The acid element is highlighted here. Of course, you’re not going to look for chemicals, although, in molecular cuisine… You need elements that contain non-abrasive, milder acids, which are nevertheless able to penetrate the muscle fibers and relax them.
Lemon, red wine vinegar or cider vinegar will do the trick. Note that tomato, pineapple or papaya are excellent meat tenderizers! Thanks to lactic ferments: milk, cream, dairy products.
Lactic ferments contain tenderizing powers, thanks to their famous enzymes which do so much good to the digestive tract, which will overcome the toughest meats.
This foolproof technique therefore consists of soaking your raw meat in these nutrients. You should no longer see a single square centimeter of meat, whatever it is. Here again, time is on your side: between 5 to 8 hours, or overnight in the refrigerator.
Is this crazy life making you boil? What if you let off steam by “beating” this tough meat?
Yes, sometimes in the kitchen, we tend to want to let off steam… physically! What we are going to discuss now is rightly called: hammering. We hit the piece of meat, to destroy the fibers and therefore tenderize it.
There are two methods available to you. With or without a meat mallet.
No tools: put your piece of meat in a clean cloth or wrap it vigorously, then place it on your work surface and start tapping it for a few minutes. Observe the effects, you won’t have any bad surprises!
With a meat mallet: As with the previous method, simply strike your previously wrapped pieces of meat and observe the final result.
How to make a pot-au-feu, beef bourguignon or any simmered dish without the meat being dry?
« Simmering » is in itself a method for tenderizing meat. It is important to let it cook over low heat for a long time and especially to watch the level of water, salt or tomato! We forget it too often, the tomato sauce with its acidic action, its water, counts for a lot in the success of so-called casserole dishes!
Beforehand, we will have taken care to cut the pieces of tomato well and also to slip in a teaspoon or two of baking soda. Shhh, it’s a secret!
How to make meat tender after cooking?
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