How to Tenderize Meat
Meats like lamb, beef are best cooked and served tender. Tenderizing allows the flavor of the meat to develop, and makes it easier to serve and to eat. Here are some of the methods that you can employ to tenderize meat.
What is Tenderizing?
Some cuts of meat are particularly tender to begin with, although there are some cuts that need to be prepared for them to become tender and juicy. Substances called collagens are found in muscular and connective tissue, and can toughen meat during preparation or cooking. If collagens are not broken down, they can make the meat tougher as it cooks.
There are three ways to tenderize meat:
With mechanical means (like tools and cutting methods)
Substances like sauces, marinades, and chemicals meant to tenderize meat
Cooking methods.
Mechanical Tenderizing
Many tough cuts of meat contain the most flavor. Some of these cuts and kinds of meat are best cooked with a bare minimum of seasoning and flavoring. For these meats, you need to use mechanical tenderizing:
tenderize meat
Tenderizing tools. Kitchen supply stores sell small metal or wooden mallets that you can use to pound fillets. Meat mallets usually have small spikes that help break down connective tissue in meat, making it more tender.
Cutting and slicing. The way you cut and slice meat can also help make meat more tender. Cut meat against the grain; this way, the fibers of the muscle tissue are shorter and the meat is easier to cut and serve after cooking.
Marinades and Tenderizers
Another way to tenderize meat is to add some ingredients to it that help break down collagen
Marinades. Most marinades contain acidic ingredients like vinegar that help break down connective tissue. Don’t add too much salt into your marinade; salt has the tendency to toughen and dehydrate the meat.
Fruit. Papaya and pineapple have long been used to tenderize meat. Fruits contain enzymes and other substances that help break down connective tissue, and impart their own flavor to the meat.
Chemical tenderizers. Many ingredients are sold on the market that can help tenderize meat. Make sure to follow the instructions carefully on a package of store-bought meat tenderizing products.
Cooking Methods
When cooking meat, it’s best to cook it the right way. Tough meats need to be slow-cooked to allow the cooking process to break down collagen and connective tissue. Tenderized meats may not be cooked at all (like beef carpaccio), but when cooking them you need to create a seal around the meat to preserve the juices. You can do this by searing the meat, or grilling it on both sides quickly to create a seal.
Tender meat is easy to cook and is a pleasure to eat. With these steps, you can easily make prepare all sorts of meat for any dish you may have in mind.