The Secret to Tenderizing Grass Fed Beef? Milking It. (2024)

FAQs

The Secret to Tenderizing Grass Fed Beef? Milking It.? ›

It's milk.

Milk-soaked beef softens and becomes tender without drying out or getting mushy. Making milk marinades is not difficult once you understand the basics.

Whether hosting a holiday cookout, serving up some stir-fry or tackling game meats, baking soda is the go-to meat tenderizer to help make your steak, chicken or turkey silkier, juicier and yummier.

The meat will be tenderized, and you will notice the gamey taste is nearly gone or has been completely eliminated. Buttermilk is a secret weapon of many restaurant chefs. They pre-soak chicken, fish and other meats overnight before cooking to give it a hint of tanginess.

Always pre-heat the oven, pan, or grill before cooking grassfed beef. Grassfed beef cooks about 30 percent faster than grain fed beef. Use a thermometer to test for doneness and watch the temperature carefully. You can go from perfectly cooked to overdone in less than a minute.

Marinate Grass-fed Organic Meat

Organic meat can have a slightly tougher texture than grain-fed meat; this is because the animals have lived natural, active lives, and so have less fat in their bodies, and thicker muscle fibres. Fortunately, this “tougher” quality isn't difficult to counteract.

In Chinese cooking, proteins like beef, pork or chicken are velveted first before stir-frying them. There are several ways to velvet, but at its most basic level, it involves marinating meat with at least one ingredient that will make it alkaline. This is what tenderizes the meat, especially cheaper, tougher cuts.

Tenderizing The Steaks

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.

How does Texas Roadhouse tenderise their steaks? Season each side of the steak well with the seasoning and set aside to rest for about 40 minutes. This causes the salt to infiltrate the surface (through osmosis) and actually aids in the breakdown of muscle fibres, resulting in more tender meat.

Is cornstarch or baking soda better for tenderizing meat? ›

You can mix the baking soda in with other marinade ingredients for flavor, or use it by itself simply to tenderize tough cuts of meat. The baking soda raises the pH level of the outside of the meat, discouraging the proteins from bonding together and thus making the tough meat tender and easier to chew!

Less than a teaspoon of baking soda ensures that your steak remains juicy and tender—even after a speedy marinade. While other recipes demand hours of marinating, this baking soda hack makes a flank steak or any other fibrous cut of beef ready to sear after just an hour.

Physically Tenderize

Place your meat between parchment paper or in a plastic bag, and use a meat mallet or rolling pin to pound a few times. But don't over work the meat, or you'll turn your steak into mush. Alternatively, you can lightly score the surface in a crosshatch pattern with a knife.

Be sure to prep enough marinade to submerge the entire steak. #2 – Place the steak and seasoned milk in a resealable plastic bag or covered container, and marinate in the refrigerator for 4 to 12 hours. #3 – Rinse the meat in cool running water, pat it dry, and discard the milk.

A common misconception about grass fed beef is that it's tough and difficult to cook. The truth is that it needs to be handled differently that conventionally raised, grain fed beef. It can become tough if overcooked (similar to most meats), and it is tender when cooked properly.

There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way: Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts. Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes. Rinse, pat off excess water.