Any type of cut of meat, no matter how cheap, can be made tender and delicious with the right technique. The process of tenderizing meat involves breaking down the muscle fibers of the meat to soften its texture, making the meat easier to chew and tastier. Even the toughest or toughest parts of meat, from chuck roasts to pork shoulder, can be turned into delicious and juicy dishes with the right methods. You can tenderize meat in many ways – from using mechanical tools such as a meat hammer, to using heat, to breaking down enzymes with fruit. Here's how.
Step
Method 1 of 4: Softening Using Tools
Step 1. Place your cutlets on a cutting board
If you'd like, you can place a piece of parchment paper or parchment paper under and over the meat to reduce the mess and dirt from this method. Note: You should not place parchment paper on the meat if you plan to use a knife.
Keep in mind that using metal tools to tenderize meat will break down both the meat's connective tissue and the meat's own fibers
Step 2. Choose your meat tenderizer
There are two choices of tools that can work best in the mechanical meat tenderization process. You can use an actual meat tenderizer (which looks a lot like medieval torture tools) or a knife. The choice is in your hand.
Step 3. Tender the meat
Tenderizing the meat is basically 'chewing' the meat first with a tool to make it thinner and softer.
- If you're using a meat tenderizer, hold the tool in your hand and strike it against the meat like you'd nail it with a hammer. Pound the meat evenly over the entire surface, then flip it over, and continue hitting the meat with the hammer.
- If you are using a knife, make cuts or scrapes that cut across the muscle fibers. Your cuts should be long and thin, but deep enough.
Method 2 of 4: Tenderizing Meat with Heat
Step 1. Understand how to tenderize meat with hot work
The muscle fibers in meat are surrounded by a layer of collagen which is a connective tissue. When collagen is heated to 60ºC, it will tighten and contract, causing the liquid in the meat to leak out and result in very dry cuts of meat (which you don't want unless you really like perfectly cooked or well done steaks). On the other hand, heating the meat to 71.1ºC or higher will cause the collagen to turn into a chewy gelatin-like texture, which will give the meat a soft texture when pierced with a fork and will melt in your mouth.
Heat tenderizing is best for cuts of brisket, ribs, or other meats that have a lot of collagen. This method does not work well for pork chops or filet mignon
Step 2. Choose a tenderizing tool using heat
You can use dry heat or wet heat. Baking is an example of using dry heat, while boiling (with a little water) is an example of using wet heat. During the roasting process, the roast meat will be cooked slowly so that the meat becomes tender. Boiling meat is when you submerge meat in a flavored or seasoned liquid and cook it.
Step 3. Gently tenderize the meat
Whichever method you use, the key to getting tender meat with heat is to cook it slowly. If you don't cook the meat slowly, the outer surface of the meat will begin to burn before the collagen in the meat has had a chance to turn into gelatin.
Method 3 of 4: Softening with Marinade and Fruit
Step 1. Know what is meant by enzymatic tenderization
Enzymes are molecules that help speed up the reaction process (in this case, the breakdown of meat fibers). Various fruits contain enzymes that can help the process of tenderizing meat.
Acids and fruit acids like lemon or buttermilk will also enhance the tender texture of your meat
Step 2. Know the type of fruit that contains the enzyme
The most common fruits used for tenderizing meat are pineapples, kiwis, and papayas. Of all of them, kiwifruit has the most neutral taste (which means it affects the marinade the least). Be careful with pineapple. Pineapple contains the enzyme bromelain, which can actually turn meat into a pulp if you let it soak in your pineapple marinade for too long.
Step 3. Add a tablespoon or two of the pulp of your choice
Pureeing the fruit will help it mix well in the spices. You can also make a simple marinade with oil and lemon if you prefer it over a kiwifruit marinade. All of these ingredients will help to break down the muscle fibers in your meat.
Step 4. Place the meat in a pot, bowl, or resealable plastic
Add the marinade of your choice to the meat, then cover the container. Let the meat soak in the marinade for at least a day (though the longer the better).
Method 4 of 4: Wither Your Meat
Step 1. Know what dry-aging is
Dry-aging of meat is a natural way to allow the enzymatic tenderization of meat to occur by withering or being left temporarily under certain conditions. The enzymes in the meat will break down and break down the muscle fibers of the meat, and make the meat more tender and more flavorful, after the meat has been simmered. However, keep in mind that this process can take up to 20 days or more.
Step 2. Know the ideal type of meat for the withering process
Look for large cuts of meat cooked using a quick cooking method. This means that porterhouse steaks, New York strip steaks, and rib steaks are the best cuts of meat for the withering process. It's important to get really large cuts of meat – you can't fry the small pieces, as you need to cut the outside of the wilted meat off before you cook it, so there won't be much left for small steaks if you cook them.
If you want to mash the ribs, go for the 109A cut (which is the rib cut - ask a professional butcher and he'll know what you mean). This cut of meat is one in which the spine has been almost completely cut off, but the fat cap is put back in
Step 3. Create your butcher's place
You will need space in your refrigerator or mini-fridge that can be used only for the aging process of the meat. Mini-fridges are the best option because wilted meat can get a little smelly, which can make the fridge you use on a daily basis stink.
You'll also need to add a small fan to the fridge – a regular desk fan will work fine. Make a hole in the lid of your refrigerator door so you can run your fan cable through it. This fan is important because it will help to create an even wilting environment resulting in the cuts of meat drying evenly on all sides
Step 4. Place your cuts of meat on a rack
The meat you want to wilt should be placed on a gridded shelf, not on a plate or directly on the surface of your refrigerator. Thus air circulation can be free and the meat can wither on all sides. Dishes don't allow your meat to dehydrate and can very easily cause it to soggy and rot.
Step 5. Give your meat time to become tender
Generally, you need to allocate a minimum of 20 days for the withering process. 14 to 28 days is the average time that restaurants generally take to age their steaks. 28-45 days is the period when very strong flavors begin to emerge and the meat becomes very tender. After 45 days the taste of the meat will be very strong (some even say too strong), but it really depends on your preferences and tastes in terms of taste.
Step 6. Cut the outside of your meat
If you are withering the meat, you will need to slice off the outside before you cook and eat it. You may also want to cut the wilted meat into small steak pieces for serving per serving.
Tips
The way you cut the meat can also help tenderize it after cooking. For example, flank steak, if sliced thinly against the grain of the grain, the meat will become a little more tender when cooked
What you need
- Meat hammer or knife
- Oil paper or plastic wrap
- Sharp knife or meat press
- Resealable tin or plastic bag
- Cooking oil
- Lemon juice, vinegar, or buttermilk
- Fruits like kiwi, pineapple, or papaya
- toaster
- Mini fridge
- Fan
- Rack
