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Every once in a while you probably feel like a delicious, juicy steak. The problem is, your wallet doesn’t always agree with crazy, and sometimes expensive, cravings.
Luckily, there’s a way around this. You can easily transform an inexpensive, tough piece of meat into a restaurant-worthy cut with a few simple tricks. Say goodbye to chewy, tough and tasteless meat and hello to a filet mignon rival. Your family will be amazed and your guests won’t know the difference – but your wallet sure will.
1. An acidic marinade
No, we’re not talking about any harsh chemicals. Simple acids such as lemon or lime juice, vinegar, yogurt or buttermilk can be used to tenderize tough cuts.
Materials
Choose an acidic base:
– vinegar
– lime juice
– lemon juice (we chose this and around 1/2 cup)
– buttermilk
– yogurt
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 thyme
Adjustments can be made based on your desired tastes.
Directions
1. Mix together all the ingredients for the marinade.
2. Soak meat in marinade. The key is to not leave the meat in the marinade for too long, as acids can weaken the protein structure of the meat too much, making it too soft and mushy.
Aim for 30 minutes to two hours, but check periodically to see if the meat is starting to look cooked around the edges. That’s how you’ll know it’s been marinating too long.
3. Enjoy the final result:
2. A salt rub
Go to the store and buy the lowest-priced cut of meat. This salt rub can tenderize cheap cuts of meat: It is the poor man’s version of filet mignon.
Ingredients
1 tablespoon rosemary
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon onion powder
1 tablespoon pepper
salt (as desired)
your cheap beef cut
Directions
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