What Is a Good Meat Tenderizer?

While the thought of meat tenderizers conjures up images of a chef with a bumpy-looking hammer beating the daylights out of a steak, there are less violent ways to reduce toughness in meat. Let spices and marinades do the dirty work, and you will get a tender, juicy, flavorful dish. Use your favorite ingredients to tantalize your palate.

Methods

Soak meat for as little as 20 minutes or as long as several hours in a marinade, a combination of oil, acidic liquid and bold seasonings that soften and flavor meat. The longer the meat rests, the stronger the effects. The connecting meat fibers will disintegrate about ¼ inch from the outside.

You can also use a sharp knife to make several shallow bias cuts in the meat, but since this method is less effective by itself, do it before marinating to increase tenderness, or allow meat to cook slowly for a long time. Pounding is very helpful, but it can be disastrous to the meat's appearance.

Marinades

Popular acidic ingredients for marinades include wine, vinegar, lemon juice or tomato products. Add plain or flavored oil and foods with natural enzymes, such as ginger and pineapple, or sweeten marinades with sugars or fruit juice. Strong spices, such as garlic, tarragon, cumin and peppercorns, boost flavor and can be used alone or together.

If you plan to soak meat for more than an hour, refrigerate it--otherwise, a full day of marinating will turn meat to mush.

Cuts of Meat

Tough cuts of meat have more fiber in them, making them chewy and difficult to eat. Beef cuts like chuck roast and flank or round steak need more tenderizing, while other types, such as New York strip, require less. Venison, rabbit and other game are very tough and need a lot of tenderizing. Lamb, pork, poultry and seafood can be cooked very slowly to reduce toughness without resorting to pounding, scoring and marinating.

Considerations

Commercial tenderizers work quickly and effectively when you sprinkle or rub them on the meat and then wait a bit before cooking. Ready to go from the package, directions for these tenderizers vary widely depending on the brand. Ingredients include bold spices and exotic flavorings, and derivatives of pineapple and papaya, which improve flavor and texture. Since store-bought tenderizers often have a high sodium content and many preservatives, you may want to steer clear of them if you have dietary restrictions.

Food Safety

Use separate sets of utensils before and after cooking meat, or wash them with hot, soapy water and dry completely. When marinating, always discard the solution that raw meat has been sitting in before you cook; while the aroma may be tempting, do not save it to use as a sauce or for basting. Instead, make a little extra marinade and set it aside, tightly covered in the refrigerator. Cook meat thoroughly before you eat it.

References

• Better Homes and Gardens New Grilling Cookbook, 2nd Edition; Meredith Publishing Group, 2005.
• Enzyme Development Corporation
• Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book, 12th Edition; Better Homes and Gardens Books; 2004.

Resources

• Recipe Tips