I’ve decided to cook beef more so that it is more tender. And, I wanted to see if I could take cheaper cuts of beef, cook them and make them just as tasty as a more expensive cut of beef. I was looking for the best way to make beef tender.
Enzyme marinades make beef the most tender. Enzyme marinades include pineapple, papaya, mango, and kiwi. There are also other marinades that are acidic. Marinades help to break down the protein in beef to make it tender. You can also use a mallet, commercial meat tenderizer, baking soda, and salt to make beef tender.
I will be going over both the enzyme marinades and the acid marinades below and show you what substances you can use for each. I do recommend using the enzyme marinades because they work a lot better in less time. You can also make beef tender by using a mallet, a commercial meat tenderizer, baking soda, and salt. Here is a table I made to show you all of the ways to make meat tender.
| Enzyme Marinade | Acidic Marinade | Other |
| Papain (papaya) | Vinegar | Mallet |
| Actinidin (kiwi) | Lemon | Commercial Meat Tenderizer |
| Amylase (mango) | Wine | Baking soda |
| Bromelain (pineapple) | ——– | Salt |
Using fruit enzyme marinades to make beef tender
Enzymes in fruit break down the protein in beef the fastest and best. These enzymes are called proteases and are only found in certain fruits. I will go over some of the most popular fruits below that are used to marinate beef and the enzyme found in each. The most popular fruits are papaya, pineapple, kiwi, and mango:
Papaya: the enzyme in papaya is papain and is found in the fruit of the papaya.
Kiwi: Actinidin is the enzyme found in kiwi and it is in its fruit.
Mango: in the fruit of mango is where the enzyme amylase is found.
Pineapple: the enzyme in pineapple is bromelain and it is found in the fruit and stem of the pineapple.
Using acidic marinades to make beef tender
Have you ever used Worcestershire sauce as a marinade? Well, the number one ingredient in Worcestershire sauce is white vinegar. The acidity in white vinegar causes the protein to break down and then the meat becomes more tender. This is another way to tenderize beef and it is with acidity. This acidity can be found in specific things such as vinegar, lemon, and wine which are common substances to use as a marinade.
I find that the acidic substances may give the beef a weird aftertaste than using fruit as a marinade. And, I find that the acidic marinades don’t tenderize beef as well as the enzymes in fruit. I remember marinating a steak to tenderize it overnight in Worcestershire sauce. It was for about 24 hours and when it was cooked it was extra tender but it took 24 hours.
If I used fruit to marinate a steak for 24 hours then it would most likely turn the steak into mush, which would be completely unappetizing. Who would want to eat a mushy steak? There is such a thing as too tender!
Using a mallet or commercial meat tenderizer to make beef tender
There are a couple of other ways to make beef tender that don’t work as well. One way is with a mallet. You beat the piece of meat repeatedly to break down the protein manually so that it becomes tender.
Another way is with a tenderizer machine. Have you ever seen cube steak at the store?
The surface looks like it has been beaten with a mallet, well it is most likely done with a meat tenderizer machine. You can see one in the video below. This one is an automatic commercial meat tenderizer because it is running on electricity. You can get some that have a manual crank that are not expensive at all, and are around $100. The one in the video below comes with a meat stripper attachment and a secondary meat tenderizer attachment. A commercial meat tenderizer rips apart the proteins in the meat to make it more tender.
Using baking soda and salt to make beef tender
Baking soda is another substance you can use to make beef tender. Although, I have not tried it yet and haven’t heard great things about it. But, it is supposed to make meat more tender according to armandhammer.com,
Baking soda acts as a meat tenderizer by changing the physical composition of meat fibers. It raises the pH levels on the surface and makes it tougher (pun intended) for the proteins in the meat to bond.
armandhammer.com
Salt can be used to tenderize beef as well. It is usually made into a saltwater solution and then allowed to marinate on the steak before cooking. It makes meat tender by causing the protein to expand and soak up the water making the meat juicier and more tender.
How to marinate beef using fruit to make it tender
- Blend your fruit. Use either some pineapple, kiwi, mango, or papaya. Make sure you blend enough to cover the entire surface of the beef and then some. Don’t be afraid to blend some of the skin as well because it can still have a lot of fruit on it.
- Put beef in a large container and cover the beef with the blended fruit.
- Cover the container and put it into the fridge.
- Allow it to marinate for 1 hour.
- Pull it out of the fridge, discard the fruit, and rinse the beef off with water to wash away any fruity taste.
Conclusion
I think the best way to make beef tender is by using the enzymes in the fruit of papaya, pineapple, kiwi, or mango. It is a good idea to wash the meat off afterward to get rid of the fruit and the fruity taste. Another thing is to not let the meat marinate for too long as it can turn the meat into mush. You may want to check on the marinating meat at select 15-minute intervals just to see how it is tenderizing.
If using fruit is not your thing when trying to make beef tender then there are plenty of other options available as well. There is the acid marinade, baking soda, or salt brine. The most nonintrusive to meat is a mallet or a commercial meat tenderizer. Although I do not own one and have not had a high-quality steak tenderized, it may be a very good investment for around $100.
Now that you know how to make beef tender, you can learn how to make steak taste better in my post here.
