How To Tenderize ANY Meat!

# How to Tenderize Meat: A Comprehensive Guide

Welcome to Souped Up Recipes! Today, we’ll explore how to tenderize meat before cooking, including methods like cutting, pounding, and marinating. By the end of this guide, you’ll be able to cook perfectly tender meat every time. Let’s dive in!

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## Understanding the Grain

When you hear “cut against the grain,” it refers to the direction of the muscle fibers in the meat. For example, in a piece of beef, the fibers run from top to bottom. When you cut against this direction, you shorten the fibers, making the meat easier to chew. On the other hand, cutting with the grain leaves the fibers long and tough. Always aim to slice against the grain for tender results.

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## The Role of a Meat Tenderizer

A meat tenderizer is essential for breaking down dense, tough muscle fibers and proteins that make meat difficult to chew. This can be done physically by pounding the meat or chemically using baking soda or marinades. Pounding the meat until it becomes slightly fluffy is an effective method for dishes like pork chops, steak, and breaded chicken.

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## Method 1: Baking Soda

Baking soda is a powerful chemical tenderizer that alkalizes meat proteins, preventing them from binding too tightly and keeping the meat tender during cooking. Here’s how to use it:

1. Sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on both sides of the meat.

2. Rub it evenly into the surface.

3. Let it sit in the fridge for 3–5 hours.

4. Rinse the meat thoroughly under cold water to remove all baking soda residue, as any leftover can give the meat an unpleasant taste.

This method is ideal for large cuts of meat like steaks. For smaller pieces, mix baking soda directly into your marinade. However, avoid using baking soda with acidic ingredients like vinegar or lime juice, as they neutralize its effectiveness. Baking soda works well in recipes like chicken stir-fry and sweet and sour pork.

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## Method 2: Velveting (Chinese Cuisine Technique)

Velveting is a Chinese cooking method that coats meat with a mixture of egg white, cornstarch, Chinese cooking wine, and seasonings. This creates a starchy layer on the surface, protecting the meat fibers from drying out during cooking. Here’s how to do it:

1. Combine 1 egg white, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 teaspoon of Chinese cooking wine, and your preferred seasonings in a bowl.

2. Coat the meat thoroughly with this mixture.

3. Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking.

Velveting works beautifully for stir-frying, deep frying, or poaching. It’s especially effective in dishes like Mongolian beef or spicy poached beef. The starchy layer enhances the meat’s ability to absorb sauce flavors, making it a favorite in Chinese cuisine.

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## Method 3: Fruit-Based Marinades

Certain fruits, such as papaya and pineapple, contain natural enzymes that break down tough muscle fibers. Here’s how to use them:

- **Pineapple or Papaya Puree**: Rub the puree directly onto both sides of the meat and let it sit at room temperature for 5–10 minutes.

- **Freshly Squeezed Juice**: Marinate the meat with freshly squeezed orange juice (or other citrus juices) along with your favorite seasonings. Let it sit in the fridge until ready to cook.

Note: Commercial fruit products won’t work as well as fresh purees or juices, as they lack the necessary enzymes. Papaya, in particular, works best at room temperature or slightly above.

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## Final Tips and Notes

- Overusing baking soda can result in a bitter taste, so use no more than ½ teaspoon per pound of meat.

- Velveting is a time-tested technique used by Chinese restaurants to achieve juicy, tender meat.

- Always ensure your fruit-based marinades are made with fresh ingredients for the best results.

If you have any other tips or techniques for tenderizing meat, feel free to share them in the comments below! I hope this guide has inspired you to try new methods in your cooking. Don’t forget to like, subscribe, and explore my channel for more delicious recipes. New videos drop every Wednesday—see you next time! Bye!

"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enHi everyone, welcome to Souped Up Recipes.As you all know, naturally tender cuts of meat tend to be more expensive.Serving meat on a budget can be a challenge.Today I'm going to talk about how to tenderize meat before cooking,  which includes cutting, pounding, and marinating.After watching this video, I'm sure you will cook perfectly tender meat every single time.You have probably read in recipes and heard  again and again that the meat should be sliced against the grain.What exactly is the grain? It refers to the direction in which the muscle fibers are aligned.In this piece of beef, you can see that the fibers run from the top to the bottom.Let me cut it into a smaller piece; then, we can slice it against the grains.In this way, you shorten the fibers, which makes it easier to chew.On the opposite side, if you cut it with the grains,  you can see the fibers are very long and quite tough.A meat tenderizer helps to break down the dense  tough muscle fibers and the proteins that bind them together.You just pound the meat until it gets a little fluffy.This technique is good for making pork chops, steak, and breaded chicken.Today we'll talk about three different marinades that tenderize the meat.The first one is baking soda.Cutting and pounding affect the meat in a physical way.Baking soda breaks down the meat fiber in a chemical way.I know it sounds weird.In fact, I have been using baking soda in many of my videos, and it does an amazing job.It alkalizes the meat protein and makes them hard to bound together,  which keeps the meat tender while cooking.If it's a large piece of meat that you tend to grill or pan sear,  sprinkle a generous amount of baking soda on the surface.Rub it nicely on both sides.Let it sit in the fridge for 3 to 5 hours.Rinse the meat several times to remove all the baking soda.If you don't rinse the baking soda off, the meat will have a weird taste.I don't use this method often because I don't eat steak that much,  and it is quite time-consuming to do this anyway.Wipe the water with a paper towel then you can cook the meat however you want.If you want to marinate some smaller meat pieces,  just add some baking soda directly into the meat with other seasonings.Let it sit for at least 20 minutes before cooking.One important note is that over-adding baking soda brings a weird bitter taste.I would suggest no more than half a teaspoon of baking soda per pound of meat.If you use baking soda in the marinade, it is better not to use anything sour like  vinegar or lime juice because the baking soda will react with the acid and lose the effect.I have used baking soda in many of my recipes, such as chicken stir-fry noodles,  sweet and sour pork, and pepper steak.The next marinade is called velveting;  it's a technique in Chinese cuisine for preserving the moisture of the meat while cooking。It is Chinese restaurants' secret; they use it to create that juicy velvety texture of meat.We usually pre-coat the meat with a mixture of egg white, cornstarch,  Chinese cooking wine, and other seasonings for at least 30 minutes before cooking.Then, the meat can be stir-fried, which I have done in my chicken and broccoli recipe.You can deep fry the meat, which I showed in my Mongolian beef recipe.You can poach the meat; my spicy poached beef recipe is a perfect example.What the velveting mixture does is that it protects the meat fibers,  preventing them from seizing up, which leads to the juicy, tender meat.This technique gives the meat a starchy outside layer,  which is perfect for recipes that have lots of sauce because then the meat can catch more flavor.Some fruits also can tenderize the meat; it needs to be freshly ground puree or juice.Long-life commercial fruit product does not work.Using fruit puree or juice as a meat tenderizer adds some freshness and  fruity taste to the dish, which is what a lot of people love.Here is how I do it.Marinate the meat with whatever seasonings and spices you like;  then, add freshly squeezed orange juice, and mix it for five to eight minutes.Refrigerate until you're ready to cook.If you use papaya or pineapple puree,  just rub it on both sides of the meat and leave it at room temperature.Unlike the acid in the pineapple juice, papaya uses an enzyme called propane to tenderize the  meat, which works better at room temperature or even a little bit above room temperature.Okay, those are all the tips that I have for tenderizing meat.I'm sure there are many other ways. If you know anything that I didn't mention,  leave me a comment down below the video so we can all learn.I hope this video inspired you, and if it did, thumbs up, please.Don't forget to take a look at my channel. I'm sure you will  find out how to make your favorite Chinese food.New videos come out every Wednesday, and I'll see you next time. Bye!\n"