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Post by Jerry on May 20, 2009 1:27:50 GMT 12.75
We just purchased what we thought was a good whole ribeye. However, when we grilled it, it turned out very tough.
Does anyone have any pointers on tenderizing tough meat?
I have heard these:
Beat it with a tenderizer.
Run it through a tenderizer and make cube steak out of it.
Marinate it overnight in various marinades.
Does anyone have any more ideas other than the ones mentioned?
Thanks in advance.
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Post by Paws on May 20, 2009 4:23:29 GMT 12.75
We just purchased what we thought was a good whole ribeye. However, when we grilled it, it turned out very tough. Does anyone have any pointers on tenderizing tough meat? I have heard these: Beat it with a tenderizer. Run it through a tenderizer and make cube steak out of it. Marinate it overnight in various marinades. Does anyone have any more ideas other than the ones mentioned? Thanks in advance. If it is a whole reibeye wrap it well and let it sit in the fridge for three or four days. Look at how much fat there is and if it seems sufficient then go ahead and season it in your favorite stuff, let it sit in the fridge at least several hours then roast it "slowly", under 300 degrees for several hours. You can brown it off first to enhance the flavor, even roll it in a seasoned flour. If it is on the bone still it will be better than if the bone has been removed. Fiunally when uit is ser ved slice it thinly and add aujuis. A little horse radish along side and it should be OK just won't be rare or medium rare since you basically need to overcook it to tenderize the thing. It is probably cow Jerry or possibly old beef. Now this all assumes the quality of the cut is tough to begin with. If the quality is good and you are doing the whole rib eye or prime rib then all that is needed is a good long smoking (cold smoke under 200) then roasted as normal. If you slow roast a good quality rib eye or prime roast it is possible to toughen it if it is cooked either too slowly or wet. A good rule of thumb is "fat meat" cook low and long, "lean meat" cook high and quickly. Of course you could always make fajitas!
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Post by azslim on May 20, 2009 4:50:33 GMT 12.75
A grinder is about the best thing I know of to tenderize meat!
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Post by Paws on May 20, 2009 7:45:02 GMT 12.75
A grinder is about the best thing I know of to tenderize meat! ;D ;D ;D LMAO!! Jerry, you got to admit, that was funny!
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Post by Jerry on May 20, 2009 11:22:38 GMT 12.75
I have tried a grinder - but I don't recognize the steak anymore. By the way, these are already cut (1-1/2 inch) and freezer packed so we won't be able to cook the entire thing. Thanks guys.
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Post by Paws on May 20, 2009 12:06:17 GMT 12.75
When you thaw them out let them sit still wrapped in the box for a couple extra days. Before you cook them go ahead and use some Adolph's Meat Tenderizer, without salt/seasonings. Season and cook as usual.
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Post by Toby Benoit on May 20, 2009 13:55:09 GMT 12.75
A grinder is about the best thing I know of to tenderize meat! ;D ;D ;D He's got ya on that one!
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Post by Two Tales on May 20, 2009 14:03:47 GMT 12.75
those are two words that just aint 'sposed to be together...ribeye an' tuff...ribeye is my favorite cut of beef..and I don't recall ever getting a tuff one...that said I'd either take it back to the store for a full refund (cause it aint sposed to be tuff) or in the event ya just can't..get you some of that powder lemon or lime seasoning, thaw the meat out and sprinkle it on lightly, wrap it tightly with plastic wrap, or better yet vacuum package it, and leave it set in the frig for 1 day...the citric acid will enhance the enzimes and allow for a much faster breakdown of the conective tissues (kind like speed aging) the day you are going to grill it remove it from the frig and let it come to room temp (68 to 72* F )..then rinse it with cold water pat it dry and season it as you normally would, crank up that grill to damn hot...sear both sides...to get them famous grill marks while searing, after 3 min rotate the meat 90 degrees grill for another 3 min. then turn over (with tongs..never a fork or skewer) repeat the 3 min drill for this side, then move to a place on the grill that is less hot..I use the center of the girll..if using gas turn the burner off.. if charcaol move the coals to the sides grill it untill it's done to your preference.. you should never cook this cut of meat past med rare...it can and will dry out and get tough if over cooked...
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Post by Snake Eyes on May 20, 2009 23:03:51 GMT 12.75
Boy,I am certainly with TT on this one. No way a ribeye should be tough unless it were extremely overcooked. I would at the very least let the folks know where I got it that I was not pleased with my purchase. If Othmar is still checking in maybe he could lend his expertise on this matter. snake-eyes
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Post by Paws on May 21, 2009 1:49:17 GMT 12.75
Boy I can sure tell you where to get the beef for eatin'. The dry aged sirloin we used at KJs the other day was as tender as Kobe, no BS, beef. It was so well aged and marbled I was comfortable with cutting it before cooking it and then flash grilling it. The folk were highly impressed and I'd bet that Noodles gets some more customers from that little sample. I must admit that I have found really terrible rib eyes at Krogers. Doesn't happen anymore because I don't just grab a pack at random now. TT I think we need to capture your instructions there, entitle it "how to cook a steak" and then put a new section under meat in the recipe box. Those are very complete instructions. Jerry the citric acid will do the trick. You can also get powdered citric acid that you can use. The Adolph's does the same thing but uses the ground seed of papaya. The juice of the papaya, pineapple, oranges, lemons, limes, and grapefruit will all work equally well but the extracts of the papaya seed will have no aroma/aftertaste. Oh, if you do use Adolph's use it sparingly because too much ends up turning the meat into yuk!
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Post by Jerry on May 21, 2009 2:52:06 GMT 12.75
Yes, I agree with all of you. I talked to the retailer - no luck, will not make it good. Of course, they have lost our business. I did obtain some great marbled sirloins there one time. In fact it was a whole sirloin and was as tender as any prime ribeye we have ever eaten. I will try the aging with this steak. Maybe it was sold as ribeye and was something else. Worst experience we have had.
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Post by Paws on May 21, 2009 10:49:04 GMT 12.75
Pretty tough to disquise ribeyes Jerry. Just eyeball a couple in the grocery meat market and they should look identical. Close as you might come I think in appearance might be pork loin steaks. Now, they can be tough as cast iron; just the way I like them!
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Post by Mars on May 21, 2009 18:38:33 GMT 12.75
My 2 cents;
Forget it. The grinder is probably the best bet but then you still end up with tough hamburgers. Like a totaled car, you can knocked out the dents and give it a new paint job but the damage is done and is irreversible. You can doctor it and make it better but it will never be the way it should have been.
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Post by Snake Eyes on May 22, 2009 17:53:45 GMT 12.75
My 2 cents; Forget it. The grinder is probably the best bet but then you still end up with tough hamburgers. Friends, A lot of the remedies suggested are with uncooked meat.....i.e. Grind,marinate,cube.....I guess my question has to be much like 'Jerry's, how do I avoid buying(not bad) but tough meat! If cooked how do you take it back? ? If not cooked or grilled,how do I know it was tough? ? snake-eyes
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Post by Paws on May 22, 2009 23:45:40 GMT 12.75
Know your butcher.
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Post by Mars on May 23, 2009 3:53:16 GMT 12.75
To be honest, you cannot be 100% sure on any piece of meat from anybody and I'd be very wary if any butcher said otherwise. There are too many variables that are not controlled by the butcher for him to know. However, I'd buy from a actual butcher as he will purchase his animals from a more consistent source then say Wally world does. In other words, if you got a good steak from him last month the odds are it will be the same this month as his supplier is the same as is his standards as opposed to wally world who had one buyer get their meat under his standard in brazil last month and this month it's a different buyer with a different standard that bought the animal from kenya. If the U.S. ever gets a law that states a package of meat must have a label stating what country that meat came from you would see the meat dept. in most grocery stores disappear.
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Post by Jerry on May 23, 2009 4:31:07 GMT 12.75
Thanks again. We should NOT have tried this particular butcher. We did obtain some excellent/super sirloin from this butcher in the past. These looked good, but turned out not to be. We will do something with it. I was just thinking that my dogs look very hungry today.
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Post by azslim on May 23, 2009 5:04:25 GMT 12.75
Cook on a low heat for a long time and partway through the process wrap the meat in foil. And if the meat is dry you can pour a little dab of beef bullion on it before wrapping in foil. And there is always the pressure cooker - the first elk I killed way back when was so old and tough we had to pressure cook the hamburger.......
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