Pork is one of the most versatile meats and can be used with both bright, acidic ingredients as well as full-flavor seasonings and accompaniments.Pork, like chicken and beef, can be kept tender by cooking to rare or medium rare, but, according to conventional wisdom, must be cooked through.Learning how to tenderize pork will allow you to make delicious, tender dishes.The first step is to start cooking.
Step 1: You can use a meat mallet.
When the muscle fibers in the meat are long and intact, the cuts of pork are the toughest.If you want to tenderize the pork before cooking it, use a meat mallet to break up the muscle fibers.A heavy hammer or mallet with a spiked surface can be used to beat the meat.The goal is the same, bash or stab the meat to break up its muscles.You don't have to worry about it if you do not have a specialty tool.If you don't have a mallet, you can use an ordinary fork or bare hands to get the same effect.A more tender dish can be made by mashing the meat to break up the muscle fibers.
Step 2: It's a good way to use a tenderizing marinade.
Marinades add flavor to meat and make it more tender.To tenderize pork, your marinade needs to contain either an acid or a tenderizing enzyme.The tightly coiled proteins in meat are broken down by two types of chemicals.It's a bad idea to use too much of either of these substances because they can make meat squishy and tough.There are a lot of acids in pork marinade recipes.Red wine and soy sauce can be used as a pork marinade.If you want to avoid the toughening effect that can occur with strongly acidic marinades, you should use an acidic dairy product such as yogurt or buttermilk.Several fruits have tenderizing enzymes in them.Papaya and pineapple are both excellent tenderizing ingredients.It's important to remember that in high doses, the enzymes can work too well and produce too much meat.
Step 3: Don't eat the pork.
Lean cuts of pork, like loin chops, are well suited to Brining.Brining involves soaking your meat in salt water to make it moist and tender.Brines contain salt and water, but can also include other ingredients like apple cider and brown sugar.If you apply too much salt to your pork, it will give it a salty taste.Combine 1 gallon of water, salt, sugar, and black pepper in a large bowl and stir to make a brine.Put your pork in the bowl, cover it, and chill it.Optimal brining times depend on the type of pork you're cooking.Pork chops usually take 12 hours to a full day, whole pork loin roasts can take several days of brining, and tenderloin can be ready in as little as six hours.
Step 4: A commercial meat tenderizer can be used.
An artificial meat tenderizer can be used to tenderize pork.These meat-tenderizing substances can be powder or liquid.Papain, the natural meat-softening chemical found in papayas, is often the active ingredient in these tenderizers.It's important to remember that it is possible to get a piece of meat with an unpleasantly soft texture if you over-use the meat tenderizer.Don't apply meat tenderizer too much.Put water on the surface of your pork just before cooking, then sprinkle it liberally with meat tenderizer per pound of meat.To cook the meat, pierce it with a fork at intervals of 2 inch.Don't season your meat tenderizer with extra salt if it's labeled as "seasoned".
Step 5: Then bake it.
A wide variety of cooking methods can give juicy, tender pork results as long as they're done correctly.If you have thin cuts of pork like pork chops or sirloin, you may want to cook it quickly with high surface heat to give it a crisp exterior, then transfer it to less intense dry heat for the final cooking.You could sear your pork in a hot pan on the stove, then transfer it to the oven for the rest of its cooking time, or you could move the pork to a cooler area of the grill and close the lid.The indirect heat keeps pork tender and juicy.Using direct heat to cook your pork completely can lead to a tough, over-cooked piece of meat.A tender, evenly-cooked final product can be achieved if indirect heat from an oven or a closed grill gradually cooks the entire piece of meat.Since direct heat cooks the outside of your meat much quicker than the inside, you'll usually only need to cook for a minute or two per side.It takes about 20 minutes per pound for indirect heat to cook pork.
Step 6: The pork should be raised.
Braising is a sure-fire way to get a moist, tender piece of pork.Braising is a slow, high-moisture cooking method that involves placing the meat in a mixture of liquid and sometimes solid ingredients and allowing it to cook in the mixture for hours.Braising produces extremely moist, tender, and flavorful meat, so it's often the preferred method for cooking somewhat tougher cuts of pork, like shoulder cuts and country-style ribs.The liquid used for braising can be used as a sauce or gravy, which is handy for pork dishes served with rice or a similar side dish.You'll want to cook pork for about 30 minutes or so per pound, depending on the cut.Braising recipes often call for the meat to be seared or sauted to give it a crisp exterior.
Step 7: Smoke the pork.
Smoking is a very gradual, low-heat cooking method used to give many traditional barbecue dishes a distinct "smoky" flavor.Most smoking processes involve burning special types of wood in a closed container so that the meat is slowly cooked from the indirect heat.The wood gradually transfers its scent and flavor to the meat, leading to pork that is moist and juicy, but also has a unique taste that's hard to replicate with other cooking methods.Smoking is usually reserved for big pieces of meat that require long cooking times.There are social events like barbecues.Smoking is a delicate art form for which many professionals use expensive equipment.An ordinary barbecue grill can be used to accomplish it.There is a guide to smoking meat.
Step 8: Use a slow-cooker if you want to stew the pork.
The gradual, moist heat of a stew pot, pressure cooker, or slow cooker can give you pork so tender that you don't need a knife to eat it.The process of stewing involves cooking the meat for long periods of time at low heat while it's submerged in a mixture of liquid and solid ingredients.The meat in the stew is cut into small pieces so that it doesn't contain too much meat.This type of cooking can be used to cook tough pieces of pork or cuts with lots of tissue, like shoulder cuts and country-style ribs.Braising times for pork are comparable to stewing times.Slow cooker, like crock pots, etc.They are convenient for stewing.All you need to do is put your ingredients in the cooker, turn it on, and let it cook for several hours without any work from you.If you're using vegetables in your stew, they should be added late in the cooking process, as they cook much faster than pork.
Step 9: Allow the meat to rest after cooking.
Don't stop working if you're trying to get your pork to be tender and juicy.The rest period is one of the most important practices in keeping meat moist and tender.Allow your pork to sit undisturbed for 10 minutes after it's been removed from the heat.You can use a piece of foil to keep it warm.The meat is ready to be enjoyed once it has had time to rest.The meat is less tender and moist after being cut.When you cook a piece of meat like pork, a lot of the meat's internal moisture is "squeezed" out.Give the meat a short rest after cooking.If you cut into a piece of meat that's hot off the grill, you'll see lots of juice immediately run out of the meat, but if you give it a chance to rest first, less juice spills out.
Step 10: The meat needs to be cut against the grain.
You should take the way you cut it into account if you're trying to get tender pork.Thin slices of pork against the grain will give you the most tender results.If you see the cross-sections of individual fibers in the meat, you know you're cutting against the grain.One last time before the meat is eaten, the muscle fibers are broken by cutting against the grain.You will never be sorry for taking this small extra precautions.The meat will be so soft that you won't need to cut it against the grain.For big, thick cuts of pork that have been cooked on the grill or in the oven, you will want to cut against the grain to get your pork as tender as possible before serving it.
Step 11: Pick a part of the body.
The word "loin" doesn't mean the same thing as it does for humans when it comes to pork terminology.The loin is a long strip of meat that runs the length of the pig's back.Cuts of meat from the loin are some of the leanest, most tender cuts on the pig, so they're an excellent choice not only for those looking for soft, juicy pork, but also for a nutrition source.There are some common loin cuts.
Step 12: The cut to pick is the tenderloin.
The most tender pork of all is produced by the tenderloin, a small subsection of the pig's loin.The tenderloin is a long, narrow, lean strip of muscle running along the insides of the animal's ribs.It is one of the most expensive cuts of pork because it is juicy, tender, and lean.In a wrapped-up "roast" it is often sold on its own.
Step 13: Pick a rib.
A pig's rib cage extends from its spine down to the edges of its belly and offers a variety of delicious, meaty cuts that vary in texture and flavor.Rib cuts from the top of the rib cage are similar to loin meat in that they are lean, juicy, and tender.The lower parts of the ribs are usually fattier and require longer cooking times to reach the perfect level of tenderness.Baby back ribs and Country-style ribs are included.
Step 14: Pick pork belly.
Pork belly is a cut of meat that is taken from the area over a pig's stomach.Pork belly is often eaten with bacon, which are thin slices of the meat.Pork belly can be tender and juicy if you cook it long in the oven or on the grill.Pork belly isn't sold at standard chain grocery stores.To get a suitable cut of pork belly for your cooking project, you may need to visit a butcher or specialty grocery store.
Step 15: If you're willing to slow- cook, choose tougher cuts.
The most tender cuts of pork can be expensive.If you're shopping on a budget, you don't need to break the bank to get tender pork.The cheaper cuts from the pig's shoulder region can be made mouth-wateringly tender with slow, low-heat cooking methods.Some cheap cuts of meat can be made tender if cooked correctly.
Step 16: Pick cuts that are not common.
If you're willing to experiment, there are certain parts of the pig that offer tender, juicy pork dishes.These cuts are usually central to older recipes or traditional cooking styles in modern Western cuisine.Talk to your butcher if you want to get your hands on specialty cuts.There are a few non-conventional pork cuts that can be made tender.