I started marinating some chops around 3:00 yesterday, with the intention of having them lastnight. Some things came up and we ended up going out to eat. I planned to have the chops tonight, but a friend just called and asked me to go out to eat tonight. DH won't fix them for himself and Natalie, so my question is, can I just leave them in the fridge for tomorrow night? Is it okay that they marinate that long?

I rarely plan something enough in advance to marinate, so I've never thought of this before. They are covered in the fridge, along with the excess marinade for cooking which is also covered. TIA

By Tink on Thursday, October 5, 2006 - 02:41 pm:

Can you grill or bake them today for your DH to warm up tonight or for tomorrow? I'm really particular about leaving pork out (even in the fridge) for more than 24-48 hours. If you aren't worried about the meat spoiling, the marinating should be fine. You may have a slightly stronger flavor than you would if it was just in the marinade for a few hours.

By Tonya on Thursday, October 5, 2006 - 02:52 pm:

As long as you cook them by tomorrow for dinner they will be fine but no longer than that. I would also suggest cooking them tonight and warming them tomorrow for dinner just to be safe though.

By Tayjar on Thursday, October 5, 2006 - 03:18 pm:

I have an idea - put them in the crockpot tonight and they will be ready for dinner tomorrow. Gee, I wonder what made me think of a crockpot. Hmmmmm.....

By Ginny~moderator on Thursday, October 5, 2006 - 05:51 pm:

First question is, when did you buy them or thaw them, and what was the use-by date if you bought them fresh and didn't freeze them. That's the key question. Scott, who used to be a chef, says if you are marinating them in a wine or wine-vinegar marinade, the acidity of the marinade will add a couple of days to the safe period. So, back to the first question. If you are within the use-by date or if they were frozen until yesterday and you defrosted in the frig before putting them in the marinade, you should be fine. (I do suggest that they may have a stronger flavor of the marinade than you intended, as Tink said. So, if you are within the use-by period, if it were me I'd take them out the marinade and just keep them in a plastic bag and cook them tomorrow.)(And, of course, pork should always be cooked thoroughly, all the way through.)