# How long can I keep a steak in marinade for? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 5, 2001, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275 "2001-07-05T00:54:04Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dandmb50](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ba9def/32.png) [@Dandmb50](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dandmb50)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275/1 "2001-07-05T00:54:04Z")
My Mom is dead and I would have asked her but too embarrassed to ask anyone I know. But how long can I keep a steak in marinade in the fridge and it’s still safe to eat? It’s kinda stupid question but I always wanted to know. I had heard that it is safe for quite a while if you keep it in the fridge completely submerged in the marinade?? Thanks I’m starving but not at the cost of getting sick. It’s been marinateing for about 3 days now. ---
**Author:** ![Kalt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b9e5f3/32.png) [@Kalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalt)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 1:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275/2 "2001-07-05T01:03:53Z")
after 2 days it will sorta get a little mushy and yucky and will be dry when you cook it. ---
**Author:** ![bare](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bare/32/471_2.png) [@bare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bare)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275/3 "2001-07-05T01:04:09Z")
Eat it in health, heck you can keep steak in the refrigerator raw for three days and still eat it. ---
**Author:** ![waxteeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/258eb7/32.png) [@waxteeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/waxteeth)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275/4 "2001-07-05T02:57:16Z")
IIRC I saw the frugal gourmet make a sauerbraten where he placed un-refrigerated beef in a cool dark place for over a week so a few days refrigerated shouldn’t be a problem. ---
**Author:** ![Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/50afbb/32.png) [@Duck\_Duck\_Goose](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duck_Duck_Goose)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275/5 "2001-07-05T03:13:52Z")
Yeah, I think the problem is not “is it safe to eat?” but rather “is it tasty to eat?” Sauerbraten is pot roast, which is a really tough cut of meat, so it benefits from the longer marinade. Soaking tough meat in vinegar (or other acids) helps tenderize it. But a steak is already tender, so you’re not adding tenderness with a marinade, you’re adding flavor. A steak really ought to be marinated a _maximum_ of overnight. Longer than that, it gets too strong and doesn’t taste good. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 3:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275/6 "2001-07-05T03:23:09Z")
They’re right. Make the bastard into a stew, at this point. ---
**Author:** ![reprise](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/ea666f/32.png) [@reprise](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/reprise)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2001, 3:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-long-can-i-keep-a-steak-in-marinade-for/71275/7 "2001-07-05T03:26:34Z")
It depends - a lot - on what is in the marinade. Many of the processed meats we eat these days result from historical methods of preserving food. Assuming that you bought your meat fairly fresh and that you have kept it refrigerated (and that you live in a country where meat is inspected) you should be able to cook the meat without any problems after 3 days of refrigeration. What you should not do, however, is use the marinade itself as a sauce without also cooking it.