meat tenderizer ideas

[lx450landcruiser]

As are most im a big fan of steak, and although Ive had some good results with them It doesnt seem to be consistant. Usualy when im cooking pork i just use orange juice as my main tenderizer but with steak it comes out too citric and you loose the steak flavor, any tips? also any one age there own meat? tips on this as well.


mike

 

[OZCAL]

I let steaks sit on a plate for a day or two in the fridge. Unless there's something stinky in the fridge.

Coca Cola is a pretty good marinade/tenderizer for roasts/brisket

Chopped canned pineapple for pork, then roast slow with a lot of heat at the end to kill the whatever and caramelize some sugar...

 

[NorCalDoug]

the OJ works with pork because you're essentially brining it. by adding moisture to the pork, you prevent it from drying out. I suspect what you're noticing is juicy pork, rather than tender pork...you know what I mean?


you don't want to brine beef...unless you're making corned beef, which is a whole different critter...





have you seen this thread yet? there's some good stuff in there.


to answer your question, I've dry aged my own beef before. it's not terribly difficult to do, but, you do need to pay attention to what you're doing.




what cut of beef are you using?


as far as mechanical type tenderizers go, the best I've found is the 48-blade Jaccard

but I'd never use it on a nice looking NY strip like they show there...

The 48-blade Mini Meat Tenderizer - makes any boneless cut of pork, veal, lamb, chicken, steak or roast butter-tender. It's easy to use and improves the taste and texture of any beef, fish, or poultry. Push the tenderizer over the top of the meat and let the razor sharp stainless steel blades do all the work. By tenderizing beef, chicken, pork, lamb, venison, or fish, food will marinate faster and cook in no time. For use on all cuts and grades of meat and can also be used on whole roasts, chickens, and turkeys. Ideal for use when grilling, barbecuing, roasting, broiling, braising, and baking. Use the Jaccard Meat Tenderizer on any cut of boneless meat. Enjoy deeper and quicker penetration of marinades, up to 40% reduced cooking time and even cooking throughout chicken and other meats with uneven thickness.

Jaccard, the industry leader in meat tenderization, presents a line of consumer products that offer innovative and compelling solutions for the home. The Simply Better line offers improved designs to simplify food preparation. It includes products like the 48-blade meat tenderizer featured on the Food Network's show “Good Eats”. Chefs of any level will find that Jaccard consumer products provide superior results for home cooking.

I use mine on tougher cuts of meat and/or specific recipes...it works well enough.

 

[lx450landcruiser]

That is a good thread, im not particular to any one cut, i usually get the meat from costco as they seem to have fairy decent meat at good prices, Ill have to see if i cant find the jaccard device locally and give it a try. I head somthing about a vacume bag thing that sucks in all the marinade wonder if that works?

mike



QUOTE=NorCalDoug;2558842]the OJ works with pork because you're essentially brining it. by adding moisture to the pork, you prevent it from drying out. I suspect what you're noticing is juicy pork, rather than tender pork...you know what I mean?


you don't want to brine beef...unless you're making corned beef, which is a whole different critter...





have you seen this thread yet? there's some good stuff in there.


to answer your question, I've dry aged my own beef before. it's not terribly difficult to do, but, you do need to pay attention to what you're doing.




what cut of beef are you using?


as far as mechanical type tenderizers go, the best I've found is the 48-blade Jaccard

but I'd never use it on a nice looking NY strip like they show there...


[/i]


I use mine on tougher cuts of meat and/or specific recipes...it works well enough.[/QUOTE]

 

[NorCalDoug]

That is a good thread, im not particular to any one cut, i usually get the meat from costco as they seem to have fairy decent meat at good prices, Ill have to see if i cant find the jaccard device locally and give it a try. I head somthing about a vacume bag thing that sucks in all the marinade wonder if that works?

mike

food saver (or similar devices) work well for that.

I have one of those too.
I used it more for vacuum-sealing meat when I divide large portions into smaller sections.

for example, I'll buy one of those huge bags of tri-tip from costco for something like $3.69/lb, then trim them up and vacuum seal them into individual tri-tips or sections of tri-tip and save about 2 dollars per pound by doing it myself (based on the price the last time I was there).

try a more tender cut of meat or one that's a bit more forgiving...like...tri-tip for example. although I've seen it done, it's difficult to overcook a tri-tip if you pay attention to what you're doing.

avoid the bottom round cuts unless you're doing some sort of roast or chilli or something that's slow-cooked -- they tend to be tougher in general.








I found my jaccard tenderizer at a specialty cooking gadget shop...I had a gift certificate that I needed to spend.
you can find them online too...probably for a better price than what you might find locally.

 

[snailwagon]

In my neck of the woods the best grocery beef is from Costco. Look closely at anything that is not a tenderloin or very large cut: they have all been needled.

Pineapple does some decent tenderizing. You could always try Papaya and see if you can make your beef the same consistency as liver

 

[shelfboy1]

im surprised on this site that no one has told you to beat your meat. since we buy a half a cow every year i like some of the ideas and will try a couple good luck

 

[Liam]

be very careful jaccarding steaks......

here is why
Meat cutting houses, ie Buckhead Beef Company, jaccard meat, but in a subprimal form. Meaning they take entire strip or ribeye and put it through a jaccarding machine and then cut steaks out of it. Why does that matter you ask???

If you Jaccard a cut steak you are making cuts into the meat that will allow the juices to run out. If you jaccard a subprimal then the cuts are running horizontal and keep the juices in.

 

[fsusteve]

be very careful jaccarding steaks......

here is why
Meat cutting houses, ie Buckhead Beef Company, jaccard meat, but in a subprimal form. Meaning they take entire strip or ribeye and put it through a jaccarding machine and then cut steaks out of it. Why does that matter you ask???

If you Jaccard a cut steak you are making cuts into the meat that will allow the juices to run out. If you jaccard a subprimal then the cuts are running horizontal and keep the juices in.

you know more about meat then any man should.....

 

[inthewall]

If its a tough piece of meat marinate it in wishbone italian dressing. The vinegar will tenderize it.

 

[decavo]

try mushroom soy sauce .. find it at chinese markets .. good flavor and tenderizer a little hot pepper and garlic ..

 

[grrlscout89FJ62]

the OJ works with pork because you're essentially brining it. by adding moisture to the pork, you prevent it from drying out. I suspect what you're noticing is juicy pork, rather than tender pork...you know what I mean?

Not to

... but wouldn't brining involve salt? The salt makes the meat juicier by forcing it to retain more moisture on a molecular level, and orange juice make the meat more tender, but not necessarily juicier, by softening the fibers with acid.

 

[Liam]

If its a tough piece of meat marinate it in wishbone italian dressing. The vinegar will tenderize it.

try mushroom soy sauce .. find it at chinese markets .. good flavor and tenderizer a little hot pepper and garlic ..

what is wrong with you people......

Italian dressing is for chicken

mushroom soy sauce is a horrible idea......

This is all in my opinion of course. If it were up to me...

If you are buying at least USDA choice meat then you need to make sure it is aged properly. If it is frozen make sure you slack it out in the fridge at least 3 days - 4 or 5 is better. Before you cook it make sure the meat is at room temp.....start there before you put something on it.

 

[Liam]

Not to

... but wouldn't brining involve salt? The salt makes the meat juicier by forcing it to retain more moisture on a molecular level, and orange juice make the meat more tender, but not necessarily juicier, by softening the fibers with acid.

that is actually the opposite that would happen unless you are injecting it with the brine. Think of this - everything wants to be at homeostasis adding a salt solution will draw out moisture from the meat to equalize the brining solution - this will also leave the meat saltier b/c the water leaves without the NaCL.

This is why the boys in the south soak deer in a salt/water bath to draw out the blood b/c it is too hot to hang the deer outside....

 

[NorCalDoug]

Not to

... but wouldn't brining involve salt? The salt makes the meat juicier by forcing it to retain more moisture on a molecular level, and orange juice make the meat more tender, but not necessarily juicier, by softening the fibers with acid.

you're right. it was incorrect to call the oj alone a brine. a brine must have salt and sugar. :whoops:
but the juice will still be absorbed, albeit, not as well as if salt is introduced. and yes, the acid does work to break down the meat fibers.

 

[NorCalDoug]

that is actually the opposite that would happen unless you are injecting it with the brine. Think of this - everything wants to be at homeostasis adding a salt solution will draw out moisture from the meat to equalize the brining solution - this will also leave the meat saltier b/c the water leaves without the NaCL.

This is why the boys in the south soak deer in a salt/water bath to draw out the blood b/c it is too hot to hang the deer outside....

although some moisture is lost initially, in order to achieve homeostasis the meat will reabsorb some of the liquid.

 

[Liam]

although some moisture is lost initially, in order to achieve homeostasis the meat will reabsorb some of the liquid.

yes a small amount will, but it would take a week and it will be salty as fxxx. Why do you think all brine is injected and not used as a bath?

 

[NorCalDoug]

yes a small amount will, but it would take a week and it will be salty as fxxx. Why do you think all brine is injected and not used as a bath?

how salty the end result is depends on how much salt is in the brine more than how long it's brined.

 

[Liam]

how salty the end result is depends on how much salt is in the brine more than how long it's brined.

it depends on both.

 

[Buckru]

When cooking steaks, I use a LITTLE dry rub on them and vacume seal them and let em sit overnight in the fridge. This will open the pores of the meat and let some of the rub inside. I usually take my steaks out about 3 hours before cooking and let em rest on the kitchen counter and come up to room temperature.

When cooking your steak try a two zone fire. One zone is super hot for searing. For an 1.5" steak I cook one minute per side on hot zone and flip once. Then I move them to the second zone. This is not as hot and finishes cooking the meat without charring it. I usually do two minutes on one side flip and one more minute for medium rare. Don't cut or pierce the meat to check for doneness.

If you are not sure how to tell doneness here is a trick I have used:
With your hand ralaxed and palm face up with fingers curled a bit. Press on the fleshy part between your thumb and life line. That is the feeling a rare steak will have.
With thumb and index finger lightly touching-fleshy part feels medium rare
With thumb and middle finger lightly touching- medium
Thumb and ring finger-medium well
Thumb and pinky- you don't deserve to cook or eat beef

Don't forget to let the meat rest after coming off the grill.

Buck Buchanan