Can we talk about how people ruin a good steak with fruit marinades

I was at a cookout last weekend in Phoenix and this guy soaked a ribeye in pineapple juice for like 4 hours. By the time it hit the grill the meat was all mushy and weird. I get wanting flavor but that enzyme breaks down the protein too much. Has anyone else had a marinade totally wreck a cut of beef like that?

2 comments

2 Comments

ruby_rivera7625d agoMost Upvoted

Right, because nothing says "tender steak" like turning it into meat soup with a tropical garnish. That burnt sugar crust sounds like a perfect way to ruin an otherwise decent piece of beef. Maybe next time just throw a pineapple slice on the plate next to it and call it a day.

casey1625d ago

Oh man, pineapple is the absolute worst offender for this! I watched a buddy in Tucson do the same thing with papaya once and it turned a beautiful New York strip into something that looked like ground beef before it even hit the fire. Here's the thing nobody talks about though - that pineapple juice breaks down the meat, but it also leaves a weird sugary crust that burns way too fast. So you end up with a charred outside and a mushy inside, worst of both worlds. If you really want fruit flavor, just glaze it with a little bit of a fruit jam or chutney AFTER you cook it, or use something like citrus zest instead of the juice itself.