How To Make Less Expensive Cuts Of Meat Tender

Before grilling meat, use an acidic marinade to break down the meat’s tough fibers. Vinegar, wine, salad dressing, and citrus juice all qualify. Pour the marinade in a plastic bag or shallow dish – never aluminum, which can affect taste. Add the meat, and let sit in the fridge for an hour. Use enough marinade to cover the meat.

Pour red or white wine over roasts and let them sit in the fridge for a couple of hours before cooking.

Soften liver by soaking it in milk for two hours, or in tomato juice for three hours, in the fridge. Pat it dry before cooking.

Use a meat mallet to pound less tender cuts of meat, like bottom round, cube, and flank steaks.

After roasting it for about 30 minutes, take a ham out of the oven and pour a can of regular cola, not diet, over it. Return it to the oven and finish cooking. Along with tenderizing it, it caramelizes the crust and neutralizes saltiness. You can also use cola to tenderize brisket, skirt steaks, pot roast, and short ribs.

Include a tablespoon of vinegar in any stew recipe that uses inexpensive cuts of meat.

Cook meat on a low heat over a long period of time in a Crock-Pot or Dutch oven. A slow braise can turn the toughest piece of meat into butter.