What will tenderize steak

Heavily salting a tough cut of meat and letting it sit an hour or two before you cook it is an effective way to break down tough muscle fibers, no fussy marinade needed. There are a couple of clever knife tricks that can make meat seem more tender.

One is scoring. This method can help break up tough proteins and also helps the meat absorb tenderizing marinades more easily. The second meat-tenderizing knife trick is slicing cooked steak thinly, across the grain. The idea is to break up the long, tough meat fibers so they are shorter and thus easier to chew. Cooking tough cuts of meat with low-temperature heat over a long period of time is a great way to tenderize it.

Tough fibers, collagen and connective tissues will break down, leaving you with tender meat. By cooking it for an extended period of time, the collagen in the meat which makes it tough , starts to break down and become gelatinous. This is when you get that easily shreddable pot roast or short ribs that literally fall off the bone. Some kind of liquid is always included in a braise to maintain a wet heat while cooking; the steam keeps the meat juicy so it doesn't dry out after cooking for hours.

Cooking low and slow always requires some patience—but is well worth the wait. The most stress-relieving way to tenderize steak. Use a meat mallet to pound out the meat thinner, which will allow for a super-quick cook time and help prevent the meat from toughening. Meat mallets come with two sides: one flat and one pointy. The flat side is used for flattening meats, while the pointy side is used for tenderizing, as it break ups the muscle fibers and relaxes the meat.

You've heard the rule to always cut steak against the grain if you need a refresh on our other key tips, head here. This is important for tougher cuts like flank steak. Develop and improve products. List of Partners vendors. Basic Ingredients. Featured Video. Read More. Your Privacy Rights. To change or withdraw your consent choices for thespruceeats. At any time, you can update your settings through the "EU Privacy" link at the bottom of any page. The cuts will sever tough meat fibers and muscle tissue.

This can help speed up the absorption of the marinade. Thus making your steak tender and flavorsome. Always let the meat rest on a chopping board for 5 — 10 minutes after the grill before you slice it. Letting the steak rest before cutting will relax the meat, making it juicier. Thin slices mean short meat fibers, making even a fibrous steak like a skirt steak seem tender.

Cooking Chicken Tonight? We have a full guide on how to tenderize chicken , so you can also cook your chicken to perfection! The flank steak, for example, is a full-flavored cut that comes from the center of the chuck. It will look and cook like a skirt steak, however, you will find that it cuts like a tender steak from the loin.

Other alternative steaks which are just as flavorful are beef chuck, chuck steak, charcoal steak, chuck tenders, chuck roast, tri-tip, eye round steak, rump roast, hanger steak and flap steak. Cube steak, also commonly known as minute steak for its short cooking time. While this cut of meat comes packaged already tenderized. You can tenderize it more helps bring out more flavor. Regular salt and pepper seasoning not cut it for you anymore? I used to just use them as well.

That was until I tried my first rub, now I have a kitchen cupboard overflowing with spices!