Tenderize
To tenderize meat is to make it less tough before cooking, by pounding it thin, scoring it, salting it or marinating it in acid or fruit enzymes.
Also called Tenderise, Tenderized, Pounded.
To tenderize means to treat meat so it is less tough to chew. You can break up the fibers by pounding or cutting, loosen them with salt, or soften the surface with acid or fruit enzymes. Long, slow cooking also tenderizes tough cuts, but recipes that say "tenderize" usually mean a step before cooking.
How to do it
To pound a chicken breast, pork cutlet or thin steak:
- Put the meat between two sheets of plastic wrap (cling film in the UK) or in a heavy freezer bag.
- Use the flat side of a meat mallet, a rolling pin or a small heavy pan.
- Start in the middle and work outward with firm, even blows.
- Stop when the meat is an even thickness, often 6 mm to 1 cm (1/4 to 1/2 inch).
For a thick chicken breast, butterfly it first so you need less pounding.
Why it works
- Pounding breaks up and flattens the muscle fibers and makes the piece thin, so it cooks fast before it can dry out.
- Salt in a brine or a dry brine loosens the proteins so they hold more water and stay juicier.
- Acid in a marinade softens the surface, but too long makes it mushy.
- Enzymes in fresh pineapple, papaya, kiwi and ginger break down protein. They work fast. Thirty minutes to two hours is usually enough.
- Baking soda raises the pH of thin slices of meat, which keeps them tender. This is part of velveting in Chinese cooking.
Common mistakes
- Pounding with the spiked side of the mallet on delicate meat. It tears it. Use the flat side.
- Pounding too hard, so the meat splits or gets holes.
- Leaving meat in an enzyme or acid marinade overnight. The surface turns soft and mealy.
- Trying to tenderize a cut meant for slow cooking, such as shoulder or brisket. It needs a long braise, not a mallet.
In recipes
"Pound to an even thickness", "flatten" and "tenderize" all point to the mallet method. Store-bought meat labeled "tenderized" or "needle-tenderized" has been pierced by machine blades. Bacteria from the surface may have been pushed inside, so cook it to a safe internal temperature rather than serving it rare, and follow the cooking advice on the label.
Recipes that use this technique
4 recipes from the sites we collect.
Related terms
- MarinateTo marinate is to soak food in a seasoned liquid of acid, oil, salt and aromatics before cooking. Here are safe times and why longer is not always better.
- BrineA brine is salt dissolved in water. Soaking meat in it for hours makes it juicier and seasons it through. Here are the ratios, times and safety rules.
- Dry brineTo dry brine is to salt meat ahead of time and leave it uncovered in the fridge. It seasons deeply, keeps meat juicy and gives crisp skin, with no bucket.
- ButterflyTo butterfly is to slice a thick piece of meat, fish or shrimp almost in half and open it like a book, so it is thinner and cooks fast and evenly.
- VelvetVelveting coats sliced meat in egg white and cornstarch, then cooks it briefly in water or oil before stir-frying. It keeps the meat soft and silky.
- BraiseBraising browns meat, then cooks it slowly, covered, in a small amount of liquid until tough cuts turn tender and the liquid becomes a rich sauce.