Can you tenderize steak with a fork

Then it should be allowed to sit for up to Game meat, for the most part, is best prepared at an internal temperature of medium rare F. However, there are a few exceptions. This type of meat is generally leaner, and overcooking may cause Skip to content.

As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases made on our website. If you make a purchase through links from this website, we may get a small share of the sale from Amazon and other similar affiliate programs. Continue Reading. There are two types of steak. Grilling steak and marinating steak. This fat not only adds flavor but also helps make your steak juicy and tender. Never stab your steak with a fork to tenderize it or hoping seasoning will penetrated the meat better.

The only thing that you will be doing is allowing the delicious juices to seep out when cooking. The best way to grill steak is by using salt and salt alone. Season the steak with salt for about 40 minutes before you intend on grilling it. Tenderize your meat. Tenderizing meat essentially means that you are pre-chewing the meat with a tool to make it thinner and more tender. Hit the meat evenly over the whole surface, flip it over, and continue to hit the meat with the mallet.

If you are using a knife, make cuts or scores that go across the muscles fibers. Your cuts should be long and thin but necessarily very deep. Did you make this recipe? Leave a review. Method 2. Understand how tenderizing meat with heat works.

Muscle fibers in meat are surrounded by layers of collagen, which is connective tissue. It does not work well on pork chops or filet mignon. Choose your heat tenderizer. You can use either dry heat or wet heat. Grilling is a great example of dry heat, while braising is a good example of wet heat. During the grilling process, the grilled meat is cooked slowly, allowing the meat to become tender.

Braising meat is when you submerge meat in a flavorful liquid and cook it. Tenderize your meat slowly. Regardless of what method you use, the key to getting your meat tender with heat is to cook it slowly. If you do not cook your meat slowly, the outer surface of the cut will start to burn before the collagen in the meat has a chance to turn into gelatin.

Method 3. Know what enzymatic tenderizing is. Enzymes are molecules that help speed up the process of a reaction in this case, the breaking down of meat. Various fruits contain enzymes that will help this tenderizing process along. Acidic fruits and substances like lemon or buttermilk will also increase the tenderness of your meat. Know which sort of fruits contain these enzymes.

The most commonly used fruits for this process are pineapples, kiwis, and papayas. Of all of these, the kiwifruit has the most neutral flavor which means it will affect the flavor of your marinade the least. Be wary of pineapple--it contains the enzyme Bromelain, which will actually turn your meat to mush if you leave it sitting in the pineapple marinade for too long.

Add a tablespoon or two of the pureed fruit of your choice. Pureeing your fruit will help it mix into the marinade better. You could also make a simple marinade of oil and lemon if you would prefer that to a marinade with kiwi. All of these ingredients will help to break down the muscle fiber in your meat. Place your meat in a pan, bowl, or resealable bag. Add your marinade of choice to the meat and cover or seal whatever you are keeping your meat in. Let the meat rest in your marinade for at least a day though the longer the better.

Method 4. Know what dry-aging is. Dry-aging your meat is the natural way to cause enzymatic tenderization. Enzymes in the meat will break muscle fiber down and make the cut more tender, and more flavorful, as the meat ages.

We picked the two most common methods, for which you probably already have the tools at home. The first method, and arguably the fastest, is using a fork. Just go over the entire steak, puncturing holes all over. Then flip and repeat. The idea is that opening lots of holes helps moisture escape during cooking. Will it work? The second method to tenderize steak is salt brining. For this, it is suggested that you use sea salt, but any salt will work. On either a cutting board or some other cleanable surface, lay down a healthy bed of salt the size of your steak.

Place the steak on top, and completely cover it with salt.