Tenderize Beef Minimal Flavor/juice Loss W/o Pounding

[junkofdavid2]

How do you tenderize meat with minimal pounding and without adulterating the flavor?

Marinading makes it lose the juices, and the marinade taste also affects the flavor.

Pounding flattens the meat, but I prefer it still a little thick.

I usually like to make beef steak cut into semi-thick cubes to be dipped in really good japanese sauce.

On a budget though... any ideas?

[Gary A]

How do you tenderize meat with minimal pounding and without adulterating the flavor?

Marinading makes it lose the juices, and the marinade taste also affects the flavor.

Pounding flattens the meat, but I prefer it still a little thick.

I usually like to make beef steak cut into semi-thick cubes to be dipped in really good japanese sauce.

On a budget though... any ideas?

I use green papaya. I slice the papaya about a quarter inch thick and layer it with the beef. I pour water over all of it but a friend told me the water isn't necessary. I haven't tried it without the water yet. I leave it in the refrigerator about three days then cook or freeze it. It does work.

ADDED - I used to put the papaya in the blender with beer but the beer flavor was was quite strong after the beef was cooked and it was messy washing the mush off the beef.

Edited February 16, 2008 by Gary A

[tutsiwarrior]

How do you tenderize meat with minimal pounding and without adulterating the flavor?

Marinading makes it lose the juices, and the marinade taste also affects the flavor.

Pounding flattens the meat, but I prefer it still a little thick.

I usually like to make beef steak cut into semi-thick cubes to be dipped in really good japanese sauce.

On a budget though... any ideas?

I use green papaya. I slice the papaya about a quarter inch thick and layer it with the beef. I pour water over all of it but a friend told me the water isn't necessary. I haven't tried it without the water yet. I leave it in the refrigerator about three days then cook or freeze it. It does work.

ADDED - I used to put the papaya in the blender with beer but the beer flavor was was quite strong after the beef was cooked and it was messy washing the mush off the beef.

I have also used the green papaya tenderizing technique but with beef chunks to be used in a curry or braised beef recipies. I just toss in peeled and sliced green papaya with the chunks in a plastic bread bag and leave in the fridge over night. Careful not to leave too long or the meat will turn into mush.

[LtLOS]

Your title is a bit different from your question. If you are trying to make a steak from top or bottom round, its probably not a good idea. These cuts are normally used in roasts, or other dishes that require braising. If you try and slice a round and pop it on the grill med rare, you'll end up with shoe leather and aint no amount of additive tenderizers are gonna make it anything like a real med rare steak.

Problem is with most of these posts about tenderizing steak is folks trying to Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear...In other words pick the cut for the dish.

[Gary A]

Your title is a bit different from your question. If you are trying to make a steak from top or bottom round, its probably not a good idea. These cuts are normally used in roasts, or other dishes that require braising. If you try and slice a round and pop it on the grill med rare, you'll end up with shoe leather and aint no amount of additive tenderizers are gonna make it anything like a real med rare steak.

Problem is with most of these posts about tenderizing steak is folks trying to Make a silk purse out of a sow's ear...In other words pick the cut for the dish.

Well Lt.. Some of us have to make do with what we have. I live 150 kilometers from the nearest super store that has Thai French beef and sometimes I wonder about that Thai French because it can also be a tough as shoe leather. I buy the local beef loin and if I don't tenderize it, I can't even chew it. My dog likes it so it's not a total loss. Unless you are fortunate enough to live near a beef importer, I'm afraid you'll have to eat pork and chicken.

[lomatopo]

Top Round steak should be OK, grilled. Bottom Round is best as a pot roast: low/slow. Many recipes available.

[Phil Conners]

Milk is a great tenderizer without adding any noticeable flavor.

[IMA_FARANG]

How do you tenderize meat with minimal pounding and without adulterating the flavor?

Marinading makes it lose the juices, and the marinade taste also affects the flavor.

Pounding flattens the meat, but I prefer it still a little thick.

I usually like to make beef steak cut into semi-thick cubes to be dipped in really good japanese sauce.

On a budget though... any ideas?

See here is the thing...as someone said in a post on this topic...you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. But that said, there are some things you can do to improve the quality of the meat.

First of all, to get tender meat you have to break down the stringy muscle fibers in the meat into more tender fibers. A lot of Americans go for the "fresher the meat the better" theory. It actually helps to AGE the meat naturally, as the fibers break down with time. So the "the fresher the better" theory is C**p.

As it has been said on this topic, some things that will break down the fibers are papaya and milk. You can marinate the meat in a milk-water mix also. They usually don't add to much taste.

Acidic liquids will break down the muscle fibers. Things like vinegar and such will do it, but for some people the taste is too much. Lemon juice also works, even when diluted in water. Orange juice or lime juice can also work.

The other way to tenderise meat that isn't of the best quality (i.e. tough) is too cook it slowly. Don't just slap it on the grill. Use something like a crock pot or slow cooker to cook the meat at a lower temperature for a longer period of time. If you wnat you can finish it on the grill for taste.

I have, honestly, used old water buffalo meat, marinated in a combo of lemon and lime juices (and some water) for 24 hours at room temperature (covered of course to keep out flies/insects). It worked fine. I cooked the meat in a pressure cooker, not on a grill. It came out tender and moist. The lemon/lime marinade did give it a little citrus tangy taste...but I didn't mind that and neither did the others that ate it apparently.

Edited February 28, 2008 by IMA_FARANG