

Kefir gives the finished dish a delicate color and makes the meat product soft and tender. This kebab has a rich taste without sourness.

You will need:

1.5 kg of meat;
half a liter of kefir 3%;
7 onions;
1 teaspoon granulated sugar;
seasonings

Preparation:

Cut the pork neck into pieces and place in a deep bowl.
Using a coarse grater, grate part of the onion (about half), add seasonings, and place in a container with the main ingredient.
Gradually pour in kefir, stirring the pieces, add granulated sugar.
Place the remaining sliced onion on top.
Roast on skewers over smoldering coals until cooked through.

Professional secrets of barbecue masters

We've sorted out the basics, now let's see what tricks you can use to make your kebab tastier than your neighbors'. We offer several useful life hacks.

For the marinade, it is better to use coarsely ground spices , or grind them yourself immediately before cooking: this will make the meat much more flavorful.
If you are preparing a marinade using vinegar, it is better to choose wine. And don’t overdo it: as we already said, too much vinegar can make the kebab dry.
Marinate the kebab in an enamel or glass bowl . Especially if the recipe calls for the meat to stay in it for more than an hour. A metal (for example, aluminum) or plastic surface can react chemically with the marinade and spoil the taste of the dish, as well as harm your health.
To make the kebab flavorful, marinate it with the lid closed . This will also keep dust or insects out if you are marinating meat outdoors.

Lemon will help add a little sourness to the kebab: add juice or large citrus slices to the marinade. But in this case, you need to marinate the kebab for no more than 4 hours so that the meat does not become bitter.
You also need to be careful with ground pepper: when burned, it can lose its flavor and impart bitterness to the meat. It is better to add black pepper shortly before the kebab is ready. Peppercorns are suitable for the marinade: they will impart flavor to the meat, but will remain in the pan.
If you are preparing kebab from meat that has been in the freezer, choose marinade recipes with mustard: it will help the kebab become soft and juicy.
Marinade using wine does not like complex spices. Limit yourself to salt and pepper so as not to interrupt the flavor of the drink.
To make the meat have a beautiful golden crust, you can add a little honey or sugar to the marinade.

How to determine if a product is spoiled

If incorrect methods and unfavorable storage methods were used, then raw products can spoil in the shortest possible time . Whether it is improper transportation of goods, or improper packaging, or non-compliance with temperature conditions - in any case, it is important to know the distinctive signs of spoiled meat.

The appearance of mucus and turbidity.
A putrid odor appears, ranging from mild to unbearable for the human sense of smell.
Smell of dampness and mold.
Discolored areas are visible in different areas of the meat product of various shades. Evaluating appearance is important for both raw and marinated products.
A sour smell indicates the development of acid-forming bacteria.
When pressing on the meat, strong dents remain on it.

If there is a need to identify spoiled marinated meat, then you should know the signs by which this can be determined:

The marinade acquires an unpleasant odor.
The raw product itself becomes slippery to the touch and leaves traces of mucus on the hands.
The liquid in which the dish is marinated may be cloudy and take on an unsightly hue.
If there is a normal marinade smell, the meat may take on a different smell.
When frying a spoiled product, an unpleasant odor may appear.

How to prepare a grill

Now let's turn to the grill. It must meet certain parameters. First of all, the grill must be made of iron or stainless steel. It must have fairly thick walls. After all, only in this case will the heat accumulate and, most importantly, persist. Accordingly, the better quality the outer pieces will be fried.

Of course, frying on bricks, basins or hanging chains will do as a last resort. But we are talking about real, seasoned kebab, which does not tolerate haste and similar absurdity. Here is an example of a proper barbecue.

Its length is about 60 cm, width - about 25, height from the grate - 15. The main mistake of many homemade barbecues is a holey bottom. There should not be a large number of holes on the grill. If yours looks like this, then before frying, place aluminum foil on the bottom and put coals on top. Then poke holes along the edges and you will understand what a real grill should look like.

Ideally, only a quarter of the bottom of the grill should look like a grate. And the rest of the bottom should be solid and have holes only on the sides. Then the meat will not burn during frying. It will cook and brown evenly. Only in this case will the kebab be protected from flaring up under fire and will not be covered with a burnt black crust. The meat will be heated and fried on the fire. The juice will flow out and drip from it throughout the frying process, giving a special aroma to the entire process.

Don’t even think about pouring mineral water on your shish kebab. Of course, unless you want to get soaked meat. There is absolutely no need for excess moisture here. It just seems like something is missing. Suppress your desire to experiment and, after taking the first piece to try, you will understand how juicy the pork kebab is.

If you constantly use a small collapsible barbecue for outings or get-togethers in small groups, then in this case, too, pay attention to “refining” its bottom. If there are no side holes on its solid bottom, then this point must be corrected. Otherwise, your dish will not be 100% perfectly cooked. Make holes every five centimeters. We emphasize once again - this is necessary, no matter what size your grill is.