Marinades are usually made up of three components: acid, oil, and herbs. The acid helps to partially denature the meat's proteins, opening up "tunnels" in the meat structure where flavor can seep in. But marinades mostly penetrate only the surface. Marinades work best on meats such as chicken breast and fish, because the muscle structure is not as dense as it is in steak. For denser meat, marinades work best when the meat is cut into smaller pieces so the marinade can penetrate a larger surface area. However, if marinades are left on too long, the acids can "cook" the surface, causing the meat to dry out. Some meats, such as pork and steak, can marinate for hours. Other less dense cuts of meat, such as chicken breast and most fish, only need to stay in a marinade for a short time.

Brining meat (that is, putting meat into a salt-water solution) adds moisture to the meat through osmosis. Osmosis happens when water flows from a lower concentration of a solution to a higher concentration through a semipermeable membrane. In meat, this membrane is the plasma membrane that surrounds the individual cells. When meat is placed in a brine, the meat's cell fluids are less concentrated than the salt water in the brining solution. Water flows out of the cells in the meat and salt flows in. The salt then dissolves some of the fiber proteins, and the meat's cell fluids become more concentrated, thus drawing water back in. Brining adds salt and water to the cells so that when the meat is cooked and water is squeezed out, there is still water left in the cells because water was added before cooking.

Cattle that are bred for consumption are often fed large amounts of food in order to increase the amount of fat that normally occurs. The more fat in a piece of beef, the more "marbled" its appearance; that is, the more white streaks of fat there are. Marbled steaks are considered to be some of the most flavorful beef cuts.

As a result of the health risks that may be associated with consuming too much red meat, pork is now a popular alternative to beef. Pigs that are slaughtered are, for the most part, fairly young, and their muscles haven't built up energy reserves. There are some pork cuts that are naturally fatty, such as bacon, but breeders are now using techniques to produce leaner pork. The result is that many pork cuts now have about the same amount of fat as the white meat in chicken.

With fish, it's a different story. The fat in fish comes from the oils distributed throughout their flesh; it isn't stored in pockets as it is in beef and pork. These oils have subtle flavors in and of themselves, and they contribute to the flavor of the fish.