Grilling meat has always been a popular activity among Americans. Many folks grill as a hobby, others are serious about it and a few carry it out as a profession.
You might think that the sole purpose of marinating meat is to enhance the flavor. However, there are health benefits associated with marinating your meat. We’ve highlighted a few of them below:
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Marinating the meat reduces the amount of (HCA) carcinogenic heterocyclic amines which can be produced from cooking meat over a flame. These are chemicals that are created from cooking over an open flame from the meat. A popular belief is that the marinades provide a barrier against the heat that comes from the grill and reduces the chance that these harmful chemicals can be produced from the process of grilling. Marinating your meat reduces this risk.
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The level of acidity in marinades also plays an important role. The acid slows down and hinders the growth of bacteria on the meat, thus minimizing the risk of spoiling the meat.
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Further, Marinating the meat naturally tenderizes it. This basic but essential step allows for an easier bite and chew. The act of marinading meat also can just prevent the meat from drying up or becoming tough before grilling.
It is ideal to use low amounts of marinade as marinades are high calorie and a frugal application reduces the calorie count in your food. As a reminder, the meat should not be marinated at room temperature. The bacteria organisms are still present in the meat. Room temperature is optimum for their growth. Always store your meat in a fridge before and after applying marinades.
You should also not reuse your marinade. This is because most of the bacteria organisms remain in the marinade. It would be best if you always boiled the leftover marinade to get rid of all the bacteria.
If you are marinating chicken or poultry, you should consume it within two days. However, if it’s beef or other types of meat, you can preserve it safely for five days.
Different ingredients can be used as marinades. The main aim is to provide insulation for the meat against the direct flames. Common ingredients include vinegar, citrus juices, olive oil, spices, herbs, and many others. These are common since they help to prevent the formation of HCA chemicals. A new marinade that is slowly gaining popularity is the use of cannabis soda.
What is Cannabis Soda
These are soda drinks infused with THC. Harnessing the benefits of cannabis in beverage form has become a widespread practice. Unfortunately, until recently, many companies have struggled to execute THC-infused beverages flawlessly. This often led to soggy weed in a liquid that bears no resemblance to our expectations. The primitive formula and poor flavor profiles made people look for other methods of cannabis consumption.
Marijuana has a naturally bitter taste. This becomes a challenge when trying to manufacture a beverage product. The terpenes in the plant make it challenging to make the beverage sweet.
Extracting the terpenes makes it difficult to retain the naturally occurring benefits of marijuana. In addition, inferior extraction techniques bring about undesirable flavors.
Olala Cannabis Soda
Olala is an American company that produces Cannabis-infused craft sodas. They are available in dispensaries in and around Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, and Sacramento. Their slogan depicts their product and the consumer lifestyle they promote; “Life’s Better Chilled.”
Olala means sun-kissed. Their products provide a feeling close to that meaning and let’s be honest, cannabis consumption in the United States is at an all-time high!
Olala aims to seamlessly integrate the benefits of THC with deliciously flavorful tropical flavors.
The drinks have been formulated to deliver authentic tropical flavors by combining natural fruits. The beverages are infused with full-spectrum cannabis oil and highly carbonated to deliver a more balanced flavor and early onset.
Olala cannabis soda comes in four different flavors. There is orange cream, blue raspberry, mango, and guava. The orange cream is obtained from the orange crush soda. It also has citric acid combined with cannabis oil. It is perfectly carbonated and has an after-taste like vanilla.
The blue raspberry flavor, like orange, is obtained directly from the fruit. The ripe raspberries are mixed with sweet bananas and a few pineapples.
The guava is another good example of an authentic flavor evoking the Hawaiian culture of the brand.
Mango flavor is more tropical and citrus. It has the right amount of tartness. The high potency formulations make it even more desirable by many.
Marijuana-infused drinks have also come along with a lot of skeptics. Many people try to associate the beverages with smoking cannabis. Contrary to that, you will be surprised to know that THC drinks positively impact your body.
Many consumers of THC soda reap healthy benefits from it. This can include:
Full-spectrum oil also can reduce inflammation due to the presence of non THC compounds in the full spectrum oil. You can reduce the symptoms of some of the inflammatory diseases, such as lupus, by drinking these beverages. These reasons sway an increasing number of alcohol drinkers to cannabis beverages.
Why Cannabis Soda as your Marinade
THC soda has a high level of acidity. As previously noted, when cannabis soda is used as a marinade this acidity is crucial to protect from the potential chemical harm associated with grilling. It slows down the activity of the bacteria and keeps the meat fresh for a longer time.
The caramel flavor in the soda also makes it a good tenderizer. The acidic properties help to break down proteins without dissolving your meat.
While designed to satisfy your thirst and to provide a substitute for alcohol, these marijuana drinks are also perfectly suited for grilling. This is because cannabis reacts with heat in a process called decarboxylation. The heat activates the THC in the soda and the tropical flavors provide a delicious meat marinade.
There are very many ways to incorporate cannabis into your diet. Having it at your barbecue is nothing short of a delicacy. Try Olala as a marinade at your next barbeque !!!