Hi, Nancy! Admittedly, I’m no expert. But for meat I just use my Shio Koji as a sort of dry brine (even though it’s wet!). I coat the meat and let it sit as long as I can, an hour or a day or two, depending on how thick or thin the piece and what time I have. The freezing is for storage, not the marination. It’s like adding salt plus, a kind of fermented umami flavor that has ads a delicious backbone of flavor. It may even tenderize a little, though I’m not sure.
Mitchell, could you explain a little more about using Shio koji as a marinade, please. You said you coat the chops and then freeze them until you're ready to cook. But is freezing an essential part of the prep or is it just a convenience? And if the latter, how long would you marinate a thick pork chop in Shio koji? I ask because I have a jar of the stuff in my fridge, left there by our mutual friend Naomi, and I have yet to figure out how to use it. Thanks for any advice! The post makes it all sound incredibly delicious!
Hi, Nancy! Admittedly, I’m no expert. But for meat I just use my Shio Koji as a sort of dry brine (even though it’s wet!). I coat the meat and let it sit as long as I can, an hour or a day or two, depending on how thick or thin the piece and what time I have. The freezing is for storage, not the marination. It’s like adding salt plus, a kind of fermented umami flavor that has ads a delicious backbone of flavor. It may even tenderize a little, though I’m not sure.
Mitchell, could you explain a little more about using Shio koji as a marinade, please. You said you coat the chops and then freeze them until you're ready to cook. But is freezing an essential part of the prep or is it just a convenience? And if the latter, how long would you marinate a thick pork chop in Shio koji? I ask because I have a jar of the stuff in my fridge, left there by our mutual friend Naomi, and I have yet to figure out how to use it. Thanks for any advice! The post makes it all sound incredibly delicious!