Serving a tough cut of meat squanders the food, wastes the time of the cooking staff, and, most importantly, dissatisfies customers. Making sure the meat is thoroughly and properly tenderized is a must in the kitchen, and there are a few different ways to tenderize meat.

Physical Tenderizing

The simplest way to get your meat tender is to physically tenderize it. You can use the textured side of a meat-tenderizing mallet to break up the tough muscle fibers. This may seem like the simplest solution, but using a meat mallet does take skill. Applying too much force or hitting the meat for too long will result in pulverized meat that you won’t be able to serve.

Alternatively, you can invest in a commercial meat tenderizer.With this machine, you don’t have to physically hammer the meat yourself, which could result in fatigue. With machine-aided tenderizing, you can now use that energy solely for cooking.

Marinating

If you can’t physically pound the meat, soaking it in a marinade can get it just as tender. Through this process, the acid of the marinade—whether it’s lemon, vinegar, lime juice, or another acidic substance—breaks down the tough protein of the meat. This breakdown loosens the fibers of the meat and makes it soft and easy to chew.

But be warned—leaving the meat in the marinade for too long will result in it becoming soft and mushy. This leaves the meat inedible and useless, so make sure to only leave the meat in the marinade for a limited amount of time. Thirty minutes is recommended for most meats.

Giving It Time

You can also use the low-and-slow technique for meat tenderization. As the name suggests, cooking the meat at a low temperature over an extended period of time loosens up the fibers and softens the meat. This could take a few hours, and it may require specially carving or butchering the meat. Otherwise, you could risk ruining the meat in the process of slow-cooking it.

There are many different ways to tenderize meat. Some may not be convenient for time, and others may be too physically demanding. Pick which one fits the situation, and make sure your meat is neither too tough nor too soft.