Ever seen a kitchen mallet? That heavy metal or wooden hammer with spikes? It’s a classic. A few firm taps and your steak flattens into a uniform thickness. That’s key because uneven steak cooks unevenly—the thin part gets well-done while the thick part stays raw. A mallet fixes that.
How To Make Meat Very Tender
But there’s a quieter, more precise method: scoring. Using a sharp knife to make shallow cuts across the grain. This doesn’t flatten the steak; it just shortcuts the tough fibers. It’s like giving the meat a map to fall apart when you chew.
Which one is better? Honestly, it depends on your mood. Feeling primal? Grab the mallet. Feeling surgical? Grab the knife. Both work, and neither is wrong.
What About That Weird Needle Tool?
You might have seen a "Jaccard" tenderizer—a press with dozens of tiny needles. It punches micro-holes into the meat. Weird? Yes. Effective? Absolutely. It lets marinades soak in like rain into dry soil.
Some purists hate it, though. They say it makes the steak look like a pincushion. But hey, if it makes a cheap cut taste like a dream, who cares about a few holes?
You can even use a fork! Just stab the steak all over. It’s not elegant, but it’s brilliantly simple. Your grandmother probably did this, and she knew what was up.
