Tenderize steak is significantly a typical meal for most of the decent families of the U.S.A. We’ll spend a very close time with our favorite in this pandemic situation and have a decadent dinner like steak.
Like everyone, you may expect a tender, juicy and soft steak at the dinner table. But we make mistakes sometimes to achieve that one. Let’s learn how to tenderize steak without compromising taste!
If you want to know the tricks and strategies, then read through from first to last.
General Mistakes Between B.B.Q. & Tenderize Steaks
We usually make a common mistake to compare the steak to a traditional B.B.Q. But these are two different things. When you barbecue something, you’ve to cook it slow and low with the lid on, similarly to roasting but often with smoke.
- Consider a more significant cut for barbecue. Comparatively, tenderize steaks mean, beat it with a cooking hammer, tenderize the hard meat with salt or other things for 30-40 minutes
- Marinade it with spices
- Then cook it low and slow (Sounds exhausting, right??)
- Finally, slice the meat against the grain.
In a word, barbecue means to cook it rapidly, whereas tenderize steaks depending on some exact procedures. Still, you need to tenderize the meat for soft and juicy.
In other words, you cannot make a steak rapidly like other barbecue foods.
5 Simple Ways To Tenderize A Steak
If you’re asking me, what’s the best way to make perfect stakes? My answer should tenderize it perfectly and tactfully. As the old riddle goes, there is more than one way to skin a cat, and I compromised here some of the best ways to tenderize a steak.
These are the simplest ways to get your job done. So let us have a look.
01) Tenderize The Steak Using Coarse Sea Salt
You know what? Every cooking has some secret ingredients. If you put them on the same food, your dishes become more delicious than before.
The more you research how to make a perfect steak, the more you learn. It’s almost always salt.
Time- 20-30 minutes
Ingredients –
- Fork
- Coarse sea salt / Kosher salt
- Lamb/Beef/ Pork steak (1 or 2 pieces)
Steps-01) Stroke The Meat With a fork
Of course, salting your meat for 30-40 minutes before cooking them will cause a magical transformation! You will get chewy & tough, tender, and juicy meat.
Not just any salt will do that! You use coarse sea salt / kosher salt. Alternatively, you can do the job with a fork. Let’s experiment with two of them comparatively.
Just take two pieces of steak and put a grain of salt on it as much as the salt covers the meat thoroughly. Again, take another stake and stroke it with a fork like a pozzy.
Steps-02) Wait for 30-40 minutes
After tenderizing the steak, let it rest for 30-40 minutes. Afterward, marinate the steak with spices.
Steps-03) Grill Them
Grill both steaks slowly. Leave it to cook correctly and stir it after every 2-3 minutes. Finally, test the tenderness of both steaks and compare them. From experience, both taste the same except for the Fork, as salt is more effective than a fork.
Benefits –
Salt will help to draw out the meat’s natural juice. The juice will dissolve into the salt and create a brine. Most of the brine will be reabsorbed into the meat fibers then. For this reason, the meat will be more tender and flavorful.
02) Tenderize The Steaks With Pine-apple
Times- 30 minutes
Ingredients –
- Pineapple juice (1/ ½ cup)
- Steak meat
- Ziplock bag
Steps-01) Take Your Stake In A Zip-lock Bag
Take your stake in a zip lock bag. Cut out a quarter-size pineapple and juice it.
Steps-02) Leave Your Stake Into The Juice
Pour the juice into the bag, leave it for 30 minutes. You can prepare the marinade spice until the steak is fully tenderized.
Steps-03) Grill The Stake
Finally, grill the steak properly and slice it into pieces. Test out the softness. It was pretty soft, and you’ll realize the pineapple extracts while chewing.
Benefits –
Pine-apple has powerful antioxidants and other helpful mixtures like nutrients, enzymes to tenderize meat. An enzyme in the fruits named bromelain will soften the flesh, which divides proteins called collagen. It is also efficient for a rich and tangy flavor.
03) Tenderize The Steak Using Meat Mallet
Time- 20-30 minutes
Ingredients –
- Steak meat
- Meat Mallet
- Salt
- Crapped black pepper
Steps-01) Seasoned The Stakes
Tenderizing steak with a mallet is probably the easiest way. It beats using enzymes and synthesized, which provide you uncertain results. Almost every kitchen has a chow mallet; most of us ignored them to use.
The reason for this is that no one has ever shown you how to use it. To do this:
- Season the steak with salt
- Cover the half portion of the meat with salt
- Add some cracked black pepper over the stakes
Steps-02) Add Some Sugar
Tenderize the stakes properly and rely on how hard you hit. How long do you shoot? The question will be answered in one word: determination. Well, you may be glad to know that I was using sirloin steaks while trying the process.
It’s just because I want to see how good the meat will tender, as it wasn’t revered for being limp.
After I put out the salt into the stakes, I added some sugar. Why sugar? Whatever you prefer to use, if it contains salt, you must include an extra sugar ingredient.
Salt toughens meat, especially if the heart in question isn’t going to stand for anything longer. Using sugar counteracts the toughening effect of salt with bonuses. It also gives a beautiful crispy edge to meat. For this reason, it is cooked and results in a rich, deep flavor.
Steps-02) Fold Them In Bread Film
Once you’ve seasoned both sides of the steaks, fold them in bread film or cling wrap. Start with the tenderizing. This is where a bit of fitness comes in. You need to heat the meat medium and then rigid, certainly not so high, to forge holes into the meat. But make sure to hit it to devastate the meat. This process will help break down the connective tissue in the flesh of the essence, resulting in a more tender steak.
Steps-03) Cook The Steak
Put some butter and two tablespoons of oil in the pan. You should raise the temperature to around 210 c.
You’ll notice a time-lapse of the steak cooking, where it’ll become clear the way to tenderize steaks to return to their original shape and size.
So, here’s your steak ready to serve.
Benefits-
Using a mallet in the steak is the quickest way to tenderize it. Your meat will melt. It will soften the fibers of the meat and make it easier to chew and digest.
04) Tenderize The Steak With Baking Soda
Time-30 minutes
Ingredients –
- Baking Soda (1 tablespoon)
- ½ cup of water
- Steak meat
Steps-01) Dissolve Baking Soda Into Water
First, dissolve or submerge the baking soda into the water. Remember, you should use 1 teaspoon of baking soda and ½ cup of water. Make a good mixture with these.
Steps-02) Soak Meat In the Mixture
In these steps, you need to soak the meat in the mixture. Wait for 12-15 minutes. Afterward, remove the meat from it. Rinse the meat with running water.
Steps-03) Cook The Meat
Finally, cook the meat with spices and grill it properly. Now, enjoy every tender piece of steak.
Benefits-
Baking soda contains a natural acid that neutralizes and raises the P.H. level on the surface of the meat. It helps to become more alkaline, the outside of the steaks.
05) Tenderize The Steak With Vinegar
Time-30 minutes
Ingredients –
- Vinegar
- Any Warm liquid (stock/broth/water)
- fork
Steps-01) Poke The steak meat With Fork.
First, poke the steak meat with a fork. Hit the core with as much force as you can apply. Then, go for the next step.
Steps-02) Make A Mixture Of Vinegar & Liquids
Take 1 cup of vinegar and mix with any warm liquid like stock/broth/water. Always keep the measurement of 1:2. Let the meat sit under the solution for a couple of hours. Keep the bowl in the fridge. If you have time, you can leave the bowl overnight to get the best results.
Steps-03) Cook The Steak & Enjoy It Once
Finally, grill the steak into the griller. The vinegar’s sharp flavor notifies you into every bite. It feels salty, juicy, and seasoned evenly.
Benefits-
Vinegar contains natural acidic acid. The process will help to break down the meat fibers and also make them more soft, flavorful. Again, vinegar is an excellent source to tenderize hard meat, poultry, fish, and vegetables. It works as a natural preservative also.
Other Ways To Tenderize A Perfect steak.
- Thick yogurt
- Buttermilk
- Tenderizer seasoning
- Brine
- Lemon Juice
- Needle tenderizers, etc.
Related Questions Answered
a) What is the best way to tenderize meat?
The way to tenderize meat is, marinade it with papaya. Papaya or Pineapple juice is a handy ingredient that we usually find in the kitchen. Papaya contains a raw steak tenderizer called papain. On the other hand, the pineapple has a very effective enzyme called bromelain. These ingredients are very efficient in tenderizing the meat very rapidly.
b) What are 3 ways to tenderize meat?
According to the trusty “Food lover’s companion,” their three best ways to tenderize meat. These are,
- First, tenderize the meat chemically using a commercial meat tenderizer.
- Second, long or slowly cook the meat.
- And the third one is marinating the heart to be absorbed in an acid-based marinade which contains an enzyme. Enzymes help to break down the connective tissue of the meat.
c) What is a good steak tenderizer?
There are plenty of steak tenderizers available in the world of food. Among them, you can choose these five, which are very cheap and available in the kitchen. As though,
- Tea (contains tannins)
- Coffee powder (contains natural tenderizer extracts)
- Coca-cola (contains soda)
- Beer or wine
- Ginger
- Pawpaw
- Figs
- Kiwis, etc.
d) What is a raw steak tenderizer?
Salt is considered a raw steak tenderizer. Salt and baking soda are both known as good sources to break down the proteins in beef. A thick kosher salt/sea salt or baking soda will quickly apply for 1-2 hours. It allows some salt or soda to sink into the beef.
Final Wrap
Alright, these are the simplest and easiest way of how to tenderize steaks that make the job done. You should judge the results at the end. You can apply these all tactics one by one and test out which one makes your steak more soft and perfect.
I assure you that now you’re definitely to tell yourself, “It is never going to look like the first one which I started as a beginner.”
Again, I want to give the novice a tiny tip that doesn’t show any hurry while you’re making any steaks. You’ll see a time-lapse of the steak cooking where it’ll become clear the way to tenderize steaks to return to their original shape and size when cooked but without the nasty tough animal tissue. Like, slow & steady wins the race; the steak will be perfect if you cook it slow.
Do comment and share my writings with your friends if you find this delicious and practical.
