Agree that very tough meat can spoil the impression of the most delicious dish. While soft and juicy cooked - a sure way to gain a reputation as the best chef.
In principle, to determine hard meat or soft, perhaps still at the stage of purchase. For young animals, light or pink-red meat is characteristic . Dark red and yellow streaks of fat are signs of mature beef.
Incorrectly stored and frozen and thawed meat also turns into tough. It changes color to gray-white and becomes lethargic.
Certain parts of the carcass are initially tough. For example, rump, thigh. They are best cooked or stewed for a long time. Tenderloin is perfect for frying - the best part of beef carcass.
But if you have already purchased very tough meat, do not be upset. There are many tricks to mitigate and improve taste.
Beating is the easiest way to cook beef deliciously. With a hammer, you can beat off pieces of beef into sheets so thin that it takes 2-3 minutes to cook them.
Connoisseurs know the French way of beating. The meat is stuffed with slices of pork fat with a flat needle, which at the same time violates the structure of the fibers.
Marinating is the most favorite way for cooks, as it softens and gives the desired aroma at the same time. As marinades, you can use vinegar, red wine, kefir, yogurt, lemon and pomegranate juices. The acids contained in them degrade muscle tissue, i.e. weaken them. It is important that the meat is completely immersed in the marinade. The process takes from 2 hours to a day, but with a lack of time, you can speed it up. To do this, cut the meat into thin pieces or inject the marinade with a syringe.
Protein enzymes of plants such as kiwi, pineapple, papaya and ginger can turn even very hard meat into tender meat. You can add garlic, pepper to the pulp from the fruit pulp and then let the meat stand in the mixture for about an hour. Longer pickling will lead to excessive friability, therefore, it is necessary to strictly observe the time regime. The same fruits can be used directly during cooking without prior marinating. In this case, the cooking time is almost halved.
Milk, cream and sour cream are ideal for soft and juicy beef. As a rule, milk is used for soaking, and it is better to add sour cream during stewing.
Table mustard gives not only the desired softness, but also an attractive smell. To do this, just coat the meat with mustard and leave for an hour. Excellent results exceed all expectations.
In addition, there are other tricks that can "overcome" very tough meat. For example, throw thin slices of meat into boiling water and after a few seconds add cold water.
The outer layer of meat will not overheat, and this will give a margin of time for its middle part.
A cork made of cork added to water along with meat helps soften it.
The same effect has soy sauce, which will also give a delicious taste.