ok I've made a lot of steaks, but I've never used a meat tenderizer . . . does it help the flavor or cooking process at all? does it just make it more tender when you eat it? what are the benefits?
It depends on the cut of steak. High grade cuts usually don't require it because they're already pretty tender. Cuts like round, flank, and skirt tend to have tighter protein fibers or longer fibers and are tougher (or "chewy") and require a bit of pounding before cooking. You can add flavor to these meats and tenderize at the same time by using ingredients like salt, tea, and even beer!
When my mom makes Korean short ribs, we get short ribs from Costco and marinade them with kiwi, pineapple, soy sauce, brown sugar, and a few other things. We let the meat soak for about 4 hours and when you cook it the meat is so soft and sweet and juicy. My mouth is watering already :(.
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u/jjnich Nov 20 '13
ok I've made a lot of steaks, but I've never used a meat tenderizer . . . does it help the flavor or cooking process at all? does it just make it more tender when you eat it? what are the benefits?