What should I do if the beef is tough? 5 tips to make meat tender and juicy
Beef is a frequent guest on many family tables, but improper cooking can easily lead to hard meat and poor taste. This article will combine the popular cooking topics on the Internet in the past 10 days to analyze the reasons why beef becomes tough and provide scientific solutions. The following are statistics on beef cooking issues that netizens are most concerned about recently:
| Popular questions | Search volume share | main focus |
|---|---|---|
| Reasons why beef cannot be chewed | 32% | Part selection/cooking time |
| How to Tenderize Beef | 28% | Pickling techniques/use of enzyme preparations |
| Applicable practices for different parts of the body | 22% | Steak vs Stew Difference |
| Kitchenware selection influences | 12% | Pressure cooker/low-temperature cooking |
| Related to thawing method | 6% | Frozen meat processing |
1. Three main reasons why beef becomes tough
1.Insufficient muscle fiber destruction: The connective tissue in beef begins to shrink at 60°C and becomes hard if it is not sufficiently softened. Recent test data from the food blogger "Cooking Lab" shows that simmering for 3 hours can increase the collagen conversion rate by 40%.
2.Wrong site selection: According to the 2023 report of the China Meat Association, the applicability of different parts varies significantly:
| parts | Collagen content | Recommended practices |
|---|---|---|
| Beef brisket | 15-18% | Stew/Braised |
| Tenderloin | 3-5% | Quick stir-fry/grill |
| tendon meat | 20-25% | Braised/slow cooked |
3.pH imbalance: A popular Douyin video shows that the tenderization effect of marinating beef with beer with a pH value of 5.6-6.0 is three times higher than that of water.
2. Five scientific tenderization programs
1.Mechanical treatment:
• Cut against the grain: Cut at a 90° angle to the fiber
• Beating with a meat mallet: destroys the muscle fiber membrane structure
• Prick with a fork: Create channels for marinade to penetrate
2.Enzyme tenderization:
| Material | active ingredients | Use ratio |
|---|---|---|
| pineapple juice | Bromelain | 100g meat/5ml |
| papaya | papain | 100g meat/10g pulp |
| fig | fig enzyme | 100g meat/3 leaves |
3.Temperature control tips:
• Low-temperature slow cooking: 55-60℃ water bath for 2 hours to soften the meat evenly
• Staged heating: The "two-stage" cooking method of blanching first and then stewing can reduce shrinkage.
• Quickly locks in juice: Frying at high temperature for a short time forms a caramelized layer on the surface
4.Chemical tenderization:
• Baking soda solution: 1% concentration, soak for 20 minutes (rinsing required)
• Salt pickling: 2% salt concentration and left to stand for 1 hour to change the protein structure
• Acidic marinade: red wine/vinegar for 4 hours to break down connective tissue
5.Modern kitchenware applications:
| Tools | Principle | Improved effect |
|---|---|---|
| pressure cooker | High temperature and high pressure hydrolysis | Time shortened by 70% |
| Vacuum machine | Even penetration | Tenderness increased by 45% |
| Ultrasound | physical cavitation | Efficiency increased by 3 times |
3. Special precautions
1.Unfreezing Science: The latest experiment by Weibo food celebrity "Meat Eater" shows that the juice loss rate of beef refrigerated and thawed at 4°C for 24 hours is 58% lower than that of thawing at room temperature.
2.Knife skills comparison:
| Cutting method | fiber direction | Tenderness difference |
|---|---|---|
| Cut along the grain | parallel | Chewing effortfully |
| Cut against the grain | vertical | Tenderness +30% |
| hob cut | diagonally | Moderate |
3.time control: According to the actual measurement data of Xiaohongshu users, the relationship between stewing time and tenderness is not linear. Beef brisket reaches its best state in 2-3 hours. Overcooking will cause the fiber to loosen.
Once you master these techniques, you’ll never have to worry about tough beef again. It is recommended to choose a combination of 2-3 methods according to the specific dishes. For example, the triple tenderization plan of "cutting against the grain + enzyme marinating + pressure cooker" can produce tender beef comparable to that of a restaurant.
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