FOOD NEWS
A Touch Of Orange Juice Makes For A Tangy, Flavorful Steak Tenderizer
BY KAREN HART
While wine, vinegar, Worcestershire sauce are the usual go-tos for a hint of acidic flavor in a steak marinade, orange juice can also create a deliciously tangy and tender outcome.
The sweetness of orange juice contrasts with a steak’s savory flavor, and its acidic qualities also help to break down proteins in the meat, turning it from tough to tender.
Make sure not to marinate longer than a few hours, since a long soak in acidic marinade can make a steak tough. Thirty minutes is plenty of time for orange juice to do its trick.
Soy sauce, honey, cumin, and other herbs and spices meld well with orange juice for a more complex sweet, salty, or spicy flavor. Lime and cilantro add even more zest.
Just be careful to strike a balance when using OJ, so that your steak doesn't taste overwhelmingly of orange. It should be in harmony with other flavors in the marinade.