How do I tenderized my baked steak?

Question

I usually use cubed steak for the recipe, I beat it with a mallet put tenderizer spice on it cook it for an hour sometimes longer and still it never comes out so tender you can cut it with a fork. Any suggestions? Thanks in advance

Thanks for all your great answers

Answer 1

My suggestion is
1. review what cut of beef you're using and
2. Modify your cooking method so it's appropriate for the cut of beef you have.

1. it actually depends on the cut of meat you use... cubing and using a mallet can only do so much... If you're cut of beef is tough the pounding only makes it less tough, but never melt in your mouth tender.

I suggest buying steaks that have the word "loin" or "rib" in them. These are cuts from the back of the steer that are less worked muscles, so they are more tender.

Sirloin... tenderloin... filet mignon... ribeye...
Also, T-bones, Portherhouse are tender cuts off beef.

Cuts from working muscles tend to be tougher and lean (drier when cooked) - chuck, round, brisket and anything with the word bottom. The advantage of these cuts is that they have a lot of flavor, it just takes time to cook.

Chuck steak, Shoulder steak are the tougher cuts.

You can use meat tenderizer, but you need to be wary since too much time will actually make the beef mushy.

2. Cooking time and method
I'm not sure how you baked your steak - in liquid or dry, but for tough cuts of meat you need liquid.

For the rib or loin steaks, they cook relatively fast at high temperatures... grilling for example depending upon thickness will take only 10 to 15 minutes.

For the tougher cuts of beef, it's best to cook "low and slow" and usually the meat is marinaded or cooked in a liquid (braised, stewed or boiled).

For example, If you make a pot roast, 7-bone (from the chuck, which is the shoulder), it will turn out very tender and flavorful. It just needs time and liquid to break down the muscle fibers and connective tissue.

Here's the website to beef.org, which contains many recipes and cooking methods for different retail cuts of beef.
http://www.beefitswhatsfordinner.com/recipes/default.asp

Answer 2

Don't bake it, it will never, ever come out tender. It is physically impossible in that dry heat.

Instead season the steak and use your mallet as you usually do. Then dust the steak on both sides with a little bit of flour and sautee on a high heat until the outsides are brown. Take the steak out. At this point I generally add an onion to the pan and cook that, but you don't need to. Next add a little stock or water (if you use water you will have to season it liberally), add the steak back to the pan. Let it simmer for about 1/2 hour. You should have a nice steak with a gravy at the end.

You can also make chicken fried steak. I don't know how this get's tender buy it does.

Answer 3

if you want tender steaks you first should buy a good one ribeye or t bone type... cook it slow and not so long dont use tendererizer spice use a liquid and soak it if you have to beat it its always going to be tough also baked is not a good way i think it drys the meat out more than a grill or a fry does...

http://www.tvfoodnetwork.com

Sugared Sirloins Recipe


3/4 cup dark brown sugar
5 tablespoons grill seasoning blend (recommended: Montreal Steak Seasoning by McCormick)
6 (1 1/4 to 1 1/2-inch thick) sirloin steaks, 10 to 12 ounces
Cooking spray

Heat grill or grill pan to high.
Mix sugar and steak seasoning. Pat steaks dry.
Coat completely on both sides with sugar and spice blend.
Wash up. Spray grill or grill pan and cook steaks 10 to 16 minutes,
medium rare to medium well doneness. Let stand 5 minutes for juices to redistribute and serve.

Answer 4

I've never cooked cubed steak for an hour. Come to think of it, I've never had tender cubed steak. Maybe it's just not possible.

Answer 5

The best way to get a steak to tenderize is by leaving it overnight to marinate.
If the piece of meat you are using is still tough, maybe you need another cooking method like braising or stewing.
Good luck!

Answer 6

Part of the trick in getting tenderer steak is buying mature steak. It's usually going dark with grey hue in it and will not be bright red. And make sure it's cooked "low n slow".

Answer 7

Give the points to Tara C. because she basically got it right, although I would cover the pan w/ foil and put into a 300 oven until done rather than do it stove top
The technique is properly called braising and is used for things like pot roasts and swiss steaks-which you may want to look up a recipe for.

Answer 8

This is agood steak recipe, hope u like it.
X D
Ingredients:

* 4 sweet Potatoes, roughly 900 g
* 2 tbsp Olive oil
* 4 fillet Steaks
* Salt and Pepper

Pesto

* 100 g Walnut
* 50 g Parmesan, grated
* 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
* 3 tbsp Olive oil
* 1 tbsp Tarragon, chopped

Method:

* Peel and cut potatoes, then boil for 15-20 minutes until cooked.
* Drain the potatoes and Mash them then season with salt and pepper.
* Whiz walnut, parmesan and garlic together then add oil and tarragon and whiz again until a coarse paste is formed.
* Season the steak with salt and pepper then grill depending on the thickness of each piece, cook for 2-3 minutes for rare, 4 minutes for medium or 5 minutes for well done.
* Serve the steaks with sweet potato mash and a dollop of pesto.

Answer 9

its probably because you are using a cheap cut of meat. most cubed steaks are intended for stewing and slow cooking, so by cooking only an hour, its not going to be tender. try using a filet or a tbone steak.

Answer 10

Try walmart's meat tendorizer. My boyfriend uses that on his cubed steaks and it's fantastic. No knives needed.