FOOD NEWS
If You Want The Most Tender Steak, You Need To Cook It At A Slow Pace
BY LAUREN CAHN
For the most tender steak, cook it slowly with a moist, low-heat method such as a slow cooker, which will provide enough time for the steak’s collagen to melt into gelatin.
Collagen begins to melt at 160 degrees Fahrenheit, and it takes hours for all of it to render into moist gelatin to make a tough steak tender, with a fuller flavor as well.
The moisture retained in the slow-cooking vessel also helps. Tougher cuts that are rich in collagen like brisket, round, chuck, and rump toast are the best for slow-cooking.
The moisture retained in the slow-cooking vessel also helps. Tougher cuts that are rich in collagen like brisket, round, chuck, and rump toast are the best for slow-cooking.
You can also use cuts of meat, so long as they're thick enough. Filet mignon, tenderloin, and sirloin steaks are too lean for this method and will end up dry and tough.
If you braise steaks in the oven, keep a thermometer in the meat and take the beef out once it reaches an internal temp of 203 degrees Fahrenheit, which is ideal for tender meat.