What to do if the beef turns out to be tough. Beef marinades

Beef is the meat of cattle, which confidently occupies one of the first places in cooking. It is consumed all over the world, and only to a limited extent in India due to religious prohibitions. It is tasty, nutritious, healthy and very satisfying. One of the most recognized and universally loved types of beef cooking is baking. This method gives greater opportunity to vary both meat and additional products.

There are many options for how to cook beef in the oven so that it turns out juicy, aromatic, and rich in flavor. By choosing any of them, you will always get a hearty family lunch, a gala feast or a light dinner.

Before you try out various beef recipes in the oven, you should consider some points when baking meat in one way or another. It is usually made on the grill, in foil, in a sleeve or in a pot.

Basic rules for a delicious dish:

Properly chosen meat is the key to a successful dish. Never buy frozen beef that has a different odor or different colors in the piece. The ideal purchase is a chilled piece that is not bright red in color and has a creamy layer of fat.
Red wine, sour cream, vinegar, and tomato paste can soften meat.
Before any processing method, clean the meat from damage, hymen, and tendons. Rinse it and dry it with a special towel.
The cutting method is very important. The beef is separated only across the grain.
Soak in marinade in advance, or sprinkle with spices, herbs or stuff according to the recipe.

How long to bake beef in the oven will depend on the chosen recipe, the volume of the meat product, and the temperature.

But the average boundaries and guidelines should be like this:

The weight of a piece of 1 kg is cooked at 200°C for 2 hours.
0.5 kg of meat is baked at 180°C for 1.5 hours.

When working with foil or sleeve you need to remember:

Large pieces of beef (from 500 g) must be sealed in foil to prevent juice from leaking out, and the meat does not lose its taste, aroma and does not turn out tough.
Existing meat bones should not protrude from the foil to maintain a seal and prevent it from breaking.
A piece of beef baked in foil is cooked without additional fat.
If the finished product is supposed to have a golden brown crust, then 10-12 minutes before the end of baking you should unroll the foil.

The most delicious marinades for beef

Juicy and soft beef in the oven will only be achieved thanks to the marinade. Marinade is a brine in which meat is soaked before being baked. Thanks to the spices, it adds extra flavor to the whole dish. Sometimes it’s enough just to marinate the product and then bake it. It turns out a minimum of actions with a maximum of taste.

The proposed options will always result in juicy beef, baked in the oven in foil in a piece weighing 1 kg.

Soy marinade

onion - 2 pcs.;
olive oil - 1 tbsp. spoon;
soy sauce - 3 tbsp. spoons;
sweet paprika - 1 teaspoon;
ground pepper - ¼ teaspoon;
salt - 1 teaspoon.

Using a blender, puree the onions until mushy. Mix them with sauce and butter. Add seasonings and salt. Let the meat sit in this marinade for 30 minutes, and then transfer it to a baking bag. The beef in the sleeve should be baked in the oven for 2 hours at 180°C.

Dry green marinade

garlic - 4 heads;
parsley - 50 g;
pepper mixture - 1 teaspoon;
salt - to taste.

Grind the garlic using a press. Add finely chopped herbs, salt and pepper to it. Mix everything and coat a piece of meat with marinade, leaving it for 2 hours. Beef is baked in the oven in foil at 180°C for 2 hours.

mustard - 5 tbsp. spoon;
mayonnaise - 2 tbsp. spoons;
salt, pepper - to taste.

Grind mayonnaise with mustard until smooth. Add salt and pepper to the mixture. Marinate a piece of meat for 30 minutes. Bake at 220°C for about 10 minutes, then reduce the temperature to 180°C, continuing baking for another 1.5 hours.

Salty-sweet dry marinade

sugar - 2 tbsp. spoons;
salt - 2 tbsp. spoons;
dry mustard - 1 teaspoon;
paprika - 1/2 teaspoon;
black pepper - ⅔ teaspoon;
oregano - 1 teaspoon;
thyme - 1 teaspoon.

Mix all ingredients. Sprinkle them over a piece of meat and let them soak in their aromas for 1 hour. Then bake for 1.5 hours at 200°C.

Any beef marinade for baking in the oven is selected based on personal taste preferences and available products. By adding other components, you can achieve new taste sensations.

Classic beef recipes in the oven

Whatever the options for cooking meat using the oven, traditional baking under a cheese crust remains one of all. After all, this golden crust (gratin) itself can become a delicacy. And the combination of beef and prunes is loved by many peoples, being a frequent dish in different national cuisines.

French beef with potatoes and cheese

The well-known French-style beef in the oven is a Russian invention and does not belong to French cuisine. Its historical base was tender veal layered with mushrooms, potatoes and onions and served with béchamel sauce. In the now widespread recipe, the mushrooms are gone, the bechamel is replaced with cream or sour cream, and potatoes are not added every time.

Required ingredients:

beef - 500 gr;
potatoes - 5 pcs.;
onion - 1 pc.;
cheese - 100 gr;
sour cream - 250 gr;
salt, spices - to taste.

How to cook:

Cut the beef pulp across the grain into slices, then beat each of them. Salt the meat and season with spices.

Cut the potatoes into slices and chop the onion into half rings.

Grind the cheese using a grater, and then mix with sour cream.

Layer the ingredients in a baking dish. The order and quantity of ingredients can be any. But usually the first layer is potatoes, which should be salted. Then lay out the meat, cover it with onions, sprinkle with cheese. This arrangement of products can be done in one layer or in two.

Cook beef and potatoes in the oven at 190°C for about an hour.

Beef cooking technology may vary. Other puff pastry options are derived from this recipe: beef in the oven with tomatoes and cheese or baked with mushrooms.

Beef with prunes and carrots with garlic

The combination of meat and prunes is considered classic. It is not only incredibly tasty, but also very healthy. There are many options for this combination: baking in pieces in pots, rolling with filling, stuffing a whole piece of meat. The last method will perhaps be the most interesting in its execution. And you can do it in any way, by cooking baked beef in the oven in foil, or a sleeve, or simply on a baking sheet.

Required ingredients:

pulp - 1 kg;
prunes - 250 g;
carrots - 1 pc.;
onion - 1 pc.;
garlic - 2-3 cloves;
salt, pepper - to taste;
greens - optional.

How to cook:

Rinse the beef, wipe it, cut it into portions.

Steam the prunes with boiling water for 12-15 minutes. Drain the water and cut the dried fruits into thick strips.

Cut the garlic into slices and the carrots into thin cubes. Chop the onion into half rings. Chop a bunch of greens.

Make deep cuts into the prepared piece of meat along the entire length of the product using a knife. Stick garlic, carrots, and prunes into the resulting “pockets.” Rub the stuffed meat with salt and any spices to taste.

Flatten half the greens with the onion rings on the foil. Place a piece of meat and sprinkle the remaining herbs and onions on top. Wrap the foil tightly. Do this with each portioned piece. With this cooking method, beef with prunes is baked in the oven for 40 to 60 minutes at 250-300°C.

Delicious beef dishes in the oven

A wide variety of vegetable additives allow you to experiment with beef, achieving new flavor combinations. The simplicity of preparing some dishes is amazing, and the original recipes are worthy of being in the center of the table.

Beef stewed in the oven in any way is always a feast for the stomach.

Vegetable beef stew

A quick, hearty lunch for the whole family can be made with this casserole. Beef pieces in the oven together with zucchini turn out juicy and soft.

Required ingredients:

beef 250-300 gr;
young zucchini - 4 pcs.;
potatoes - 3-4 pcs.;
onion - 2 pcs.;
greens - a bunch;
sour cream - 100 gr;
salt, pepper - to taste.

How to cook:

Cut the meat into pieces measuring 1*1 cm. Remove the skin from the vegetables and rinse the fruits. Chop the potatoes and zucchini into medium circles, grate the carrots coarsely, cut the onion into cubes, and chop the greens.

Place all products in a deep bowl, season with salt and pepper. Add sour cream and then mix everything. Let the meat and vegetables brew for 2 hours.

Then transfer the products into a baking dish. Flatten them, cover the pan with foil and place the beef and zucchini in the oven for 60 minutes.

Chopped cutlets in the oven

When choosing a healthy and wholesome diet, priority is given to beef. The calorie content of 100 grams of this meat is only 248 kcal, which is significantly less than pork. And when choosing a tasty and nutritious dish, you can stop at chopped beef cutlets in the oven.

Required ingredients:

beef - 600 gr;
boiled rice - ½ cup;
onion - 2 pcs.;
egg - 2 pcs.;
salt, pepper - to taste;
breadcrumbs.

How to cook:

Cut the washed and wiped beef into pieces. Also cut the bulbs into 4-6 pieces. Grind the ingredients together with the rice through a meat grinder with a large sieve.

Beat eggs into the resulting mass, add salt and spices. Knead everything thoroughly and let the minced meat rest.

Thanks to this recipe, you can deliciously cook beef in the oven in the form of cutlets, because... a minimal set of additional ingredients always ensures a positive result.

Preheat the oven to 200°C and line the cutlet pan with paper. From the total mass, take a small amount of minced meat, from which you can form cutlets of any shape. Roll each product generously in breadcrumbs.

Place the cutlets on a baking sheet and bake them for 40-50 minutes.

Traditional beef recipes from world cuisine

Beef dishes in the oven are loved and popular everywhere. Roast beef and steaks have gone far beyond the borders of their countries and have found many admirers all over the world. A juicy piece of bovine meat just begs to be cooked according to classical canons.

Perfect English roast beef with vegetables

Roast beef (fried beef) is a large piece of meat baked in the oven. There are many recipes for its preparation, but one of the simplest is juicy roast beef with vegetables.

Required ingredients:

fillet - 1.5 kg;
onion - 2 pcs.;
carrots - 2 pcs.;
celery - 2 sticks;
garlic - 1 head;
thyme, rosemary, sage - 1 bunch;
salt, pepper - to taste.

How to cook:

Rinse the vegetables thoroughly (you don’t need to peel them), cut them into large pieces. Divide the garlic into cloves without removing the husk.

Set the oven to heat up to 240°C.

Place vegetables on the bottom of a deep baking tray. Spread the herbs on top of them in an even layer. Drizzle everything with olive oil.

To ensure that the beef with vegetables in the oven does not fall apart during cooking, but keeps its shape, a piece of meat should be wrapped with food rope to maintain its oval shape. Sprinkle the meat with oil, and then thoroughly rub salt and pepper into it on all sides. Place a piece on top of the greens and vegetables.

Turn the oven temperature down to 200°C and place the baking sheet in it for 1 hour. After baking for 30 minutes, baste the roast beef with any fat that has formed at the bottom of the pan.

Place the finished beef on a board, give it time to rest for 15-20 minutes, after covering with foil and a kitchen towel.

Juicy American steak with sauce

Steak is a typical dish that has become a cult favorite in American cuisine. But a proper steak goes beyond just searing it over high heat. When cooked in the oven, beef steak becomes soft and juicy.

Required ingredients:

steak - 250 gr;
dry red wine - ½ glass;
soy sauce - 3 tbsp. spoons;
olive oil - 3 tbsp. spoons;
butter - 10 g;
salt, pepper - to taste.

How to cook:

Tie the pieces of meat with a rope to maintain their shape.

Prepare the marinade: mix olive oil, soy sauce, wine. Place the steak in the marinade and leave there for 30 minutes to 4 hours.

Lightly dry the prepared piece with a towel.

In a hot grill pan, fry the meat in a minimal amount of oil. It will be enough to keep it on fire for 2 minutes on each side. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat the oven to 150°C. How long beef is cooked in the oven will depend on the desired degree of doneness, because... The “rare” and “deeply cooked” options differ from each other in time and temperature conditions. For the “medium rare” option, it will be enough to place the beef inside for 20 minutes.

The specialty of this dish will be the spicy sauce. Reduce the remaining marinade in a frying pan to half. Add a pinch of thyme with 1 tbsp. spoon of cherry plum sauce. Add a piece of butter and stir the mixture until it is completely dissolved.

Place the finished steak on a plate, pouring the sauce over it.

Many housewives do not like beef because this meat, even after long cooking, turns out to be quite tough and rubber-like in structure. This usually happens when choosing the wrong meat, if instead of young veal you bought the meat of an old, already aged animal.

But even in these situations, you can make tender and soft beef, you just need to know the basic secrets of cooking.

How to choose the right beef

Before you start cooking beef, you need to choose it correctly. The final taste of the prepared dish will depend on how it is chosen. When choosing beef meat, you should pay attention to the following qualities:

color. Fresh beef has a bright red color. The color should not have any greenish or dark tints. If the beef has a dark texture, then this will mean that it comes from an old animal, and old meat takes a long time to cook and turns out rubbery. Therefore, it is worth choosing beef that is bright red in color;
fat. The fat should have a soft white structure and be quite dense. These qualities indicate that the beef is fresh and of high quality. In young beef, the fat may crumble a little. If the fat has a yellow tint, this will mean that the beef is old;
fresh meat should have a dry surface; slight weathering of the surface is allowed if it was cut several hours ago. But in any case, there should be no stains or hard crusts on the surface. Fresh beef feels dry and rubbery;
The smell should be exactly like beef. The smell should be pleasant without additional unpleasant odors;
elasticity. To check this quality, you need to press your finger on the meat; if a hole is formed, which immediately smoothes out, this will mean that the meat is fresh.

How to make tough beef soft: methods

How to make beef tender? There are many ways to make this type of meat much softer and juicier. If the meat is young and fresh, it usually does not need additional softening; it is enough to properly prepare it for cooking. The following conditions must be observed during preparation:

If the beef is frozen, it should be defrosted properly. Defrosting should be gradual. To begin with, the meat should be transferred to a container and placed on the middle shelf of the refrigerator for several hours, then it is removed and left to defrost at room temperature. You should not defrost it using a microwave oven or hot water, in these cases even young meat will become rubbery and tasteless during the cooking process;
A piece of meat should be cut into thin pieces with a thickness of 1.5-2.5 cm. Next, they are rubbed with black ground pepper, but not with salt. Then they are laid out on a cutting board and beaten on all sides with a kitchen hammer;
You should cut the meat only across the grain. The degree of softness of the cooked meat depends on the direction of the cut. Long fibers become tough during cooking, this is due to the coagulation of the protein.

You can make meat tender using marinades. To prepare marinades, you can use kiwi, kefir, wine, garlic or onion.

How to make beef tender when boiling

In order for the beef to be tender and soft after cooking, it must be cooked correctly. To do this, you can use the following important recommendations:

In order for the beef to be soft during cooking, it should be immersed in already boiling water;
It is recommended to boil it in one piece. You can cut it into small slices after boiling;
To add additional aroma and taste, you can additionally boil vegetables and add spices. A good option would be carrots and onions. To do this, vegetables need to be washed, peeled and cut. It is necessary to lay out vegetables an hour after the meat starts boiling. Spices are added 15 minutes before the end of boiling.

How to cook - take note of the recipe for a tasty and healthy dish.

Read how to cook aromatic pilaf in a cauldron over a fire - Asian cuisine.

Boiled sausage at home - try this recipe and forget about store-bought products forever.

How to Roast Beef Tender and Juicy

Beef is often used for frying. All famous steaks, fillets, and chops are cooked in a frying pan. It’s just that it’s when beef is fried that it’s easiest to spoil it.

In order for the beef to be soft and juicy when frying, it must be cooked correctly:

For cooking, use a heavy cast iron frying pan with a thick bottom;
Before frying, it is recommended to preheat the pan over high heat;
Next, pour a little oil onto the surface of the frying pan; it should just lubricate the frying pan a little;
We lay out pieces of meat that have been previously beaten. The meat must be placed in a very hot frying pan with oil;
Fry the beef steaks quickly on both sides. Each side should be fried for no more than half a minute;
Once the steaks are crusty, they can be removed from the pan.

How to tenderize beef when braising

Beef is almost never juicy when braised, but it can be made soft and tender. The main thing is to follow a few important rules:

for stewing, the beef needs to be cut into small pieces of 3-4 cm in size;
then you need to fry in a frying pan for 60 seconds, the pieces should be covered with a dry crust;
after this, the beef is placed in a cauldron or stewpan, hot water is poured onto it;
simmer over low heat for 1.5-2 hours;
In addition to the meat during stewing, you can add various spices and vegetables - bay leaf, peppercorns, onions, garlic and other vegetables;
you need to add salt at the very end, 15 minutes before the end of stewing;
When cooked, the meat fibers should easily separate from each other.

How to make beef goulash tender

How to do it:

How to make soft beef shish kebab: marinade recipes

Marinade with kiwi

For a kilogram of meat you will need 1 large kiwi. Kiwi should be cut into small pieces with a knife or grated. The meat can be cut into medium pieces, placed in a container and grated kiwi is distributed on top. Marinate for no more than 30 minutes, otherwise the appearance and taste of the beef can be greatly spoiled.

Calorie content – 85 kcal.

Kefir marinade

For 1 kilogram of beef you will need:

low-fat kefir - 1 liter;
vegetable oil – 50 ml;
three onions;
salt - a pinch;
a little ground black pepper.

Cooking time – 30 minutes.

Calorie content – 78 kcal.

Let's start cooking:

The meat must be washed, cut into pieces across the grain;
Place some of the meat on the bottom of a deep cup, sprinkle with salt and ground black pepper;
The onions should be peeled, cut the peeled heads into rings;
Place onion rings on top of beef pieces;
Next, lay out the second half of the meat, sprinkle with salt, pepper and place a layer of onion rings on top;
Pour vegetable oil over everything, add kefir;
We put pressure on top and put it in the refrigerator for 4-5 hours.

Wine marinade

For the marinade you will need:

dry or semi-dry red wine – 1 glass;
virgin vegetable oil 100 l;
fresh lemon – ½ part;
ground black pepper – 5 grams;
allspice - a pinch;
a few sprigs of dill and parsley.

Cooking time – 25-30 minutes.

Calorie content – 86 kcal.

How to do:

Pour wine into a cup;
Squeeze the juice from half a lemon and pour it into the wine;
Add vegetable oil and mix the liquid ingredients;
Then add two types of pepper and distribute it over the liquid marinade;
The greens need to be cut into small pieces and poured into the marinade;
Cut the meat into medium pieces and place in the marinade;
Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 4-5 hours.

Garlic marinade recipe

For 1 kilogram of meat you will need the following components:

large lemon – 1 piece;
garlic cloves – 3 pieces;
onion - head;
red chili pepper - a pinch;
water – ½ cup.

Cooking time – 35 minutes.

Calorie content – 89 kcal.

Let's start cooking:

The lemon needs to be washed and cut;
Squeeze the juice from each part of the lemon and pour it into a cup;
Add water and dilute;
Peel the garlic cloves and cut into small pieces;
Peel the onion and chop it into small squares;
Wash the meat, cut into portions;
Mix garlic with onion and red pepper;
Add the garlic and onion mixture to the meat and stir;
Next, put the meat in a bowl and pour in the marinade of lemon juice and water;
Place in the refrigerator to marinate for 3-4 hours.

Marinade with tomato sauce

To prepare you will need:

A glass of tomato juice;
grape vinegar – 100 ml;
carrots – 2 pieces;
dark red bell pepper.

Cooking time – 35-40 minutes.

Calorie content – 74 kcal.

Let's start cooking:

Peel the onion and cut into thin rings;
Wash the carrots, peel and cut into slices;
Rinse the pepper, remove the seeds and cut into squares;
Cut the beef into medium pieces and place in a container, sprinkle with salt;
Place onion rings, carrot slices and pepper slices on top;
Next, pour in grape vinegar;
Then pour in tomato juice and mix everything thoroughly;
Close the container and put it in the refrigerator for 5-6 hours.

Making beef tender is not that difficult, the main thing is to use all the tips and tricks correctly. It is also important to choose the right meat; the entire result of the prepared dish depends on this. By applying all the tips above, you can prepare delicious, tender and soft beef at home.

Beef is healthy and necessary for every person, but sometimes, due to the fact that the meat is tough, not every housewife will take up cooking. After all, beef is a capricious meat and does not always turn out as juicy as we would like.

How to cook soft beef - choosing the right meat

In order to start cooking, you must first select the beef. It is known that not all parts of the carcass will be soft and tasty. Some parts can only be boiled, others are best made into cutlets, some can only be fried or baked. The whole secret is in the density of connective tissue. For example, there is a lot of such tissue in the neck, there are tendons and films, it is better to make cutlets from such a product. You can boil it, as well as stew it, but you will have to spend several hours preparing it.

If you want to fry a whole beautiful piece of meat, then choose the tenderloin, as well as the upper part of the hind leg. This meat will cook surprisingly quickly. But even here there are secrets that every housewife should know about.

How to cook tender beef. Sharing secrets

To cook delicious meat, you need:

buy young beef or veal. The meat will be soft, even visually it will differ from “aged” beef. Such meat will be lighter in color, with the same light fat (very little of it) and small fibers;
As for old beef, it is dark in color, with yellow fat. Such meat will not be suitable for frying, because it will be tough. But it will make an excellent broth, very aromatic and tasty. But it will take a very long time to cook such beef;
To fry a piece of meat, choose the back part or meat separated from the spine;
Learn to cut portions and small pieces across the grain so that they cook faster;
Before you start frying, you need to thoroughly wash the piece of meat and dry it with paper towels;
when to salt? If you are going to fry beef, then 30 minutes in advance, then you can preserve not only the juiciness, but also the original color of the beef;
if the meat is tough, the meat must be marinated before sending it to stew or fry. Wine (dry), sour cream, lemon juice, vinegar or kefir are used as a marinade. The acid helps soften hard fibers. Salt, spices, onions and carrots must be added to such a marinade, the marinade is boiled (kefir and sour cream are an exception), and cooled to room temperature. The holding time for beef in this marinade is from 3 hours;
It is better to beat tough pieces with a hammer so that the meat is better fried;
the stringy part will be softened by mustard, you need to generously rub a piece of meat with mustard, leave for 2 hours, then you can bake or fry;
beef is always fried over high heat so that the juice does not leak out, otherwise the meat will be dry;
if baked, then only in foil to preserve juiciness.

How to cook tender beef

To cook the meat, take:

beef – 1 kg;
onions – 2 pcs.;
carrot – 1 large;
vinegar - 2 tbsp;
garlic – 5 cloves;
salt, bay leaf, other spices - to taste;
tomato paste – 1.5. tbsp

Prepare beef like this:

Rinse the piece of meat thoroughly under the tap and remove excess liquid with paper towels.
Cut the meat into pieces, size 4 by 4 cm.
Pour frying oil into a frying pan and heat thoroughly.
The heat during frying should be strong - carefully lower the pieces of meat into the hot oil, fry on all sides until a golden brown crust forms.
The meat is fried and immediately put into a thick-walled pan, pour boiling water (1 l), add vinegar. We are waiting for it to boil.
As soon as the water boils, reduce the heat, cover the pan with a lid, and leave to simmer over low heat for 1.5 hours.
Then add chopped vegetables and bay leaves (if you like), simmer again, adding a little hot water if necessary.
After 20 minutes, add salt, add spices and chopped garlic, as well as tomato paste, mix. Simmer for another 10 minutes, turn off the heat.

Beef meat is considered “capricious” among many housewives. Of course, with most cooking methods it turns out hard and dry, earning the epithet “rubbery” and being compared to a shoe sole. However, beef can still be made juicy, tender and soft; it is important to know about the peculiarities of its preparation.

Product selection and preparation

Cooking this type of meat begins with its selection. Parts of the carcass differ in chemical composition and taste characteristics. In other words, there are parts of the carcass that, in principle, are not intended for baking, stewing, or frying.

Films and tendons give meat toughness. For example, almost 80% of the neck consists of such connective tissues, so it is better not to fry this part, but to boil it and make chopped cutlets from it.

For roasting, roasting, beefsteak, and whole roasting, it is better to use the tenderloin, the front or back of the legs. The meat will cook quickly, leaving it tender and juicy.

The softest part of the carcass is the fillet. A tenderloin is made from the middle of the loin; such a piece is also called chateaubriand. The thinnest part is the tournedo, and the sharp edge of the fillet is called filet mignon. The best part of the fillet is the medallions. However, even a beef shoulder (a rather tough part of the carcass) can become an excellent steak if you trim the meat correctly and know how to cook it.

For frying and cooking in the oven, it is better to use young meat. Veal is usually soft to the touch and lighter in color. If you look closely, you will find that it has finer fibers and lighter fat. The meat of an adult, and especially an old cow, is not suitable for these purposes, since the dish will be dry and tough. But it is good to cook broths from it, however, this will take a lot of time. You can visually distinguish older beef by the dark red hue of the flesh and the yellow color of the fat.

The easiest way to determine softness and juiciness is in fresh, not frozen meat. The presence of bruises and crusting is unacceptable; only slight weathering is possible. Before buying, you should press on the pulp; as soon as you remove your finger, the dent should straighten out. This indicates the juiciness of the beef.

If frozen meat is used, it should be properly defrosted before cooking. It should be remembered that the process must be gradual. Beef removed from the freezer should first be placed on the middle shelf of the refrigerator, and after a few hours left at room temperature. If you defrost meat by placing it in hot water or in the microwave, then despite all the tricks, after cooking it will become tasteless and rubbery.

Preparing meat involves removing films, veins, tendons and further rinsing the piece under water. After this, it should be blotted with a towel. Beef is prepared in this way for almost all dishes. The exception is steaks. It is not recommended to wash the meat before cooking, but blotting it with a napkin is a must. It is better to pre-soak tough meat in the marinade to soften it.

General cooking rules

If you need to prepare small portioned pieces, it is recommended to cut the meat across the grain. Thanks to this, the pieces are less deformed, which means they remain juicier. In addition, this cutting method ensures faster preparation of the dish.

If you are going to fry old meat, it is recommended to marinate it first. There are many marinade recipes, but almost all of them contain acids - this will soften tough meat fibers. The marinade can be prepared using kefir, lemon juice, wine, and sour cream. You can immediately add spices, garlic, and onions to the marinade.

The tougher the meat, the longer it should be kept in the marinade. As a rule, the minimum marinating time is 2-3 hours, the maximum is a day.

If you plan to fry a piece of beef, then you should do as little as possible with it. Ideally, rinse, dry and slice thinly, then immediately fry in a hot frying pan. When stewing, on the contrary, the meat can be lightly beaten with the back of a knife (not sharp), finely chopped and fry the pieces in oil for half an hour. Then pour in the liquid and simmer.

It is important to use a sharp knife for slicing, cutting off films and cartilage with it. It is important to completely clean the flesh from the veins, since when heated they shrink, which prevents the meat from being properly fried or baked.

When frying

Before frying meat, it is usually lightly beaten on both sides with a special hammer. This helps make the piece thinner, which means faster cooking. The prepared pieces must be dipped with a paper towel. This will remove excess moisture and grease from the surface. When frying, the meat will not “shoot”, and a uniform crust will form on its surface.

When frying, salt meat should be added towards the end of the cooking process. The fact is that when salt is added, intense juice separation begins, so the steak or other dish will turn out tough. Adding salt at the end of frying will help preserve the juices, since they will be “locked” inside the piece thanks to the crispy crust on both sides.

Another important point is to prevent juice from leaking out of the meat. First you need to quickly achieve a crust on both sides, and only then make sure that the piece is completely fried. That's why you need to put the beef in a well-heated frying pan, and make the heat more intense.

When the meat is covered with a crust, reduce the heat and cover the pan with a lid. If the meat starts to burn, you can add a little water or broth or sauce. It is important that the liquids are hot, otherwise the finished dish will taste like the proverbial sole.

The time for frying beef depends on the specifics of the recipe and the size of the cut pieces. If we are talking about steaks, which are cut 2-4 cm thick and fried in a frying pan with a ribbed surface, then the frying time for each side is from 30 seconds to 5 minutes. It is the duration of frying that determines the wide variety of steaks - deep-done, weak, rare, and so on.

The chop usually takes 4-5 minutes to cook, on average it takes 2-2.5 minutes to cook one side. The meat cut into pieces is fried for 20-30 minutes, stirring the dish periodically.

If the steaks are cooked at home, first rub each side with a little vegetable oil. The frying pan should also be greased with oil; it is better not to pour it from a bottle, but to use a culinary brush.

When cooking

You can get soft boiled beef by dipping the raw piece into boiling water. The larger the piece, the juicier it will be when cooked and the richer and tastier the broth will become. If a large piece fits into the pan, then it is in this form that it should be cooked, without cutting it into pieces.

Spices and vegetables will help make boiled beef tastier and more aromatic. The latter (usually onions and carrots) are added peeled to the broth after an hour of cooking the meat. There is no need to chop them - at most, you can divide them into 2-4 parts. Spices are added to the meat a quarter of an hour before the end of cooking.

It is important to cook the beef covered, preventing access to oxygen.

After the meat is cooked, there is no need to rush to get it out of the broth. You should leave the piece to cool in the same broth. If you don't follow this advice and remove the meat to a plate, it will quickly crust over, making it appear dry and tough.

If you come across an old piece of beef, then, of course, it is better to boil it. But first, soak in a marinade of 100 ml of vodka and 10 tablespoons of soy sauce. Even an hour in this marinade will help the meat become softer after cooking. You can also add a little vodka, half a teaspoon of sugar or a well-washed banana peel to the water. These ingredients will help tenderize older meat.

When extinguishing

Braising beef to make the dish juicy and tender is not an easy task. It's better to cut it into small pieces. After this, they should be fried in a hot frying pan greased with a small amount of vegetable oil. Do this for a short time - a minute and a half, stirring the pieces or shaking the pan all the time. As a result, a dry crust forms on the surface of the meat.

Now you can transfer the pieces into a saucepan or cauldron (it is important that it is a thick-walled dish) and fill it with hot water.

Spices and bay leaves will help you get a more aromatic and appetizing dish. But the beef stew should be salted 15-20 minutes before the end of the stew. On average, the entire process takes 1.5-2 hours.

Another “trick” for getting a soft stew is to add a little grape juice to the beef while cooking. It is poured in an hour after the stewing begins.

When baking

It is better to bake the meat in one piece, so it will remain juicy. Almost all good recipes for preparing baked beef involve pre-marinating it. The duration of the process is 2-3 hours.

After marinating, the beef should be wrapped in foil, preferably in two layers, so that no steam will escape. Prepare the dish for 1-1.5 hours at fairly high (200-220C), but constant temperatures. Once the beef is ready, you can open the foil and let the meat brown.

If after cooking in the oven the beef turns out to be tough, you can try to correct the situation by holding the piece over boiling water.

And several more options for delicious beef dishes.

In sour cream sauce

This recipe can be made in pots or a small cauldron. Thanks to sour cream and long stewing in the oven over low heat, the beef turns out incredibly soft, with a pleasant creamy aftertaste.

Ingredients:

1 kg beef pulp;
4 onions;
2 tablespoons vegetable oil;
1 teaspoon dry mustard;
1 teaspoon flour;
2 tablespoons of low-fat sour cream;
salt, spices.

Rinse the beef, dry it and cut into cubes with sides of 3-4 cm. Cut across the grain. Chop the onion into half rings and mix with the meat.

Pour oil into a cast iron pot or pot, add meat and onions and place in a cold oven. Cook for 1.5-2 hours at 180C.

At this time, make the sauce: mix flour, mustard and spices. Add sour cream, if necessary (if the mixture turns out to be too thick), add a little water. Remove the pots from the oven - by this time the meat will be almost completely cooked in its juices, and the onions will become transparent. Now you need to pour the sauce into the dish and put it in the oven for another half hour.

Baked in foil with carrots

Beef baked in foil is almost a culinary classic. However, the dish will sparkle with new colors (in the literal sense too - it will become brighter and more festive), it will turn out soft and tender if you stuff it with carrots.

Compound:

1 kg beef tenderloin;
2 tablespoons soy sauce
5-6 cloves of garlic;
2 carrots;
salt, pepper

Prepare the beef, rub with salt and pepper. Cut the washed and peeled carrots into cubes, make cuts in the meat and stuff it with vegetables.

Make a marinade from the sauce and garlic, passed through a press, and pour it over the beef. Leave for a couple of hours.

After the specified time, wrap the dish in 2 layers of foil or a baking sleeve and place in the oven, heating it to 220C. Cook for 2 hours, then unwrap the foil and leave the beef in the oven for another quarter of an hour. This will allow the dish to “get” a golden brown crust.

7 ways to make beef tender.

How to marinate beef for tenderness?

You can cook beef in many ways. This is healthy and tasty meat, but housewives do not always turn it out soft. If you have a couple of hours before cooking, you can marinate beef for tenderness according to our recipe. And below I will tell you how to cook beef soft and without marinating.

Marinade for beef (for softness).

Method 1. Beef marinated with vinegar.

For 1 kg of beef. Cut the meat into pieces or a whole piece. Marinate for 1 hour.

1 onion (cut into half rings)
3-4 tablespoons vinegar 9%
1 teaspoon granulated sugar
ground pepper to taste
half a glass of water and a little sunflower oil
ATTENTION! We don’t salt the meat - we marinate without salt! Add salt during cooking.

Leave the beef in the marinade for 1.5 -2 hours. Next, beat the meat with a hammer and cook according to the recipe.

Method 4. Beef marinated in beer.

For 1 kg of beef. We take:

Salt and pepper. Stir or coat the meat and marinate in the refrigerator in a pan or in a bag for 1 hour. Next, fry over a fire or in a frying pan. The beef will be incredibly soft!

Method 5. Beef marinated in sea buckthorn juice.

Even not very successful beef can be cooked very soft and juicy. We cut the beef into steaks, pieces 2 cm wide and the size of a palm, so that we can fry it later.

1 glass of sea buckthorn juice
salt, pepper to taste

Salt and pepper the meat and put it in a bowl. Pour the meat with 1 glass of sea buckthorn juice (sour is best). Let the meat stand for 40-60 minutes. Then heat a frying pan with a small amount of sunflower or olive oil. Fry on both sides for 5 minutes to form an appetizing crust. Then close the lid, reduce the heat to low and simmer until tender, about another 40 minutes. Turn the pieces over once in the middle of stewing.

The beef will come out very juicy and soft! And sea buckthorn juice will add a unique flavor to your dish!

Method 6. Beef marinated with kiwi.

In general, to soften meat, you need acid. But vinegar, if you overcook the meat, can have the opposite effect and the meat will become tough, like a sole.

Marinade for 1 kg of meat.

kiwi - 2 pcs. peel and grate
We cut 1-2 onions into half rings
salt and pepper the marinade

Parsley goes well with beef. Coat the meat well in the marinade, put it in a container with a lid and put it in the refrigerator for 2 hours. Next, cook according to the recipe, in pieces or a large piece in the oven.

The meat will become deliciously tasty and tender!

Method 7. Beef marinated with tomato (tomato marinade).

For 1 kg of beef. Cut the meat into pieces or a whole piece. Marinate for 1-2 hours.

Make the marinade:

tomato paste 2 table. spoons
press 4 cloves garlic through a press
2 medium onions, cut into half rings
sweet pepper 1/2 pcs. chop into small cubes or thin strips
pepper with ground black and red pepper
add 1 teaspoon of salt and 1 pinch of khmeli-suneli
and finely chopped herbs (parsley, basil, thyme)

Coat the beef with marinade, place in a saucepan or container with a lid and keep in the refrigerator for 1-2 hours.

How to cook beef tender.

To make the beef soft, for example in goulash, we need time. We defrost the beef “on our own”, no defrosting in the microwave. Cut the meat into pieces and rinse. Place the meat in a frying pan or saucepan and add enough water to cover the meat. DO NOT SALTY!(unless otherwise indicated in the recipe, for example, you can add salt with sea buckthorn juice when marinating) Simmer over low heat for 1 hour. Next, prepare according to the recipe.

You can salt the meat after 1 hour of marinating. So that it absorbs the salt.
Meat prepared in this way will definitely be soft.

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(module Marinades for meat)