One Thing To Look Out For Before Buying Pre-Marinated Meat

Pre-marinated meat can seem like a dinner shortcut — you don't have to hunt around to figure out which type of marinade to use for a certain cut of meat — but it's not always the time-saver it promises to be. While the packaging might talk-up flavor-packed protein ready for the grill, there's one key thing you need to look out for: Uneven marination. Not marinating properly is a common mistake that people make which can ruin steak and it turns out that grocery stores often make the same error. If the meat inside the package is folded, stacked, or clumped together, chances are that marinade hasn't touched every surface. And if the flavor hasn't made contact, it's not going to soak in.

Uneven marination means your chicken, pork, or steak may come out tasting patchy — overseasoned in some bites and bland in others. You're also missing out on one of the biggest perks of marinating, which is even moisture and tenderizing across the cut. Of course, some stores do this better than others (check out our ranking of Trader Joe's pre-marinated meat options). Large pieces are often crammed together in shrink-wrapped trays or vacuum bags, with the marinade pooled at the bottom. If that's what you're grabbing for dinner, it might need more help than you think before you go for that satisfying sizzle on the grill.

Before tossing a pack of pre-marinated meat into your cart, give it a closer look. Are the pieces laid flat with good spacing? Or are they folded and jammed in like a teenager's backpack on the last day of school? If the meat is stuck together or curled up, there's a good chance only the outermost edges have had real marinade contact. That's a red flag.

Luckily, this problem is easy to fix at home. If you spot uneven distribution, move the meat into a resealable plastic bag or bowl, pour in the remaining marinade, and give it a thorough toss to re-coat every surface. Even 30 minutes of contact with the full marinade can make a big difference in flavor and texture. And if you're buying a thicker cut, consider scoring the surface slightly to help the marinade absorb deeper. The flavor payoff is worth the extra step — especially since steaks tend to be expensive at restaurants, and this is an easy hack to enjoy the same meal at home.