Why is some meat tender and others tough?

If you are a meat eater you probably judge meat on several characteristics. These characteristics likely include taste, juiciness and tenderness. But what makes some meat tender and some meat seem as tough as shoe leather?

Tenderness, or toughness, is affected by the purpose of the muscles that produce the meat cut. The goal for many of these muscles is to contract so that an animal can move. We can expect muscles that are more involved in animal movements to be more tough than muscles that simply support the animal. However, there are more complex reasons why meat might be tender or tough.

One of these complex reasons relates to muscle fibers and how they react to cooking. Collagen is one of those muscle fibers and as animals age these fibers become stronger, more stable, and break down less as meat is cooked. Therefore, meat from older animals is less tender meat than younger animals.

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Collagen fibers also react to differences in animal growth rates, nutrition and genetics. Animals that grow faster reach their market weight at a younger age and can be expected to produce more tender meat. Growth rates can be adjusted based on the nutritional value of the feeds the animals consume. Most grains have a higher caloric content than forages, which leads to faster animal growth and thus animals harvested at a younger age. Age at harvest can also be impacted by animal genetics that influence the size and age of that animal when it reaches market weight.

Another reason why meat might be tender or tough relates to the harvest process. All muscles contain an energy source called glycogen. If an animal becomes stressed by weather, transportation, or handling then the glycogen content in the muscles becomes depleted. This is very important at harvest as glycogen is required to decrease the pH in the meat. The rate at which the pH and the carcass temperature decrease influences meat tenderness. Refrigeration temperatures reflect the optimum temperature for chilling carcasses to achieve meat tenderness. In the case of beef, allowing a carcass to hang in the cooler for up to 72 hours can improve tenderness. This is known as aging.

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The final reasons for tenderness or toughness that I would like to touch on are up to you, the consumer. Consumers should consider the cut of meat when choosing a cooking method. Cuts with larger amounts of connective tissue, such as round steak or roasts and chuck roasts, should be cooked using moist heat, low temperature, and a long cooking time. This allows for maximum softening of the connective tissues. Cuts with small amounts of connective tissue, such as steaks and chops, will maintain their tenderness when cooked using dry heat, high temperature and a fast cooking time. Notice that cuts with longer cooking times and low temperatures come from areas of the animal used for movement, namely the shoulders and hind legs.

In addition to cooking properly, you could also consider marinating meat cuts to improve tenderness. Marinades use weak acids to help tenderize the surface of the meat cut. These weak acids often come from products such as vinegar, wine, lemon juice or tomatoes. Various spices are added to the marinating acid for flavor. However, according to “Meat Tenderness” from TheMeatWeEat.com, marinades will only penetrate about ¼” into the meat. More effective meat tenderizers use natural enzymes. These meat tenderizers are made from enzymes extracted from plants such as papaya, pineapple and figs.

If you don’t care for marinades, you might try a mechanical tenderizing method. This breaks or cuts the connective tissues and the muscle fibers and can be accomplished by chopping or pounding. Chopping tenderizes by piercing the meat with very small blades or needles. You can even purchase one of these needle tenderizers to use at home if you wish. Pounding meat with a meat mallet or hammer works by pounding spikes into the meat, which cuts up the muscle fibers and connective tissues.

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So, the next time you purchase a cut of meat for a meal, ask yourself where that cut came from on the animal and then be sure to use a proper cooking method. Don’t forget you can consider using a tenderizing method to help ensure that the meat will be tender, particularly with steaks and chops.

For more information on meat cuts, contact Melanie at the Penn State Extension office in Bedford County at 814-623-4800 or by email at meh7@psu.edu.

This article originally appeared on The Daily American: Tender or tough as shoe leather?