The prices of food commodities in general, and beef and lamb in particular, and the situation worsened with the advent of Eid al-Adha 2022, so that families find themselves between two options, either to buy a small amount of expensive pieces of meat or a larger amount of cheap pieces, but they are tough and difficult to chew, and the truth is that there is a third option. Transforming cheap, tough cuts of meat into tender and juicy ones.
Steaks
We crave steaks for their tenderness and rich taste, and we can't afford them every time, but there are some proven ways to help you give cheap cuts of meat the same taste, including cutting the long muscle fibers in the meat crosswise to facilitate the penetration of spices and break up the roughness of the fibers, when you break up the meat fibers Long, tough ones are shorter and easier to chew.
Meat cooking method
Many tough meat problems can be avoided by cooking it properly. Overcooking the meat is sure to end up with crumbly, tougher, and tougher meat, just as if you raised the temperature to speed up the cooking process.
The sirloin is the exception, and it can be cooked quickly, but the breast and shoulder cuts need a longer cooking time to become tender, so you need slow cooking methods on steam, in soup, with broth or other liquids in a covered dish in the oven or grill in a way. Steak kebab”, by cutting the meat into 1-inch cubes and putting it on a skewer with some vegetables and not over-cooking it.
Many of the problems with tough meat can be avoided by cooking it properly (Shutterstock)
meat temperature
Meat is made up of long fibers, each individually wrapped in a sheath of collagen, a connective tissue that shrinks when it gets too hot, squeezing out the juices, which is why well-cooked meat is tough. Heat from 70 to 95 for 2 hours as the collagen begins to melt and the meat becomes more tender, so it is important to have a thermometer, and make sure you take the meat off the stove at the correct time.
Choose your piece
Choose cuts of meat that are economical and delicious at the same time, this is your bargain. Choose cheap cuts of meat that are not boneless, as the bones act as insulators that slow down the cooking process and prevent the meat from drying out. There are cheap cuts, but they contain a large amount of collagen, the source of the delicious juice, namely: breast meat Ribs, leg, butt, thigh, all get softer with slow cooking.
There are cheap pieces but they contain a lot of collagen (Shutterstock)
meat hammer
Have you ever imagined the possibility of preparing steaks from meat intended for cooking with vegetables?
Yes, you can turn cheap cubes of meat into quick-cooking, tender cuts. If the cuts are thick, start by cutting the muscle tissue across, then tap the fillets with the rough edge of a meat mallet to break up the muscle fibers until they are about a quarter of an inch thick.
The steak can also be pierced with a thin wooden skewer, several holes evenly distributed on its surface, then covered and beaten with a heavy frying pan, but it is important not to hammer the meat too hard unless you plan to fry it immediately, but grilling is not recommended.
Meat seasoning
The meat may become soft and easy to chew after applying the previous steps, but the delicious juice will undoubtedly lack it, so we advise you to soak it in a flavor that gives it a distinctive taste and increases its softness. Vinegar, orange juice, lemon or yogurt are the main ingredients to achieve your goal, but deal carefully so as not to overdo it In soaking the meat, it crumbles, so it can be enough to soak it in the marinade from two hours to a whole night.
Seasoning meat with fruit
Add two tablespoons of fruit to your marinade, use fruit enzymes to break down meat proteins, especially kiwis because they contain actinidin, and mashed pear, papaya, mango, or pineapple contain bromelain, a powerful enzyme that will turn your meat into a mush if you're not careful.
kosher salt
Salting a coarse piece of meat and leaving it for an hour or two before cooking it is an effective way to break down tough muscle fibers. Use kosher salt because of its low-sodium coarse grains. Rinse the piece of salt off when it is ready to cook and dry it, then place it on the surface of a hot pan to create an insulating layer that prevents it from coming out Squeeze it, and you'll get lean meat.