Marinading meat with vacuum machine

Reading the advice ChefSteps offers when considering a vacuum packing machine I didn't see much information on how it could be used to marinade meats in less time:

https://www.chefsteps.com/activities/so-you-wanna-buy-a-vacuum-sealer

Apparently, vacuuming out air lowers the pressure, which acts like suction, and the marinade fills the void in-between the fibres of the meat much faster than during normal osmosis (marinating).

ref: https://cooking.stackexchange.com/questions/3446/using-a-vacuum-sealer-to-marinate

I would like to use a vacuum sealer for marinading beef jerky and wanted to know anybody's thoughts on this..

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Comments

Brandon_Byrd_40557

The short story is that it doesn't work. Meat doesn't really have "voids" between meat fibers; unlike vegetables and fruit, meat contains very little air and has very strong cell walls. Where you can rapidly infuse plants with vacuum machines, you can't flash-marinade meat. HOWEVER... if you use a Jaccard machine to needle the meat prior to marination, this creates channels into which a vacuum machine will pull/push a marinade. This can also work to accelerate brining. Vacuum marination isn't so special on its own; vacuum marination plus needled meat is actually an improvement over the traditional method.

But even if I don't needle, I still like to marinade in vacuum bags because they are thicker than Ziplocs, so there's less odor released to the refrigerator. The seams are more robust and the seal is stronger, so there's less of a chance for leakage. But these are side-issues.

brian_martin2001

A method that I've had some success with is pressurizing a container with your meat and marinade/brine. I have no collection of evidence, but I have had favourable resulted when I exposed the meat and the marinade to pressures over 150 psi.

Samuel__253807

For me it's not an odour issue, although I do take your point. I am looking for a faster method, but if it means using a hard to clean utensil then I'll skip it.

Interesting distinction between meat and plan foods. I use thing sliced meat for jerky (5mm), pre-cut, so I don't think it would make much difference?

I saw that there were two main types of vacuum machine: one using a bag, and the other a container, I think a container may work better for beef jerky?

aaron.c.schroeder

Brandon, hey, I've been looking for good opportunity to explore this thought, and your comment about Jaccard-ing meat seems apt. Has anyone here ever tried infusing meat with additional fat using a Jaccard? So, the thought would be: make a kind of slurry using suet and transglutaminase, Jaccard your (say) eye of round steaks, and then hard vacuum with chamber sealer. In principle, shouldn't the slurry penetrate and potentially bond in the cavities or pierces created by the Jaccard tool? This has seemed like an obvious way to sort of replicate higher beef grades in lower-end cuts that the fact that I've never heard anyone suggest it makes me think that it just must be impossible. But...maybe not?

tshewman

See @Brandon_Byrd_40557 's comments. The infusion features of a vac chamber s one that is over-sold IMHO.

tshewman

TGM works on proteins more so than fats. Why would oe want to inject fats? To imitate the marbling....which then we strive to break down anyway?

aaron.c.schroeder

Yes, I think the point basically is to create imitation marbling in cheaper or leaner cuts, and not exclusive to beef. But at what point in the process are you breaking down marbling? Imagine making your slurry injection by blending liquid animal fat, a small percentage of protein to encourage bonding, and TGM. Any reason in principle why it might not work?

Samuel__253807

The Vacmaster VP112s was recommended as a good machine to marinade in a short period of time, anybody have an opinion on this make/model?