Let’s talk about tender and tough meats and how we get there. Yes, we have the ability to make tender cuts of meat “tough” and tough cuts of meat “tender.”
I started smoking meat in 2004, attempting to make delicious, tender brisket. So the flavor comes from the right mix of spices and the tenderness comes from a solid marinade for the correct amount of time, right? Well, I tried them all. I soaked that poor brisket in just about every concoction I could find on the internet. And the result was consistent – delicious brisket . . . that you could chew for days!
But I was not to be defeated, and I figured it out. Knowledge is power, which is what I’m about to give you. There are three keys to understanding how to create tender, juicy meats, regardless of the cut or kind of meat you’re cooking: COLLAGEN, TEMPERATURE, and MOISTURE. Temperature and moisture are pretty obvious, but you may be asking what collagen has to do with tender, juicy meat. My answer to you is – almost everything.
Collagen
Collagen is the connective tissue that helps to hold muscle fibers together. Some cuts of meat, like brisket, are packed with collagen, which is why some may think its too tough to be tender. In fact, the term “brisket” originates back to the Vikings, with the Old Norse word brjósk – which actually means cartilage.
Other cuts of meat have a very low collagen contents, such as the tenderloin – needless to say, it’s named for how naturally tender it is. However, the tenderness in any meat comes from not just the lack of, but also the breaking down of existing connective tissue. There are marinades that people claim to break down collagen. Perhaps a little, but they are primarily for flavor – which we will discuss at another time. But the collagen dissolving, connective-tissue-breaking-down answer is temperature (and how well you can control it)!
Temperature
Temperature kills any bacteria or microorganisms that may be present, it breaks down collagen into gelatin, and it coagulates (shrinks) the muscle fibers of the meat. As the temperature of the meat goes from 100 degrees (F) to 200 degrees (F), the proteins in the meat will coagulate, causing the meat fibers to get shorter and wider. Have you seen your roast or stew meat shrink when cooking them? This is why. There is no way around this, but you’re still good. Why? Because the tenderness comes from the lack of or the breaking down of existing connective tissue. From about 170 degrees (F) to 195 degrees (F), the collagen in the meat is melting into a gelatin. This is important! Meats with higher levels of connective tissue require higher temperatures for that tender, fall apart deliciousness. Meats with low levels of connective tissue, can be cooked to a lower temperature and still obtain that optimal tenderness. Plus, at lower temperatures, there will be less protein coagulation, keeping those muscle fibers long and skinny, little shrinkage, super tender. This is why the perfect medium rare steak is cooked to a temperature of 129.5 degrees (F). That can be accomplished precisely and easily when cooking via the Sous Vide method. More on that another day.
Moisture
The final key is moisture. Regardless of the breakdown of collagen, dry meat is tough and chewy. As the muscle fibers shrink when the meat is cooking, the moisture is squeezed out. The amount of time and temperature required to cook meat to tenderness perfection is determined by the amount of collagen present. Thus, certain cuts of meat have to cook hotter and longer, resulting in even more moisture loss. If the natural moisture content of the meat isn’t enough to handle the time and temperature, we have to add moisture to the process. Two of these processes are Braising and Stewing. We’ll talk about these two methods – soon.
Until next time -
Uncle Carl
About Uncle Carl
For 30+ years, Uncle Carl has relied heavily on the ‘trial and error’ method to perfect his approach to barbecue. He’s here to save you from the ‘error’ and smoke to impress.
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