Help - can I leave lamb steaks in a marinade for 2 days?

[CityDweller]

Everything I read online when I google this tells me that I shouldn't marinade lamb longer than 'overnight'. I got my timings wrong and put lamb steaks in a marinade that isn't going to be cooked until Friday night (2 days). Will it turn to mush? Should I freeze it and then defrost it on Friday?

I'd leave until Friday

It will be fine.

And tasty.

Personally, I wouldn't because the acids in the marinade will break down the proteins in the meat and make it really gross.

@Aquamarine1029, yes, that's what Google seems to say. I was hoping someone would reassure me that they marinade their lamb for 2 days all the time and it's fine!

Personally, I wouldn't because the acids in the marinade will break down the proteins in the meat and make it really gross

I've never ever seen this happen. Can you give an example?

So for example it's really common for people to make spag Bol etc and leave it in the fridge for a couple of days. Similarly marinated chicken/lamb/pork etc from the supermarkets lives in its plastic packaging often for up to 10 days.

Lamb is already a very tender meat, so marinating that long might very well ruin it. If you were marinating beef, I might chance it because the meat is much tougher.

Argh. So what would you do @Aquamarine1029? I guess I could rinse it now and then put it back in the marinade on Friday morning? Or I could put the whole lot in the freezer now and defrost on Friday?

I would freeze it. You could just leave it and use this as an experiment to see what happens. Is the lamb for a special occasion?

Nothing that special - for a camping trip we're going on on Friday. But we won't have a back-up meal if over-marinating it does turn the meat to mush, so I'd rather not risk it this time. Plus the lamb was pretty £££.

I would remove it from the marinade and freeze, because yes, it is quite pricey!

I always marinate lamb, beef and chicken for a couple of days, because the flavours are absorbed better. Then the meat can either be browned and slow cooked, or grilled/BBQ'd.
Far better flavour and texture than I have had in virtually any restaurant.