Beef tips can make for a tasty and protein-packed meal. However, cheaper cuts of meat used for beef tips tend to be less tender. If you don’t tenderize them properly, your beef tips may end up chewy and tough.
The good news is there are several easy methods you can use to turn budget-friendly beef tips melt-in-your-mouth tender. With a few simple preparation techniques, you can enjoy fork-tender beef tips that are juicy, succulent, and packed with flavor.
Why Tenderizing Beef Tips is Important
Beef tips are usually cut from relatively inexpensive, tough cuts of beef like the chuck or round These areas get a lot of exercise on the cow, so the meat contains more connective tissue. This collagen is what makes the meat chewy.
Tenderizing helps break down those tough muscle fibers and connective tissues It allows seasonings and marinades to better penetrate the meat as well. The end result is a more tender piece of beef with a meatier, more pronounced flavor.
Don’t be intimidated. Tenderizing beef tips is easy. With just 10-15 minutes of hands-on time, you can transform a cheap cut of meat into a melt-in-your-mouth meal the whole family will love.
Mechanical Tenderizing Techniques
Mechanical tenderizing techniques use physical force to break up the tough muscle fibers and connective tissues in beef tips. Here are some of the most effective mechanical methods:
Pound the Beef Tips
One of the easiest ways to tenderize beef tips is to pound them with a meat mallet or tenderizer hammer. Place the beef tips between two sheets of plastic wrap or wax paper. Use the mallet to flatten and tenderize the meat.
Pounding helps break down the long muscle fibers as well as the connective tissue. It also has the benefit of thinning out the meat so it cooks faster.
Spend two to three minutes pounding each side of the beef tips. Focus your efforts on the thicker, meatier parts.
Pierce the Meat
Using a fork or knife, pierce the beef tips multiple times. Aim for making holes every quarter inch.
Piercing breaks up some of the tough muscle tissues, allowing seasonings to penetrate for enhanced flavor. It also lets heat reach the interior faster for more even cooking.
Try a Jaccard Meat Tenderizer
A Jaccard meat tenderizer is a handheld tool with dozens of tiny blades. When pressed into the meat, it cuts through the connective tissues to break them down.
Use the tool to prick the beef tips every quarter inch or so. Apply enough pressure so the blades sink about 1/4 inch into the meat.
Jaccard tenderizers work exceptionally well to turn beef tips tender. They are inexpensive and available online or at most kitchen supply stores.
Marinades and Rubs
Marinating beef tips is an easy, hands-off way to tenderize them. The acidic ingredients help break down muscle fibers while the seasonings add big flavor. Here are some top marinade ideas:
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Yogurt marinade – Mix plain yogurt with lemon juice, garlic, and your favorite spices. The enzymes in yogurt act as a natural tenderizer.
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Vinegar marinade – Apple cider or red wine vinegar give beef tips a tenderizing acid bath.
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Fruit puree marinade – Blend pineapple, papaya, kiwi or mango for a tropical zing. These fruits contain enzymes that tenderize meat.
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Buttermilk soak – Submerge beef tips in buttermilk for a few hours before cooking. The lactic acid tenderizes the meat.
You can also use dry rubs spiked with salt or acidic ingredients like citrus zest to improve tenderness. Coat beef tips in the rub and let them sit for 30 minutes up to overnight before cooking. The salt and acid will relax the muscle fibers.
Low, Slow Cooking
Cooking beef tips low and slow is a foolproof way to tenderize them. Methods like braising, stewing, or cooking in a slow cooker break down the tough connective tissues and collagen naturally found in the meat.
For braised beef tips, brown the meat first to develop flavor. Then simmer gently in broth or wine until fork tender – usually 1-3 hours.
With a slow cooker, you can let time do the work for you. Add beef tips and seasonings in the morning. Come dinner time 8-10 hours later you’ll have fork-tender beef tips ready to enjoy.
Finishing Touches for Tender Beef Tips
Use these extra tricks at the end of cooking to help ensure tender beef tips:
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Let the cooked beef tips rest for 5-10 minutes before slicing. This allows juices to redistribute so meat stays moist.
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Slice beef tips across the grain. Cutting across the muscle fibers shortens them so meat is tender.
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Add a flavorful sauce like gravy or au jus to keep beef tips juicy.
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If beef tips are still chewy, cut into smaller pieces before serving. Smaller pieces seem more tender.
Don’t Overcook Beef Tips
Nothing ruins beef tips like overcooking them. It causes the meat to dry out, toughening those connective tissues you worked so hard to break down.
Use a digital instant read thermometer to check for doneness. For medium-rare beef tips, pull them off the heat at 135°F. Bump up the temperature to 160°F if you prefer them more well done.
Also make sure to trim excess fat from beef tips before cooking. The fat can make them take longer to cook, increasing the chances of overcooking.
Putting it All Together
For tender beef tips every time, a combination tenderizing approach works wonders:
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Start with 1-1 1⁄2 pounds beef tips patted dry
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Use a Jaccard tool or pierce meat all over with a fork
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Coat with a marinade or dry rub. Refrigerate for 1-8 hours.
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Cook low and slow via braising, stewing, or slow cooking
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Check temperature and stop cooking at 135°F for medium rare doneness
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Let rest 5 minutes then slice against the grain
With these simple tricks, you can turn a cheap, tough cut of meat into fork-tender perfection. Tender beef tips pair well with so many meals. Try them in stews, on skewers, or stuffed into peppers or sandwiches.
How to cook tenderised beef
Tenderised beef can be stir fried the traditional way – hard and fast on a hot stove in mere minutes – or even deep or shallow fried in oil like in this Crispy Mongolian Beef (pictured below).
Whichever way you cook it, the beef comes out much more tender and juicy than even expensive cuts of beef like beef tenderloin!
The flavour of the beef is not affected by the tenderising. So the beef flavour will only be as good as the cut you use.
Tenderising affects the texture not the flavour of the beef. It has a “velvety” texture. The fibres are softened so you get less “meaty” texture, which is why I only use this technique to tenderise strips of meat and not cubes or steaks which would be a bit too eerie!
Tenderising beef enables you to make fast-cook beef recipes using economical cuts of beef that usually require slow cooking to break down the tough fibres, like in Stews. And it stays tender even if you overcook the beef!
How to tenderise beef – easily!
There are a few methods, but this is the easiest way:
- Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts
- Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes
- Rinse, pat off excess water
- Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain. The beef will be really tender and soft, “velvet’ like. Just like in stir fries made by your favourite Chinese restaurant!
Other tenderising methods include marinating in a cornflour/cornstarch sludge then frying in oil before using in the stir fry, chemical tenderisers and egg white marinates. The baking soda method is the simplest for every day purposes and just as effective which is why it’s the method I use.
DON’T put baking soda in beef marinade – The RIGHT way to tenderize beef for stir fries
FAQ
How to cook beef tips to be tender?
Pour 2 cups water, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce into the skillet. Stir in garlic powder, salt, and pepper; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, cover, and simmer until meat is tender, 1 1/2 to 2 hours.
How do you make beef so soft and tender?
- Sprinkle 3/4 tsp baking soda (bi-carbonate soda) on 250g / 8oz sliced economical beef cuts.
- Toss with fingers, leave for 30 minutes.
- Rinse, pat off excess water.
- Proceed with stir fry recipe. It can be marinated with wet or dry seasonings, or cooked plain.
What is the best tenderizer for steak tips?
Regular or apple cider vinegar, wine or beer, lemon or lime juice, buttermilk or yogurt contain tenderizing acids. As well as acid, enzymes found in fruits like pineapple, kiwi, mangoes, and papaya disrupt the molecular structure of meat’s connective tissue.
How do I make beef tips tender?
Choose the right cut of beef for tender beef tips. Opt for tender cuts such as sirloin, tenderloin, or flank steak. To tenderize the meat, use a meat mallet or a meat tenderizer tool to break down the muscle fibers and connective tissues.
How do you tenderize meat?
Experimenting with these techniques will allow you to transform ordinary cuts of meat into tender, succulent dishes fit for any occasion. Marinades and dry rubs are excellent tools for tenderizing meat, infusing it with flavor and enhancing its texture.
Should you tenderize a less expensive cut of beef?
Some cuts of beef can be very tough, especially if you prefer your meat well done. If you don’t want to shell out a lot of money for a more expensive cut of meat, you can tenderize a less expensive cut to make it more palatable.
How do you tenderize steak?
Tenderizing is the process of making meat more tender by breaking down the connective tissue. You can tenderize steak in several different ways, including pounding, marinating, and slow cooking, among others.
How do you tenderize beef if you don’t have tools?
Cook tenderized beef quickly over high heat such as grilling or stir-frying. Slice beef across the grain after cooking for the most tender bite. Don’t overcook! Cook to medium rare or medium for most tender results. What if I don’t have any tools to tenderize meat? You can still tenderize without any tools!
How long does it take to tenderize beef?
Simply soaking beef in an acidic marinade, scoring with a knife, or massaging oil into the meat will all help tenderize it. How long does it take to tenderize meat? Most no-tool tenderizing techniques require 15-60 minutes. Marinating for 1-2 hours gives time for acids to work into the meat. Enzyme pastes may tenderize in as little as 15 minutes.