The short answer
- Seal the roast with its marinade one or two days ahead and keep it in the fridge.
- Or marinate and freeze weeks ahead: it takes on flavour as it thaws in the fridge.
- A leg of lamb or a pork roast likes 12–24 hours; prawns only 15–30 minutes.
- In the Christmas heat, marinate in the fridge and carry it in an esky.
Why seal it ahead
On the day, the oven, the barbecue and the fridge are all full. Sealed with its marinade a day or two ahead, the roast lies flat in the fridge, the marinade covers every side without turning, and nothing leaks onto the trifle. The vacuum doesn't replace the hours in the fridge, but it makes them work evenly. How vacuum marinating works
When to start
| Plan | Seal | Then |
|---|---|---|
| Marinate ahead | 1–2 days before | Fridge, at 5 °C or below |
| Marinate and freeze | Up to a few weeks before | Thaw in the fridge: about a day per 2–2.5kg |
| Prawns | On the day | 15–30 minutes, then straight onto the barbecue |
Thaw in the fridge, never on the bench.
Four marinades
Lamb leg: rosemary, garlic and lemon
For a 2kg leg: 4 tablespoons olive oil, the zest and juice of a lemon, 3 crushed garlic cloves, 3 sprigs of rosemary, salt and pepper. Make a few shallow cuts in the meat, rub the marinade in, seal. 12 to 24 hours.
Pork roast: maple and mustard
For a 1.5–2kg roast: 3 tablespoons wholegrain mustard, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar, 2 tablespoons oil, thyme, salt and pepper. Keep the rind dry and out of the marinade if you want crackling. 12 to 24 hours.
Beef rib roast: red wine and pepper
For a 2kg roast: 150ml red wine, 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 crushed garlic cloves, a tablespoon of coarsely crushed pepper, thyme. Salt just before roasting. 12 to 24 hours.
Prawns: garlic, chilli and lime
For 1kg of peeled prawns: 3 tablespoons olive oil, 2 garlic cloves, a chopped chilli, lime zest and a squeeze of juice. 15 to 30 minutes only: citrus starts to 'cook' prawns.
On the day
- 1
Out of the bag, pat dryA dry surface browns; a wet one steams.
- 2
Or the leg sous videLAVA's time for a leg of lamb is 58 °C for 6 hours, then a hot oven for colour. Sous vide cooking times
- 3
LeftoversSlice, seal in portions and freeze flat: Boxing Day sandwiches, sorted.
Keep it cold. Raw meat in a marinade is still raw meat: in the fridge at 5 °C or below, in an esky with ice on the way to the party. Don't use the raw marinade as a sauce unless you've brought it to the boil.
LAVA AustraliaOfficial LAVA distributor and vacuum-packaging specialists since 2018.
