Blog

Pexels - CCO Licence

If you are looking to save money while still feeding your family lots of wholesome healthy meals, then buying cheaper cuts of meat is a great way to do that.

Many people shy away from cheaper cuts like pork shoulder and chicken thighs because they are simply not as tender as other cuts, but with a little bit of work, you can make those tough meats every bit as soft, tender, and delicious as more expensive ones.

With that in mind, here are some of the best ways to tenderize tougher cuts of meat:

Use a meat tenderizer

Of course, the most obvious way to tenderize meat for your recipes is to use a meat tenderizer. This is basically a small mallet with spikes in it that you use to pound the meat and make it softer.

Simply place your meat between a couple of sheets of plastic wrap, then hit the meat with your tenderizer until it becomes as thin and soft ad you like.

Tenderizers work by breaking down the tough fibers in meat, so if you have a particularly tough cut, it is an excellent method to use.

Slow cook it

The longer you cook meat at a low temperature, the more tender it becomes. So, if you have a particularly tough piece of beef or pork, check out these slow cooker recipes, and once your dish is done, you can be sure that it will be as soft and delicious as you like.

If you do not have a slow cooker or crockpot, you can also make your meat more tender by slowly cooking it in a pan on a low heat. This may not be quite as effective, but it will nonetheless ensure that your meat is much softer than it otherwise would be when cooked for less time on a higher heat.

Salt it

If you have a cheap cut of beef steak, then a really good way to ensure that it tenderizes as you cook it is to sprinkle it liberally with sea salt before cooking. This will get rid of excess moisture which will help the steak to tenderize, and of course, the longer you leave it in the salt, the more tender it will get. Curing for at least 24 hours is usually optimal.

Add acid

Of course, you can also use acidic marinades to tenderize meat too. So, for example, you can marinate chicken thighs in lemon juice and olive oil or pour flavored vinegar over pork and leave it for a few hours so that the acid can break down and soften the meat.

Use baking soda

Baking soda is also great for tenderizing meat while cooking. When youtube meat is cooked a third of the way, add a teaspoon of baking soda per pound of meat to the pan and it will do its thing, This only really works when cooking meat in a sauce, however, but you should not use with tomato-based sauces as the acid in the tomatoes can craft with the baking soda and cause it to bubble.

Now that you know how to make your meats more tender, you can buy any cut of meat and have it taste umwelt-in-your-mouth amazing!