What is the secret ingredient to tenderize meat?

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

What cooking method makes meat most tender?

Cook It Slowly This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting , is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

Does sprinkling baking soda on meat tenderize it?

Less than a teaspoon of baking soda ensures that your steak remains juicy and tender—even after a speedy marinade. While other recipes demand hours of marinating, this baking soda hack makes a flank steak or any other fibrous cut of beef ready to sear after just an hour.

Does vinegar make meat tender?

Acidic ingredients like vinegar, lemon juice, yogurt and wine weaken collagen and protein in meat . Once the proteins are broken by acid, one loose protein can bond with another and trap liquid in the meat, making it juicy and tender. Yay!

How do restaurants get their meat so tender?

Baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) . If you find the meat has a spongy texture aside from being very tender, then very likely the restaurant put baking soda (Sodium bicarbonate) in the marinade. The sodium in baking soda chemically reacts with the meat and make the meat very tender and soft.

What makes meat juicy and tender?

Factors that also influence tenderness and juiciness are: The animal's age at slaughter, the amount of fat and collagen (connective tissue) contained in particular cuts, and, to a small degree, brining .

How do you make meat moist and tender?

Tougher Cuts of Meat: Cook Slow . They're often seared first, then braised or otherwise kept moist in a slow cooker, soup, or stew. The slow cooking might cause the meat to become slightly tougher in the very beginning, but over time the connective tissues break down and the meat becomes tender and delicious.

Can you make tough meat soft again?

You may need some sweetness and acidity to bring up the tough meat. Simmer in liquid. Just like for burnt meat, if your meat gets tough and dry then you can simmer it in a little bit of broth for a couple minutes . Don't allow it to overcook again but just allow the liquid to penetrate the meat.

How do you increase meat tenderness?

Techniques for breaking down collagens in meat to make it more palatable and tender are referred to as tenderizing or tenderization. There are a number of ways to tenderize meat: Mechanical tenderization, such as pounding or piercing. The tenderization that occurs through cooking, such as braising .

How do you make meat soft or tender?

Add Some Fruit . In addition to acid-based foods, plant enzymes in fruits like pineapple and kiwi can tenderize meat. Like with lemon juice or vinegar, you don't want to leave these foods on beef for too long—it will make the meat soft. You can blend fruit to create a marinade.

How do you make meat fall apart tender?

Contrary to an already lean and tender piece of meat, which needs a shorter cooking time and dry, high heat, a chuck roast needs to cook for several hours in moist heat . In other words, low & slow to break down fat and tenderize the meat for that fall-apart doneness a good pot roast is known for.

8 Simple Ways to Make Tough Meat Tender (2024)

Updated: Sep. 29, 2020

Not every cut is melt-in-your mouth tender. We have the scoop on how to make tough meat tender with just a few simple steps.

I think we’ve all been there: a new recipe or an unfamiliar cut of meat leaves us with a tough, chewy meal. It feels wasteful and it can be pretty embarrassing if it happens during a dinner party. So what’s the cause, and how do you make tough meat tender?

Well, tenderizing meat isn’t as difficult as you might think! With a few tricks, like the ones we’ve got below, you can have even budget-friendly and unfamiliar cuts super tender with just a little extra effort. Find out how below, and don’t forget to ask your butcher about these cuts.

1. Physically tenderize the meat

For tough cuts like chuck steak, a meat mallet can be a surprisingly effective way to break down those tough muscle fibers. You don’t want to pound it into oblivion and turn the meat into mush, but a light pounding with the rough edge of a meat mallet will do the trick. If you don’t have one, you can lightly score the surface in a crosshatch pattern with a knife or use a fork to poke tiny holes into the meat.

2. Use a marinade

Cuts like flank or skirt steak make excellent grilling steaks, but they’re so tough you won’t want to eat them without a little marinade action. Using acidic ingredients like lemon juice, vinegar or buttermilk not only add flavor but also break down tough proteins, giving the meat a “pre-cook” before it hits the grill. Just make sure you don’t let it sit on the marinade for too long (30 minutes to two hours should be sufficient), or it’ll become soft and mushy.

Get started with our best marinade recipes.

3. Don’t forget the salt

Whether you’re marinating or not, at least make sure to salt the meat before cooking. Salt draws out moisture from inside the meat, concentrating the flavors and creating a natural brine. You know it’s working because the meat will take on a deeper, red color. Unlike marinades, you can salt your meat for up to 24 hours in advance.

4. Let it come up to room temperature

This is especially important with grass-fed beef and other lean cuts of meat. Since there’s not a lot of fat on these cuts, they’re less forgiving if slightly overcooked. Letting the meat sit on a room temperature counter for 30 minutes before cooking will help it cook more evenly.

5. Cook it low-and-slow

More expensive cuts of meat can be flash seared over high temperatures, but many budget cuts, like pork shoulder or chuck roast, require low-and-slow cooking techniques (like these slow cooker sandwiches). When braising tough cuts of meat, the collagen breaks down in the cooking liquid and really lets those tough muscle fibers separate. Make sure you give yourself enough time to let those cuts break down, which could take four or more hours in a Dutch oven or slow cooker.

6. Hit the right internal temperature

Overcooking can make your meat dry but undercooked meat can be quite chewy. Don’t be afraid of an instant-read meat thermometer and pull your meat when it’s ready. For naturally tender cuts like beef tenderloin, that can be as rare as 125ºF, whereas tougher cuts like brisket should be cooked to 195ºF.

7. Rest your meat

No matter how well you prepare and cook your meat, it will turn out dry and tough if you don’t let it rest. A general rule of thumb is five minutes per inch of thickness for steaks, or ten minutes per pound for roasts. This allows the juices to redistribute within the meat instead of spilling out onto the cutting board—that means your meat will be dry and tough.

8. Slice against the grain

All cuts of meat have long muscle fibers that run throughout them. If you make cuts parallel to the muscle fibers, you’ll end up using your teeth to break through them as you chew. That sounds like a workout! Instead, cut crosswise against the muscle fibers so they come apart easily and effortlessly.

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8 Simple Ways to Make Tough Meat Tender (2024)

1. Physically tenderize the meat

2. Use a marinade

3. Don’t forget the salt

4. Let it come up to room temperature

5. Cook it low-and-slow

6. Hit the right internal temperature

7. Rest your meat

8. Slice against the grain

FAQs

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