I'm a Type-O caveman who just really needs and likes meat. [Vegetarians may wish to skip this thread altogether. Please scold only if you never ever wear a stitch of leather. ]

But I'm no chef, and am just learning at 45 how to prepare food for myself. Selecting meat from the store and preparing it is new to me.

I'm really learning that the price you pay-- and the cut you select--- is no guarantee of tenderness.


I've paid $15 for New York Strips and Top Sirloins that were chewy and leathery... And I've spent $4.00 on little flat round steaks that were very tender and tasty.

I thought "cut" and "price spent" was a good indicator of what you were in for on your dinner table.

It seems not...?

Well, I grew up on a farm that raised beef cattle and don't laugh here, but in high school, I was a member of the Future Farmers of America and participated in meats judging contests (actually I placed in the top three several times, kicking some boys' rumps). I think that a lot of it comes down to the breed of beef. English breeds, Herefords and Angus, make the tastiest steaks, IHMO. There are still lots of small producers in the cattle industry. Herd quality varies a lot. Most larger, experienced cattlemen I know have gone back to English and English cross-herds, raising the quality of their product. But there are still lots of folks out there raising calves bought from dairies (makes terrible beef IMO), and remnants out there of 1980's style herds with larger, boney, less marbled European breeds like Charolais, Simmental, and Gelbvieh, just to name a few.

You hear alot about grass-fed beef these days, but I just don't think it compares to corn-fed in terms of taste, tenderness, and marbling. Modern beef cattle have been selected to be grain-fed and the meat won't be the same if it's grass-fed. I don't have much experience with some of the heritage breeds that you see more of these days. Obscure breeds like Belted Galloway, South Devon, and others probably do lend themselves better to grass-feeding. But you will only find that beef in specialty stores, and places like Whole Foods.

I don't have to buy much beef, as my parents keep us supplied, but when I do, I look at marbling--are there little veins of fat running throughout the beef? Avoid steaks with a thick layer of fat around the outside, but no marbling throughout. Color is important too--is it bright cherry red? Deep dark red indicates an older animal or stress prior to processing, both signs of tougher meet. Brown color is not inherently bad--true "aged-beef" is brownish in color. I'm not personally a fan of aged beef, even though the best steakhouses charge a bundle for it. Or brown can just mean that the meat wasn't handled properly after cutting or that it is close to its sell-by date! Not sure if I answered your questions--but I love to talk farming!

Flowergirl gives good advise about selection. And Ras I think we all share your experiences with not so tender cuts, though the rib eye and the filet mignon of beef should always be tender (and I'd march cold cooked stuff right back to the store for my $$ back if these cuts are tough and hard to chew).
Now for marinating the not so tender cuts like skirt and round and some of the other alternative smaller pieces which can be made suitable for a saute broil or grill. You can brine with salt. This adds little flavour and allows the full taste of the beef to shine. I'm assuming you're cooking for yourself so we'll estimate a pound of meat. Use 1/2 C salt to 2 C water and pour everything over the meat. Let it sit overnight in the fridge. Prepare the following day.
Acids are a good marinade, but remember that lemon juice, vinegar and wine will begin a chemical reaction which is much like digestion so the meat may begin to look somewhat disintrigrated on top if left for 24 hrs. But, in my opinion, I like the acids and use a mixture of wine or vinegar or lemonjuice (1/2C), as well as a fruit juice like orange, or pineapple or peach (try to stay away from grape or heavily colored juices as these will affect appearance) 1/2C. I like sweet marinades so I add either molasses, or brown sugar, or maple syrup or plain sugar (1/4C down to a tsp per taste).
Now, for the seasonings herbs and spices. These add to the tenderizing effect if allowed to sit for a few hrs.
Use any combination of garlic powder (1/4 tsp), rosemary, black or red pepper (to taste), paprika, basil, thyme (a tsp of dried each and use as many different kinds as you chose. Use your imagination and think about your preferences to possibly add terriaki sauce, soy sauce, oyster sauce, some barbeque sauce...about 1/4C if you chose.
Now add enough water to assure the meat is covered. Place in fridge for at least 2 hrs and up to 5 hrs. Remember the longer the acids sit on the meat the more "digested" will the texture become.
It's hard to ruin a marinade Ras. Use your imagination and bon appitite!

I forgot the old fashioned way. A wood mallet and pound away. Final result is tender if you pound enough.

I can't remember ever having to tenderize a steak, and I've been grilling for 10 years now. I look for marbling - the more you see, the better. Best case, I buy the day before I grill, apply salt and pepper liberally to both sides and then leave in the fridge uncovered until grilling time.

Grilling time: set the steaks out about an hour before grill is ready - grill to roughly medium-rare, flipping only once, in a covered grill. Once close to done (we prefer med-rare) - remove from grill and tent with foil. After 10-15 minutes, you're good to go.

(I have no idea how to tenderize meat, but as a very infrequent meat eater, yet studier and applier of most of the blood type regimen principles, I'd like to pop in and say hello, Rasputin! I'm an O, and said principles are among the reasons for which I eat meat about twice a month. And back to the cooking tips.)

Imatch pretty much covered everything to do with tough cuts and I am glad she brought up brining. I grew up with eating mostly brined meats and was quite shocked the first time I tried meat which had not been brined. In addition to the brining I also grew accostomed to wine in pretty much everything as well , works a charm as do beer and lemon juice.

Does the brine make the meat salty? The tips have been great.

Actually I brine with chicken and pork - white meats that take a while on the grill. For quicker cooking cuts I just apply salt liberally. for smoked meats such as brisket, I salt in advance, then apply a mop with a spray bottle every time I see a dry spot on the crust of the meat.

It's a dilution , so if you find you can taste too much salt , use less , what it does though is enhance the meat's flavour (should not make the meat actually taste overly salty as a rule), or at least alters it in a way that those who are used to brining cannot do without.

oy - double post.

yes, brining makes the meat salty, BTW. But - more importantly - it soaks in more water so the meat dries out a bit less quickly.

Yes, I would not like to eat meat three times a day... as some recent diets have suggested.... but a few times a month is de rigueur for me...