How long can you marinade before the chances of sickness (botulism or salmonella) start coming into play?
Rule #1: If it stinks, don’t eat it. C.J.V. says, “The final definitive answer to your question is (drum roll) It depends. If you are using an acid marinade, that will retard spoilage. Rule #1 is a fairly good guide to use around meat and poultry. A rule of thumb with raw chicken that I use is 4 days is ok, a week in the fridge is maximum. Anything over 4 days, I’ll use the sniff test on. Beef can go longer. I’ll buy a roast and keep it in the fridge 3 or 2 days until I have the time to work with it. I’ll then marinate it for 7 days in a mixture of red wine and vinegar along with spices for another 7 days before cooking. Corned beast and pastrami will go even longer. Prime aged beef, the kind that you only get in the better steak houses for big $$$$ is usually allowed to hang in the cooler for something like three weeks before your steak is cut from it. The aroma may be described as a little high.” Here’s a Barbecue Food Safety Article from the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture. Here’s a Quick
