WE BUTCHER OUR OWN BEEF, AND THE ROASTS AND STEAKS ALWAYS SEEM SO TOUGH. WE TRIED LEAVING IT HANG LONGER, TO NO AVAIL. WOULD LIKE SOME ADVICE ABOUT WAYS TO TENDERIZE MEAT, BESIDES BEATING IT. I'M ALSO INTERESTED NEW AND TASTY WAYS TO PREPARE BEEF, VENISON, AND ELK.

-- Mother-of-four (SUPERGS63@AOL.COM), February 24, 2000

Answers

I know that it takes advance planning, but if you will marinate the meat, the tissues will break down to a certain extent and leave the meat more tender. You might also pressure cook the meat for a very short time, then finish in a normal manner. Many butcher shops and slaughter houses, electro-shock the carcasses to help tenderize the meat. I realize this is not an option for your home butchering.

-- greenbeanman (greenbeanman@ourtownusa.net), February 24, 2000.

If the animals tense up before killing, so does the meat - really. Something to do with fatigue poisons - lactic acid? Anyway, if you can get the beast relaxed and happy, then sneak up on it and kill it painlessly before it realises anything worth getting upset about is happening, it will help. So will the other tips. So will keeping beasts for meat fed consistently - no hungry or thirsty or otherwise stressed times which could tend to make the meat tough and stringy.

If you're breeding your own, make sure the ones you eat are the tough stringy 'orrible ones. Leave the ones you'd like to eat to breed more instead; and kill the ones whose offspring, grandchildren, great- grandchildren, etc. you wouldn't want to eat (not addressed to you specifically - that last is for the newbies).

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 24, 2000.

A friend of ours gave us venison steaks last year. He told us to soak the steaks in milk over night before cooking them. We did that with some and they were wonderful. The ones we didn't do that too, we could tell the difference easily.

-- R (thor610@yahoo.com), February 24, 2000.

You might try cooking some of it the old fashioned way. Put a cast iron skillet on the fire to heat with a little bacon grease or oil in the bottom. Heat until you think it will start to smoke. Put a roast in the pan, cooking on each side just until the meat turns white (sears). Top meat with sliced onion, cover pan tightly, place in 350 degree oven, for 1 to 1 and 1/2 hours. This makes tough roasts come out tender. I don't know why. I have used it on tough meat many times. There should be enough drippings in the pan to make gravy if you want to.

Some people say that soaking steaks in beer will tenderize them. I don't know. I'm too cheap to buy both steaks and beer!!

-- Green (ratdogs10@yahoo.com), February 24, 2000.

We eat lots of venison. Roasts can be taken out of the freezer and put directly into the oven in a covered roaster with an inch of water in the bottom. Season as you like(salt, pepper, garlic,etc.)right on top of the frozen meat and put it in the oven at 225 degrees for about 6 hours. The secret is LOW and SLOW. Fork tender if you give it enough time. An hour before It's done I often add potatoes, carrots, onions, celery- anything vegetable can go in there.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), February 24, 2000.

I have heard that a vinegar marinade will help tenderize the meat.

-- Leann Banta (thelionandlamb@hotmail.com), February 24, 2000.

My mother-in-law gave us this recipe. She said it will make anything taste good. For 5lb. roast or 2 large steaks. 1 tsp Thyme 1 tsp oregano 1 tsp Accent (MSG) 1/2 tsp pepper 1 tsp salt 2 T Worchestershire sauce 2 T Olive oil Mix. Marinade meat for two hours or more.

-- Vaughn (vdcjm5@juno.com), February 24, 2000.

HELLO, M. O'4 -

WE EAT VENISON - NO BEEF AT ALL (ECONOMICS AS WELL AS HEALTH REASONS). OUR ALL-TIME FAVORITE WAY TO DO THE STEAKS IS TO MARINATE THEM IN RED WINE (NO WINE? DILUTE 50-50 RED WINE VINEGAR W/H2O) AND SEVERAL CRUSHED CLOVES OF GARLIC, SOME BLACK PEPPER. OVERNIGHT WILL REALLY TENDERIZE, BUT YOU WILL LOSE THE "WILDNESS" OUT OF THE VENISON. A FEW HOURS AT ROOM TEMP IS SUFFICIENT TO TENDERIZE AND FLAVOR. PAN-FRY IS OK (CAST IRON, VERY HOT), BUR GRILLING IS THE BEST. KEEP THE MEAT MEDIUM TO RARE (SOME MIGHT HOLLER AT THAT, BUT OVERCOOKING TURNS VENISON INTO SHOELEATHER). WE DON'T DO ROASTS. HOPE IT HELPS. GOT MORE INFO, IF INTERESTED.

-- Judi (jeddfd91789@aol.com), February 26, 2000.

Judi- I'm sure interested! About all we eat is venison,too and I've never been able to get the steaks as tender as we'd like without chemicals and I won't use them. As good as it is, I'm getting tired of roasts and ground ven.!! HELP

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), February 27, 2000.

HI, PEG! WHEN IT COMES TO TENDER VENISON, THE TRICKS BEGIN OUT IN THE FIELD AND CONTINUE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE COOKING PROCESS. WHEN THE ANIMAL IS "HARVESTED" (P.C. TERM), A QUICK KILL AND THE PATIENCE NOT TO CHASE THE ANIMAL DOWN IMMEDIATELY AFTER SHOOTING KEEPS THE ADRENALIN (SP?) TO A MINIMUM - THEREBY KEEPING IT OUT OF THE TISSUES. ALSO, THE ANIMAL MUST BE DRESSED PROPERLY IN THE FIELD - KEEPING THE CONTENTS OF THE INNARDS IN THE INNARDS. ONCE YOU GET THE CARCASS HOME, THE OPTIMUM PROCEDURE WOULD BE TO SKIN IT, RINSE IT IN AND OUT, AND ALLOW IT TO HANG FOR A WEEK OR SO IN REFRIDGERATOR TEMPS. THIS ALLOWS THE MEAT TO "AGE" AS MOST OF YOUR FINEST RESTAURANTS DO TO THEIR BETTER CUTS OF MEAT. ALTHOUGH SOME MIGHT COMPLAIN THAT THIS WASTES SOME OF THE MEAT (THE OUTER 1/16" DRIES OUT - MUST BE REMOVED), IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR THE BEST POSSIBLE FLAVOR AND TEXTURE, IT'S THE ONLY WAY WE DO IT. WHAT WE'LL DO (SINCE WE HAVE THE FRIDGE SPACE) IS QUARTER OUT THE CARCASS AND HANG EACH 1/4 IN A SEPARATE PART OF A SPARE FRIDGE IN THE BASEMENT.IF THE OUTSIDE TEMPS ARE COLD ENOUGH, (25-40 F) IT CAN BE HUNG OUTDOORS. WE DON'T CUT ROASTS - WE ONLY CUT STEAKS FROM THE HIND 1/4'S, STEW OR BURGER OUT THE REMAINING. OH, YEAH - THE TENDERLOINS AND THE KIDNEYLOINS ARE A BIT OF HEAVEN IN THEMSELVES. I DON'T USUALLY MARINATE THE KIDNEY LOINS - JUST SEASON AND GRILL TO MED.RARE. OH, LAST NOTE - WE BONE OUT EVERY THING - THE STEAKS AREN'T PICTURE PERFECT, BUT THEY TASTE A WHOLE LOT LESS GAMEY. A LITTLE MORE WORK, BUT WORTH THE EFFORT.

-- JUDI (jeddfd917892@aol.com), February 27, 2000.

On long slow low cooking - it does work , it does make the meat fork- tender; BUT ...

The meat tends to separate out into separate fibres - try to carve it and you get (tender) strings of meat. The easy traditional answer is simply to let the meat "rest" - remove from heat, let it rest covered for 20 or 30 minutes (tends to "set" - maybe even like jelly, since it is very gelatinous cooked this way), then carve with a VERY sharp knife.

-- Don Armstrong (darmst@yahoo.com.au), February 28, 2000.

PEG - TO CLARIFY A POINT IN MY LAST ENTRY, AFTER RINSING CARCASS, DRY W/PAPER TOWELS. IF ANY STOMACH/INTESTINE CONTENTS GET ON MEAT, RINSE WITH WHITE WINE VINEGAR VERY WELL - DRY WITH PAPER TOWELLING. ALWAYS FIELDDRESS CARCASS WITH THE UTMOST CARE - AVOID ALL CONTAMINATION OF THE MEAT. ANOTHER WAY TO COOK STEAKS - AFTER DRAINING FROM MARINADE, GRILL 'TIL NOT QUITE DONE. WHILE STEAKS ARE ON THE GRILL, HEAT A CAST IRON PAN TO HOT. ADD SOME OIL (OLIVE AND/OR BUTTER IS OUR CHOICE) AND SOME CHOPPPED GARLIC. WHEN FRAGRANT, ADD STEAKS AND FINISH COOKING IN THE PAN. REMOVE STEAKS, KEEP WARM. ADD 1/2 CUP RED WINE TO PAN AND COOK, SCRAPING UP THE BROWNED BITS. COOK DOWN THE WINE TO A SAUCE CONSISTANCY. POUR OVER STEAKS AND ENJOY.

-- JUDI (jeddfd917892@aol.com), February 28, 2000.

Judi- that sounds wonderful! I'll try it right away.I'd forgotten about the loins, they are gone immediately. Your instructions for post-kill are expert! We do all that so it's the same until the meat is in the pan. I have never tried the white vinegar though. Just goes to show there's always something more to learn. Many thanks.

-- Peg (jnjohnsn@pressenter.com), February 28, 2000.

For venison or other maybe tough steaks you can also take a meat mallet and beat it!My kids like it when I do "chicken fried steak" take your steaks dunk in egg then seasoned bread crumbs. Season your bread crumbs however you like , onion powder , garlic ,rosemary , whatever you like.Heat a cast iron skillet with bacon grease " hope fully home cured and raised ",fry on each side .Enjoy!

-- Patty Gamble (fodfarms@slic.com), February 28, 2000.

Crockpot your meat until fork tender. Yes, it's that simple. I put my roasts and wild meat in the Crockpot the night before complete with seasonings and the next morning I have fork tender meats that are seasoned. Bon Apetite!

-- Chef Pamie (fortes_lil_bojanos@yahoo.com), February 22, 2002.