If cuts of meat are priced on the basis of their tenderness, then wouldn't a good tenderizer equal things out?

Question

Note: I am becoming familiar with the Jewish custom of koshering meats. I find that this actually seems to tenderize these cuts of meat, for me. (Maybe, the main purpose of making meat kosher is to remove all of the porphyrins which are blood products found in red meats: being "red" for the obvious reason).

Whatever the reasons, I find that after i "kosher" the meat, it actually seems to cook up better. And, marinating the cuts that I buy has an added tenderizing effect: as does pounding the cuts and flattening them out, too...if no bone is involved, I mean.
So, I guess I see no real advantage to buying expensive tender cuts, when people can seem to make any cut quite tender, with the proper cooking skills and preparation.
What do you think?

Answer 1

Meat is not only priced according to tenderness, but also fat content, quality of the meat and flavor.
Tenderness is, as you point out, a moot point, because you can tenderize anything if you do it properly. (By chemical means like papain, pounding, or running it through a cubing machine, which makes hundreds of tiny cuts in the meat, severing the tougher fibers making them smaller and easier to chew)
The ability to make all meat tender, is not the main factor however. The Flavor is.
Meat needs fat to be flavorful. Compare the taste of a beef tenderloin to the taste of a new york strip. They both come from the same area of the cow - (look at a t-bone steak. the big side is what becomes a strip steak, the little side is the tenderloin) in fact, they are less than 1/2 an inch from each other before butchering, yet the flavor difference is huge. The tenderloin, while very tender, with no fat, has very little flavor, which is why it is almost always served with a sauce, or wrapped in bacon, while a strip, with its higher fat content, has a much richer, deeper, beefier flavor.
Meat from muscle tissue that got heavy use is also more flavorful. Tougher, but tastier. a chuck roast, being from the leg, is much more flavorful than a rib roast.
Basically, I guess, what I am trying to say is the only thing that should be a factor on buying meat, is the flavor.
Tenderness you can make, but good tasting food starts with good tasting ingredients.

Answer 2

I agree with you. You can buy an expensive cut of meat and cook it correctly, but it can still be 'tough'. You can't always judge whether or not a cut of meat will be more or less tender than the time before. I always err on the side of caution and tenderise - just in case.

Answer 3

Different cuts of meats have different percentages of fat which is a factor in its tenderness. You can't simply tenderize your meat but it will make it taste that much better.

Answer 4

For me, it's all in the marinating and cooking for a long time.