What makes a classy restaurant’s steak tasty and tender? It does not rely entirely on the cooking style or on the recipe. Apart from the quality of the meat, its cut and the way you tenderise it can also affect its final flavour.
Here are ways to turn meat into a savoury steak.
The Right Softness
Break the muscle fibres of the meat by gently pounding it using a meat mallet or a tenderiser machine you bought from hostservice.co.nz. Pound the meat until it is about a quarter inch thick or so.
You can also cut across the grain, or crosswise along the fibres of the meat, to break it up.
If you do not want to release too much moisture from the meat, marinate it using acidic ingredients that help retain the moisture and at the same time weaken the muscle fibres. The marinade can contain tea, wine, kiwifruit vinegar or pineapple juice.
To maintain the taste of your meat, balance the acidity of the marinade by adding neutral components such as milk or buttermilk. Do not marinate it longer than two hours to avoid making it mushy.
The Right Heat
Keep a kitchen thermometer handy to avoid overcooking and undercooking the meat. Even if you take the meat off the fire or heat, it is still cooking inside for a few minutes.
Quickly cook steaks like sirloin with medium heat at 140 degrees F. On the other hand, with the same amount of heat, cook tougher meats like beef brisket slowly and longer.
Cook tender cuts by broiling, grill-roasting or stewing. Expect to cook tougher cuts of meat for a longer time by braising it in broth or water.
The Right Colour
The meat turns brown before reaching the right temperature, and it turns pink once it achieves the maximum tenderness. Insert a thermometer into the thickest part of the meat. Once it reaches 145 degrees F, it is done. Avoid going over the said temperature, as it might get too chewy and dry.
You do not need to buy an expensive meat to make a steak fit for fine dining. Appreciate the different cuts of meat and learn the appropriate ways to prepare each cut.