Does high heat make meat tough? (2023)

Does high heat make meat tough?

Various proteins in meat fibers coagulate over a range of temperatures from 105 F/40 C to 195 F /90 C‹temperatures that are far below boiling point (212 °F/100 °C). The higher the cooking temperature, the tougher the muscle fibers become, and the more they shrink in both length and width.

09.09. 2019• Meat Tip Monday

High heat causes browning, which is the process of partially cooking the surface of meat to remove excess fat, give the meat an appetizing brown color, and most importantly, to create a tremendous amount of flavor.

The more a muscle is used, the stronger, and therefore tougher, the cut of meat will be. And the longer meat is cooked, the more liquid it loses and the tougher it becomes.

Additionally, overcooking meat, even meat that comes from the more tender muscles, can make it tough. That's because heat causes the proteins in the meat to firm up. Overcooking also basically squeezes the moisture out of the meat, making it dry as well as tough.

At 160°F, connective tissue begins to liquefy. Proteins repel the water and constrict causing them to get closer together and grow stronger. This is what gives well-done meat it's tough and dry texture.

Is Chewy Steak Overcooked Or Undercooked? Both. Tough and chewy steak may be the result of undercooking naturally tough meat or overcooking tender steak to the point of dryness. Cooking steak to the right temperature is essential to making a tender juicy meal.

At 120°F (48.9°C) meat slowly begins to tenderize as the protein myosin begins to coagulate and the connective tissue in the meat begins to break down. This also causes the meat to firm up as the protein contracts. As the temperature increases so does the speed of tenderization.

The lower the heat and the longer you cook your meat the more beneficial it is for the meat's interior. You are retaining more juices, more flavour and more of its weight (hence less shrinkage) compared to cooking it on a higher heat. Next time you are grilling or panfrying steaks follow the above strategy.

Cook It Slowly

This is certainly true when it comes to notoriously tough cuts of meat like beef brisket and pork shoulder. Cooking these cuts of meat slowly, either by braising, stewing or grill roasting, is the best way to get these tasty cuts of meat meltingly tender.

Tenderizing Technologies

Meat tenderness depends on three main factors: (1) the degree of contraction of muscle sarcomeres, (2) the integrity/degradation of the myofibrillar structure and (3) the connective tissue content (“background toughness”) (Koohmaraie et al., 2002; Sentandreu et al., 2002).

How do you make tough meat?

Yes, there are scientific reasons to back up the fact that slow cooked meat is better. Tenderness in meat comes from the melting of collagen – the connective tissue protein present in meat. When collagen melts, it turns into gelatin, a rich liquid that gives meat a lot of flavour as well as a silky texture.

If the steak is left on high heat for the whole cooking time, the crust would burn and create a bitter taste, and possibly be carcinogenic. Moving the steak to the cooler (medium) side of the grill maintains the flavor and crust, while allowing the steak to cook to the desired doneness without burning.

Steaks should always be cooked on high temperatures to sear the outside and trap the juices and flavor inside. Steaks should almost always be cooked on a grill or in a pan on high heat: all cooking guidelines below are for one-inch thick steaks. Rest your steak for five minutes under aluminum foil before eating.

(It will get tough.) After browning the meat and adding liquids, bring to a light simmer then reduce the heat so that it is just bubbling every now and then. This will give you the most tender meat; true, hard boiling will make meat stringy and tough.

The goal for perfectly tender beef is an internal temp of 205F degrees. If you don't have a thermometer, use a fork. You'll know it's ready when the meat falls apart as you pierce it. If it feels tight, keep cooking it, until it's tender.

Connective tissue is much chewier than muscle tissue, so more collagen means tougher meat. Even if you don't know what part of the animal a cut comes from, you can use visual cues such as muscle grain, marbling, and connective tissue content to determine its collagen content.

How to fix a chewy steak. If your steak is chewy due to undercooking, all you need to do is throw it back on the grill and allow it to reach an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit (via Livestrong).

Does overcooking meat make it chewy?

Your overcooked steak is tough and chewy because of a lack of its natural liquid and fat, so here are some ways to infuse liquids and fats into your steak. Covering your overcooked steak with a thick sauce or gravy will help balance out the dryness and make up for its lack of flavor. Preferably, the sauce is also warm.

The first is to submerge meat in cooking oil (sunflower or olive oil) before you start cooking. The oil is absorbed and softens the meat. The second method is to add some vinegar while you're cooking and the vinegar will begin to tenderise the meat.

Your meat will be juicier and more tender

The longer cooking time and the low heat complement each other perfectly. As a result, even though the meat is cooked for far longer, it doesn't dry out because the temperature is low. As a result, this is the best way to retain all the natural juices of the meat.

The purpose of high temperature cooking is to activate the Maillard reaction. It is a chemical reaction that occurs when you hit 285 degrees F (140 degrees C) when cooking. You can maintain this chemical reaction between the temperature of 285 F (140 C) to 320 F (160 C).

COOK.

Did you know that the bacteria that cause food poisoning multiply quickest in the "Danger Zone," the temperatures between 40 and 140 °F (4.4 and 60 °C)? To destroy harmful bacteria, cook ground beef to a safe minimum internal temperature of 160 °F (71.1 °C) as measured with a food thermometer.

Cooking to a high temperature breaks down the connective tissue in the meat, leading to a moister, more tender finish. A steak, however, has less connective tissue, so overcooking it just makes it dry and tough.

Velveting is a simple process of using baking soda or a mixture of egg whites, cornstarch and oil to marinate and tenderize economical cuts of steak, chicken and other meats before cooking. Velveting meat softens fibers to reduce toughness and enhance juiciness for maximum flavor and tenderness.

Most fine restaurants age their beef to intensify the flavor and improve the tenderness of the cut. Aging is done by letting the meat sit (in very controlled conditions) for several days or weeks.

Cooking to a high temperature breaks down the connective tissue in the meat, leading to a moister, more tender finish. A steak, however, has less connective tissue, so overcooking it just makes it dry and tough.

How do you tenderize the toughest meat?

Steaks should always be cooked on high temperatures to sear the outside and trap the juices and flavor inside. Steaks should almost always be cooked on a grill or in a pan on high heat: all cooking guidelines below are for one-inch thick steaks. Rest your steak for five minutes under aluminum foil before eating.

Why is meat still tough in the slow cooker? It's because you haven't let the collagen break down. Extend the cook time, make sure there's enough liquid and keep an eye on the dish.

When roasted, the collagen and connective tissue present in meat will start to break down. It will melt more thoroughly if slow-roasted, and if you add liquid, it will break down even more quickly as it's water soluble.

The moist heat they provide softens the connective tissue that binds the muscle fibers in the meat, helping it to fall apart more easily. And when the heat is kept low, as it is in slow cooking, the proteins in the muscle are less likely to overcook, so the meat stays moist as well as tender.