Cola's high acidity and caramel flavor makes a surprisingly good meat tenderizer. Cola typically has a pH of about 2.7—for comparison, lemon juice has a pH of 2—making it acidic enough to break down some proteins without dissolving your meat.
In theory, pouring pure Coke over a steak or pork shoulder will cause the proteins to denature and tenderize; however, it likely won't taste very good without a flavorful supporting cast.
Marinating steaks in a cola-based marinade adds a touch of sweetness and will give your meat a nice caramelized char once it hits the grill.
Pour Coke into large bowl. Add chopped onion. Place steak in Coke mixture making sure it is completely covered. Let steak marinate for at least 20 minutes.
If you're not from the south, it may not have occurred to you that you can cook with Coca-Cola. But the king of sodas has been used in southern cooking for years — particularly in marinades and sauces for beef and pork. Its sweet acidity can help to tenderize meat, making it an ideal addition for a long slow brine.
Select Coca Cola Steak Marinade
Mix all ingredients together and marinate for at least 8 hours or overnight. The longer you marinate the meat, the more tender it becomes (we're thinking the carbonation of the soda had a bit to do with that!)
Soda acts as great tenderizer—you could get a tender cut of meat grill-ready in less than a half-hour. Cola-tenderizing for 24 hours yields a meat dish that practically melts, like this Atlanta brisket.
Pepper or Sprite- You use soda pop in a meat marinade simply for its delicious flavor and all that liquid sugar. It is able to penetrate the meat so deliciously! If you find yourself in a pinch, you can use Root Beer, Dr. Pepper or even Sprite in place of Coca Cola.
Coca-Cola is used in cooking because it is a flavorful and acidic ingredient that can be used to add flavor to dishes or to help tenderize meats. Additionally, Coca-Cola is a source of caffeine, which can give dishes a slight boost in flavor.
Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the physical composition of meat fibers. It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond.
Cola chicken has been described as a dish that has flavor elements of sweet and sour, and the cola has been described as imparting a rich flavor to the chicken meat.
One of the things you can do is simmer the meat, pork in this case, in Sprite. The soda does exactly what it normally does with meat: tenderizes it while flavoring it with its subtle lemon sweet taste.
Velveting meat is a common practice in Chinese stir-fries: By marinating strips of meat with egg white and cornstarch, then dipping then in a hot oil bath before finally stir-frying them, the meat develops a texture that is tender, silky, and smooth.
While most fast food restaurants have their Coca-Cola syrup delivered to them in plastic bags, McDonald's gets their syrup specially delivered in stainless steel tanks. The special tanks keep the syrup fresh and protect it from light, temperature, air, and anything else that might take away from its delicious flavor.
Aside from drinking for enjoyment, you can clean toilets with cola as well as using it as a meat marinade. The soda acts as a meat tenderizer and is a great cheap marinade substitute for any meat, such as chicken, steak, or beef.
Soda from cans has a "milder" flavor to many pop connoisseurs. Soda cans are made from aluminum. Once cans are assembled, the inside of each gets coated with a water-based polymer. The polymer coating keeps the soda and aluminum molecules separate, protecting the can from corrosion.
Remove Marinade Before Cooking: To prevent flare-ups on the grill and ensure properly browned meat when sautéing or stir-frying, wipe off most of the excess marinade before cooking. Keep just a little marinade on the meat surface to maximize flavor.
Most recipes for marinating meat and poultry recommend six hours up to 24 hours. It is safe to keep the food in the marinade longer, but after two days it is possible that the marinade can start to break down the fibers of the meat, causing it to become mushy.
Pounding
Using a meat mallet (or kitchen mallet) to pound steaks helps soften and tenderize the meat. Simply place the meat in between pieces of plastic wrap or wax paper and pound it prior to cooking. If you don't have a meat mallet, you can also use a heavy kitchen tool such as a skillet, saucepan or rolling pin.
Cooking tough cuts of meat with low-temperature heat over a long period of time is a great way to tenderize it. Tough fibers, collagen and connective tissues will break down, leaving you with tender meat. Try using a slow cooker, or braise with broth or other liquids in a covered dish in the oven.