Mistakes Everyone Makes When Tenderizing Meat

If you've ever cooked a steak to only find out that once you took a bite, you needed to chew it far longer than you might have liked, then it may be high time you looked into tenderizing. Tenderizing meat helps to break down some of the meat's connective tissue either before or after cooking, leading to a far more pleasant eating experience. And you may be surprised to learn that there are a whole lot of techniques that do the job.

Whether you're actively breaking down the meat's structure with a meat mallet or taking advantage of the transformative effects of acidic or alkalizing marinades, a host of options opens itself to the discerning home cook looking to improve the texture of a tough cut of meat. That said, there are also many ways you can misstep, from marinating for too long to using a meat mallet incorrectly, or assuming you need to buy unitasking tools at all. We've tapped culinary experts from across the country to glean their tips on tenderizing meat. They've offered their time-tested expertise, shining a light on all of the mistakes you're likely making when attempting to do this process at home.

Perhaps one of the most common methods for tenderizing meat is using a meat mallet. This tool looks like a hammer with one flat side and one more textured side. The flat side is typically used to pound thick or uneven pieces of meat thinner without necessarily tenderizing them. It's the "spiky tooth side," Katie Flannery explains, that does the tenderizing work, "physically breaking down dense tissue and fibers of the meat," she explains. "It basically masticates the surface."

But you don't want to go hammering your meat all willy-nilly. For Kenny Gilbert, the best way to use a meat mallet is to first place the meat between two pieces of plastic wrap. Set the meat on a cutting board, then use the mallet and pound it until tender. Take care not to be overzealous, Flannery counsels; over-tenderizing can result in too thin a piece of meat, which makes it almost impossible not to overcook it. "Make smaller hits and take your time," echoes Matt Kreider, Executive Chef at Steak 954. "Trying to do too much at once will result in a poor product." If you don't have a mallet, there's no need to go out and buy one: Other kitchen workhorses that do the job include the flat, heavy side of a butcher's cleaver, a heavy skillet with a flat bottom, or a rolling pin.

Chinese stir fries frequently rely on a technique known as velveting to tenderize the meat and lend it a lovely, silky texture. This technique relies on marinating the meat in alkaline ingredients, which raises the pH levels on the surface of the meat. As a result, it becomes more difficult for the protein molecules in the meat to bond when heat is applied, and the meat doesn't constrict quite so much when cooking, thus remaining more tender. "Velveting is a fun cooking process using a cornstarch slurry as a marinade, and a good way to break down a product," explains Matt Kreider. "Some cooks use baking soda which will really help break the proteins down and make a really tough cut really enjoyable."

Egg whites are another frequently-used element in velveting, which Tim Ma, chef and founder of Lucky Danger, tells Food Network is "the foundation of Chinese cooking." He explains that, "It doesn't only tenderize tough, chewy parts of proteins, but it also creates a surface area to absorb thick sauces." This is why, for Katie Flannery, this technique can also be used in other saucy dishes relying on thin cuts of meat, such as beef stroganoff. Kreider notes, however, that if you're using baking soda in your marinade, you may want to rinse before cooking. "The taste of baking soda can be off-putting," he says.

Marinades are yet another way of improving both the texture and the flavor of your meat. While we've already seen that marinades containing an alkaline ingredient like baking soda can have tenderizing properties, marinades on the other side of the pH scale have a similar effect. Acidity serves to denature the proteins in the meat, rendering the cut more tender when cooked (via Utah State University Extension). "An effective marinade," according to Katie Flannery, "contains acidic ingredients, like lemon juice, buttermilk, low-pH fruits, wine, Coca-Cola, and vinegar, that break down sinew and fiber."

That said, one must be wary of applying acidic marinades too far in advance. "Of course, you can go overboard," says Matt Kreider, noting that if you over-marinate your meat in an acidic solution, you run the risk of turning it into mush or jerky. "You don't want to compromise the integrity of the product," he cautions. Flannery echoes this warning. "Don't make the mistake of thinking 'longer = more tender,'" she explains. She suggests marinating a thin cut like a skirt or flank steak no longer than a few hours; a thick cut like top sirloin, she says, can be marinated up to — but no more than — overnight.

Some cooking traditions take advantage of the power of fermentation to tenderize meat, according to Matt Kreider, such as the koji cure preferred by many a Japanese establishment. This fermented soybean paste adds loads of flavor and texture to both meat and fish.

At Steak 954, Matt Kreider opts instead for a technique that may be more familiar to Western diners: Dry aging, which is essentially controlled rotting. "Controlled temperatures and humidity to break down protein and add awesome flavors," he explains of this technique, which encourages enzymes and bacteria to break down the muscle fibers in the meat. And while it's tough to recreate the environment of the perfect dry-aging fridge at home, there are indeed ways you can capitalize on this time-tested know-how if you've got a sous vide machine. "Make sure the meat is dry of any liquids, place the meat in a vacuum safe bag, and use the sealer to seal it," suggests Jimmy Chill. "Let it rest in the fridge for at least a week and this will make any cut a bit more tender and release some new flavors."

Your steak has dry-aged and marinated, it's been perfectly seasoned and cooked just enough. You're ready to serve ... right? Not quite. There's one more tool at your disposal that, according to our experts, may be even more essential than any of these pre-cooking steps. "I think the most important thing to remember is to slice across (perpendicular to) the grain of the meat," says Katie Flannery. "This is the greatest equalizer in terms of tenderness."

The grain of the meat is the direction in which the fibers run. In many cuts, this will be easy to see, but be aware that some steaks, such as tri-tip, actually have two grains and thus require you to switch directions partway through slicing. Slicing against the grain is essential for tough cuts, but it's just as important for steaks that are generally tenderer. "Remember to always slice against the grain structure of the product," says Matt Kreider. "Even tender cuts can be tough if cut improperly."