Making meat tender is a crucial element in cooking perfect BBQ and burger patties that barbecue fanatics, as well as burger lovers, should master before boasting their real “chef” potential. Premium meats do not always guarantee the best BBQ. Even with cheaper meats, one can toss and flip the juiciest BBQ with these tips in tenderizing meat:
First, decide how you are going to tenderize the meat. I used to tenderize meat using my Mom’s kitchen tips, but I now rely solely on my handy kitchen mate, a Jaccard Supertendermatic knife to cut not just the meat, but also the prepping time. However, I still recommend that you learn traditional methods on how to make meat tender, in case you misplace your tenderizing knife.
- Marinating meat in vinegar, pineapple juice, lemon or lime juice for at least 4 to 6 hours before cooking or grilling is one of the most common traditional methods to tenderize meat. Minced garlic and dabs of salt add to the flavor. Salt, by itself, is also a natural tenderizer. Wine may also be used as a marinade, albeit a bit of a costly marinade.
- Salt does not only add flavor; it is also nature’s meat tenderizer – if used properly. To use salt as a tenderizer, use it as a coating on meat, with few dabs of lemon juice to heighten flavor. You may also rub on crushed garlic before you coat the meat with salt.
- Commercially-available meat tenderizer in powder form may also be used. Just sprinkling powdered tenderizer on both sides of the meat may take a while to make it tender. You should pierce meat with a fork or a small knife and sprinkle powdered tenderizer through the inside portions of the meat, to speed up the tenderizing process.
- Crude materials, such as a piece of wood or metal may also be used to break down tough connective tissues in the meat, however I don’t approve of this practice. It’s messy, and splatters of meat pieces, as well as blood residue on the meat, add up to your cleaning chores.
With my tenderizing knife, I save time, effort and money. I don’t wait hours or overnight for meat to become tender before I grill it, or make a sumptuous burger. It requires no pounding on the meat that distorts its form, and no need to re-stock my cupboard, like I used to with other methods of tenderizing meat. Its sharp edges cut through the meat allowing seasonings to penetrate deep into the mea, which is the secret of the juiciest BBQ, steaks and burgers.
