FollowAnd so this is the black pepper steak that I pan-fried last night. It was my first time pay-frying beef steaks. I had done my homework by googling on ways of tenderizing the meat (with salt for half hour) and how long to pan-fry on each side. I even used a timer to time the 2 minutes frying on each side and pounded the steak with the back of my kitchen chopper but… why was my steak still a tad tough? It was juicy and tasty and there was still a tinge of pink in the middle but the meat just ain’t tender. WHY???!
I covered my non-stick wok with the glass lid with steam hole that comes with it when frying my steak. Could this be the reason why the steak ain’t tender enough? Does covering the wok during cooking cause a higher temperature and I should then shorten the cooking time to only 1.5 minutes on each side of the steak? Did I make a mistake by covering the wok during cooking?
Why can’t the meat be tender and juicy like those expensive steaks from hotels and restaurants? Could it be that they use meat tenderizer? But I don’t like adulterating my food with food additives and chemicals. I read that citrus juice like lemon and orange and even papaya and pineapple can tenderize the meat but wouldn’t you think that the steak would taste kooky with a tinge of fruittiness in it?
Despite the steak having a tough texture (not rubbery texture), the kids loved it nonetheless. They commented that it would be nicer if the meat was more tender.
I still have 6 more slices of steaks in the freezer and I ain’t going to fry them until I find a fool-proof way to produce really nice, tender and juicy beef steaks. Does anyone have their juicy and tender steak secrets to share with me? Pretty please? :)))
Sherilyn’s big bowl of rice covered with dishes (and she topped up more four-angle beans and meat later. She also ate 1 hard-boiled egg but that’s not in the picture). After dinner, she chowed down a bowl of ice-cream with strawberries. She eats SO much it shocks me and I wonder where all the calories go to coz she is still so slim! Jealous!!
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I don’t pan fry but usually BBQ outside. I can tell you what I use. Use olive oil or any plain cooking oil with red wine vinegar. I imagine rice wine vinegar might work. For every tablespoon of oil, I would use a tsp of the vinegar. I also add a shake of worcestshire sauce and throw in garlic slices and pepper. Have used grated Asian pear to tenderize beef ribs. As well, pineapple skin, or pineapple juice. You’d be surprised you can’t taste any fruitiness. I know some people throw in a squashed kiwi fruit, with skin on, and remove before cooking.
Btw, there are many uses for red wine vinegar, in salad dressings for example. Have fun!
Thanks Chris for your handy tips! 🙂