any way to make untender cuts of beef more tender?

[csrpj]

at the store where i found grass-fed beef, they sell two cuts:

one is much more tender than the other but costs over two and half time more. i'm trying to save money, but the tender one is just so much nicer to eat... is there something i can do (like marinating in some healthy oil) to the other one to make it more tender?

also, another question - the whitish part, is this fat? if so, it's good i eat this part, right?

[djr_81]

You could use a mallet/meat tenderizer on it.

The white part could either be fat or connective tissue. Both are edible.

[TylerDurden]

Newbies tend to be a bit squeamish re the white fat on meats. Takes some time before you get used to and enjoy its taste.

When I first started, I would simply leave raw meats in the fridge for longer(at a not very cold setting) and just let them age, until they became tender enough for my then-weakened teeth. I also left them outdoors to age(not recommended as I had to eat them within 2 days to avoid flies' eggs laid on the raw meats from hatching).

[CHK91]

I actually thought about this, when I first started. I solved the problem by eating with my hands. It's a bit messy, but it's much easier to bite into meat and get a small chunk by pulling the rest of it with your hands.

[csrpj]

ha, i tried just using my hands, and while it helps, it doesn't quite do the job.

i think i may first try marinating the beef. should i use lemon juice or pineapple juice? lemon is what is commonly used but apparently pineapple is very good for this purpose: http://www.vahrehvah.com/Meat+Tenderizers:6259

i'm wondering though, if i use pineapple, would it negatively affect the nutritional content of the beef? would it make the protein less bio-available at all?

[achillezzz]

Pineapple will help you digesting the meat it has shitload of enzymes.

Check my pm yo I'm in israel right now gonna be at hedera and then I get to Tel aviv to get some grassfed beef for first time in my life gimme your MSN.. and tell me location of that place so I can get there with a GPS.

You have yellow fat other there ?? I never even got a chance to taste that  
You sure its grassfed?

[csrpj]

PM sent.

[ys]

if you have sharp knife you can cut it into thin slices like sashimi. thin slices are easier to eat.

[bharminder]

you can grind it yourself at home with a food processor

edit: especially cuts like chuck roast which are fairly difficult to eat in whole form with all of the connective tissue attached throughout the meat

edit edit: but it's easy to overeat with ground meats. For someone who has no appetite and is unhealthily skinny this can be a good thing. For others, it can be a easy way to end up eating too much until it's too late and you have a stomach ache.

[CitrusHigh]

Grass fed meat doesn't need to be cost prohibitive.

Find farmers in your area and talk to them directly.

Go to small, local butcher shops and find out if they have access to grass fed stuff.

Find out if there are any 'real foods' organizations near you, like the weston A price foundation. That is what turned me on to pastured animals many years ago.

Don't forget that the muscle meats are the lower quality meats, the organs are what you want. Usually they are much cheaper. Also ask for bones which are usually given away cheap and have tons of marrow in them. You want leg bones cut in to manageable pieces.

If you don't know how to get in touch with farmers then drive around until you find a pasture full of the kind of animals you want, then go to that farm and knock on the door.

Also a steak tartare recipe would probably solve your immediate problem.

[ys]

If you don't know how to get in touch with farmers then drive around until you find a pasture full of the kind of animals you want, then go to that farm and knock on the door.

this is not feasible for people who live in metropolitan areas.  i would not eat anything grown within 100 mile radius even if it is grass-fed because of proximity to industrial pollution and so many highways.

[turkish]

this is not feasible for people who live in metropolitan areas.  i would not eat anything grown within 100 mile radius even if it is grass-fed because of proximity to industrial pollution and so many highways.

probably true. i have seen that grass fed beef (and raw milk) around where i live is not great (Central NJ). however when i get them from remote locations, they tend to be better.

[CitrusHigh]

maybe not an option for everyone but where there's a will there's a way. If you're in a metro area with no access to farms then use the resources you do have. That would be the 'real food' organizations. They are preformed networks of real foods producers and consumers and they're usually more than happy to connect you with sources, it's how the movement gains momentum. People in our weston A. price foundation network are always looking for others to split whole cows or hogs or goats with. I typically pay $4/lb or less for pastured animals. $4 a lb isn't cheap, but guess what, real food typically isn't. That still doesn't make it cost prohibitive either, it just depends on where your priorities are. For me, health is a big one.

[KD]

I'd say 4$/lb is pretty cheap for food period.

I grew up in a working class area and lived in some really slummy areas as an adult and known some deadbeat people and I've never heard of anyone complain about spending $10+ a day for basic food and fluids until I started reading health forums.

a 300 cal serving of organic beans is like $2 or something and a pack of cigarettes is like $8. You can't buy fast food and match calorie per calorie for much of this stuff, and some of it you can get free or at least less than $4 a lb if you select organs and things already suggested.

if you have a whole family it becomes a bit different economically.

this is not feasible for people who live in metropolitan areas.  i would not eat anything grown within 100 mile radius even if it is grass-fed because of proximity to industrial pollution and so many highways.

Not sure what you mean. Many of the farms that I've been to outside of NYC or Miiami or Boston are well within 100 mile range and the quality is excellent for both meat and produce. I'd venture many are better than Slankers at least on personal preference.

[donrad]

I have been experimenting with this for the last couple of months. I found that if I buy large roasts (about 2 or 3 pounds), rub them with some salt and pepper, and put them on a rack in front of a fan for a day they get dry aged and tender. Just one day is enough at room temperature. It does not matter if the roast is super tough leg or chuck cut or tender sirloin. The tough cuts have more flavor. If the surface stays dry they do not spoil even if left out for a couple of weeks while I cut pieces off. Even the cut surface remains taint free.

This works both for nasty feedlot beef and wonderful grass finished.

I started drying three roasts a few weeks ago and they began to get too dry. So I put one in the frig and put the other in a plastic bag still on the tray. The bag does not touch the meat. This seems to work good and is averaging out the dry crust and moist interior.

You can experiment with different slicing techniques to give you the amount of "chew" you like. The meat takes on a nice firm maroon texture quite unlike the red chewy raw cold beef.

If you do have to use feedlot beef do not use the supermarket meat that has water/salt/flavoring added supposedly to enhance tenderness & flavor. Your paying for water and poisons.