What Is The Best Steak For Tenderizing
One thing to consider is your type of steak. Each one of them have different tenderness level.
The ribeye is an excellent piece of meat. It is a great place for you to start, and it is worth every penny it costs.
But, if you want to save some money and apply a little science to your dinner preparation, try some of the tougher cuts, like a round steak, chuck or flank steak.
These cuts are traditionally a bit rougher around the edges and harder to make tender. Your guests will be impressed with your new found culinary skills when you apply them to this carnivorous adventure.
Before you start this process, you will need a few simple supplies, which are very easy to find because you may already have most of the items needed in your pantry.
Needed Supplies
- Steak – You choose it by yourself or consult your butcher
- Kosher Salt or Sea Salt
- Mixing Bowl – Try to find a large enough bowl to hold your steak
- Plate – Again, a large plate is recommended, so it can hold your steak
- A Means by which to cook your steak
After you have collected all the required supplies, it is time to first prepare your meat and then tenderizing it.
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Which Steaks To Tenderize
You should definitely consider tenderizing skirt steaks, flank steaks, and tri-tips.
These cuts have large, long muscle fibers that often turn tough on the high heat of a grill. Tenderizing these steaks prior to cooking, and slicing the meat against the grain will help yield tender results.
Chuck, round, London broil, and top sirloin steaks often benefit from tenderizing as well. These inexpensive cuts often have less fat than premium cuts. Tenderizing helps break the muscle fibers apart so your steak stays tender and juicy.
Cheap, lower-quality steaks usually benefit from tenderizing for the same reason, even if they are a more premium cut. Budget steaks often have less fat marbled through their meat and may have a lot of chewy connective tissue.
Tenderizing a budget ribeye or NY strip steak, for instance, will help break this cartilage up so you can grill it quickly. That way it wont dry out before it reaches your ideal level of doneness.
Tough Meat vs Chewy
A quick note about the terms tough and chewy. We often use them interchangeably, but when it comes to steak they do mean different things. Personal preferences also vary widely, which can add to the confusion.
Steaks are tough for two reasons. They may be tough because they naturally have long, thick bundles of muscles, like flank steak and chuck. Tenderizing can solve this type of tough-steak problem.
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Does Beating Steak Make It Tender
But pounding is a quick and easy way to tenderize a steak. Pounding also has the advantage of flattening the meat, which allows it to cook more quickly and more evenly. The longer a steak spends over the heat, the drier it gets. And since dry meat is tougher, preserving the juices will produce a more tender steak.
Add The Coarse Salt Halfway Through Cooking
One of the mistakes that is made more often, when preparing the slice of meat, is to add fine salt during cooking. In this way the meat becomes dry and smaller, and it loses flavor. If you want to taste a slice of soft and succulent meat, add the coarse salt halfway through cooking and lightly brown it. The meat will be very tender.
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Want To Tenderize Cubed 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! Start experimenting!
Wrapping It Up
Although it may be hard to believe, it is 100% possible to tenderize any steak by following one of these strategies.
Sometimes I will pull something out of the freezer and challenge myself to create something so juicy and tender with it. Its surprising how often you can turn a cheap, sale piece of meat into one of the most delicious meals.
Once you master one of these techniques, youll be able to look in the bargain section and create magic with any cheap cut
What is your favorite cheap cut to create magic with?
Charlie
Still Hungry For More?
How To Cook Steak On The Grill
We won’t get into the fiery debate between charcoal versus gas grills here we’ve covered that in depth. But for certain, great grilling can be had with either charcoal or gas.
We’ve also covered how to pick the best steak for grilling. The good news is, the perfect steak doesn’t need to be the most expensive. If breaking the bank isn’t part of your barbeque plan, consider less spendy sirloin, hanger, flank steak, and skirt steaks.
Choose cuts that are at least 1-inch thick. If the steak is too thin, the interior gets cooked well-done before the exterior can develop the crave-worthy crust. If you can, choose steaks of even thickness so they’ll be done at the same time. Also, meat near the bone will take a little longer to cook.
The ideal steak marinade combines acid, fat, and seasonings. The acid creates a tangy flavor foundation and tenderizes the meat the fat adds flavor, seals in juices, helps keep the meat from sticking to the grill, and promotes caramelization and the seasonings complete the flavor profile. Here’s a breakdown of The Best Steak Marinade in Existence.
Some Favorite Grilled Steak Recipes:
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Why Is My Steak So Tough
What you know as meat is mostly muscle tissue. Additionally, overcooking meat, even meat that comes from the more tender muscles, can make it tough. Thats because heat causes the proteins in the meat to firm up. Overcooking also basically squeezes the moisture out of the meat, making it dry as well as tough.
How Do I Make Steak More Tender 11 Simple Tips
The sight and aroma of a freshly grilled steak can automatically activate ones taste buds. But now and then, you happen on a tough one thats chewy and not very appetizing. It makes you wonder how do I make steak more tender?
Heres what I discovered:
Make steak more tender by buying USDA Prime or Choice beef. Dry-aged and/or grass-fed are also good options. Then beat the steak with a mallet, adding salt before cooking. Slow-cook extra tough cuts of beef, then allow it to rest for 5 minutes after its been cooked and slice against the grain.
In this article, well explore 4 related themes:
- What is a good tenderizer?
- Does beef get more tender the longer it is cooked?
- 11 simple tips to make steak more tender
Making flavorful and tender steak is an art form. But it doesnt have to be a mystery or something that just happens occasionally and seemingly for no reason. You can master the art of a perfect steak every time!
Let the fun begin
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Do Add Salt Before Cooking It Removes Moisture
Salted meat, as you know, tastes better than unsalted meat.
Why? When meat is salted, the salt changes the molecular structure of the protein. In this state, the steak can absorb more water. So, it softens and becomes juicier and tastier than an unsalted one.
This is why Chefs often salt steak before cooking. The salt draws out the moisture, making the flavor more concentrated.
What Makes A Perfect Steak
I dont know about you, but when I think of the perfect steak visions of a crispy seared crust and a perfectly cooked, juicy, tender interior pop into my head. And to get this perfect steak, I follow three easy steps that I also use for cooking steaks from frozen.
Step 1. Season 30 minutes before cooking
Step 2. Sear in a sizzling hot pan
Step 3. Finish cooking in the oven
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Oil The Steaks Or The Pan
Do you always oil your pan before frying? Thats the case for many foods but the general consensus is that its better to brush steaks not the pan with oil or fat, and massage it in before cooking. If you prefer the other way, dont use too much oil and make sure its so hot it separates before adding the steak to the pan.
Sides For Steak Dinner
- Mix together mustard, garlic and onion powder. Then mix in remaining ingredients.
- Place beef in a ziplock bag with Marinade and marinade overnight .
- Remove from the fridge 30 minutes before cooking to bring to room temperature – key for even cooking of steaks. Shake off excess marinade.
- Brush BBQ Grills with oil, then heat on high heat until is really hot – you should see wisps of smoke. Or heat a heavy based skillet on high until very hot, then add oil – it will heat almost instantly.
- Add steaks. For 2cm / 3/4″ thick steaks, cook the first side for 2 minutes, then turn and cook the other side for 2 minutes .
- Remove from skillet onto a WARM plate, cover loosely with foil and set aside for 5 minutes.
- Serve! I couldn’t resist garlic butter – see recipe in notes.
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Ways To Make Cheap Steak Tender And Delicious
Knowing how to make budget-friendly steak tender is a game-changer.
Theres nothing quite like a delicious, juicy steak on the grill once the weather starts to warm up. Unfortunately, grilling a beautiful, tender ribeye or filet mignon can be prohibitively expensive for many families, and more affordable cuts of steak become rubbery or tough once grilled. Luckily, theres an easy solution for all of the home cooks out there with a budget and love of red meat: marinades. Yes, less expensive cuts of beef can still be flavorful and juicy all they need is a little love.For the 10 Ways to Make Cheap Steak Tender and Delicious Slideshow, click here.
So, how do you make flank steak or petite sirloin steak tender? Common marinade ingredients, such as wine, ginger, lemon juice, and kosher salt, actually have double purposes. Not only do they add flavor, but they help to break down the meat and make it wonderfully juicy. Kiwi, pineapple, and papaya are all great sources of proteolytic enzymes and add a sweet note to your smoky grilled meats.
Acidic ingredients have a similar effect on the texture of meat. Acids help to weaken the tough muscle fibers, so lemon, lime, and orange juices not only add some freshness to your red meat, but they help make it an incredible bite. Just be sure your marinade is balanced adding too much acid can have the opposite effect and toughen the steak.
Know Your Cuts: Rump Tenderloin And Flank
Choose the right cut, depending on what you want from your steak. Rump steak is cheap, hearty, fatty and full of flavour. It can be fried, grilled or sliced for stir-fries. Tenderloin fillet is pricey, but tender and lean. Its ideal for raw meat dishes such as carpaccio and tartare. Flash-fry or barbecue a flank steak it’s flavourful and cheaper than other cuts. As well as being a good bistro steak, it can be sliced and added to salads, stir-fries and burritos.
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Tenderize The Meat Physically:
The first thing you should do is breaking down the muscle fibers of the tough meat steak. A meat mallet comes handy here to get the job done for you. However, you must be careful when pounding the meat. Because you dont want to ruin your meat with the mallet. Also, a knife or even a fork will be pretty much useful here for scoring the surface of the meat.
What Does A Marinade Do
Marinades are made from acidic or enzyme components like wine, vinegar, lemon juice, or any combination of them. The acids change the consistency of the meat, making it tender.
Marinades usually contain salt herbs & bold flavors which in turn flavor the meat.
Marinades help with caramelization to give that nice brown crust we love so much.
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Best Way To Tenderize A Steak
The best method for tenderizing your steak depends on the cut and how you plan on cooking it. Obviously, you can slowly cook some cuts on a smoker, or braise them in a flavorful liquid in an oven, slow cooker or pressure cooker.
When it comes to firing up your grill, however, these are the 5 best options for tenderizing a steak. These methods are ideal for the high-heat searing and grilling that produce the most flavorful and delicious BBQ steaks.
How To Cook A Tender Juicy Steak
How to Cook a Tender Juicy Steak
You invest a lot of time and money into the steaks for a special occasion and when dinner time comes, they are tough. What happened? How can you cook steaks as tender as your favorite restaurant?
Choose the Right Steak
Chuckeye steak
The first step to cooking a good steak is to choose the right grade of steak. The top quality beef is graded USDA Prime and commands top prices. USDA Prime grade meats are sold to the restaurant industry and specialty markets and are not as likely to be found at your local grocery chain.
The next grade of beef is USDA Choice. USDA Choice is tender, flavorful and only slightly lower in quality than USDA Prime. The meat is well marbled with fat and will be tender and juicy when properly prepared. USDA Choice makes up about 70% of all graded beef and is readily available in your supermarket. USDA Good graded beef is an acceptable grade of beef that has only minimal marbling of fat. It is leaner, but may not be as tender as USDA Prime or Choice.
Next, look at the color and texture of the meat. A good steak should be firm to the touch, moist, and bright in color. It should be well marbled with thin streaks of white fat throughout and a thin crust of steak on the outside. In our fat conscious society, we tend to look for lean cuts of meat, but the thin streaks of white fat marbled throughout the meat are the key to a tender juicy steak.
Choose the Right Steak Cut
Aged Steaks
Increase Tenderness with Marinade
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Simple Tips To Make Meat Softer
Even the cheapest cuts of meat can be cooked in a tasty and succulent way. It is enough to know a few tips, to make the meat soft and tender. So if you have purchased a piece of inexpensive meat that is fibrous such as the beef loin, the flank steak, or the diaphragm you just need to follow our tips to get an excellent result. Let’s find out how to soften the less valuable cuts of meat, with some grandma’s tips, to enjoy your slice of meat tender and tasty, in a pan or grilled.
Dont Overdo The Marinade It Adds Flavor More Than Tenderness
But if youre starting with a dry-aged ribeye, youve already got a great-tasting steak. It doesnt need more flavor, and a marinade might cover up that great taste. A steak like that just needs salt, pepper, and a hot grill.
Extra moisture is introduced into the steak while it sits in the marinade. Its this moisture that makes it softer and more flavorful. So yes, if you have tri-tip, it could benefit from a good marinade.
But feel free to skip the marinade when you have high-quality cuts of beef.
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What Is A Good Steak Tenderizer
To make a steak more tender, papaya, pineapple, yogurt, lemon juice, or a marinade can all help. Additionally, using a mallet to pound the steak, or scoring the steak before cooking can help. Then allow to rest for 5 minutes after cooking, and then slice against the grain.
Lets check out a couple of these tenderizing methods.
