How To BBQ Tender and Juicy Steaks Every Time - The Jaccard Meat Tenderizer!
Want tasty and tender steaks every time you BBQ but not sure you’re up to paying for those Prime beef rib-eyes for every weeknight cookout?
Well, here’s the answer you seek – an inexpensive gadget that is used by most steak houses to improve the tenderness and juiciness of steak – in effect, transforming OK steaks into good ones, and good steaks into great pieces of meat.
It’s called the Jaccard meat tenderizer. It’s simple to use and it doesn’t cost very much (in fact it’s a bargain if you factor in the money you’ll save by buying less expensive cuts of meats.)
How Does the Jaccard work?
When you press the Jaccard down onto a steak, a number or flat blades are pushed out from the bottom of the mechanism and into the meat. These blades are angled to cut neatly through lengthwise meat fibers. You simply press the Jaccard down all over the steak just prior to cooking to tenderize the meat. It only takes a few seconds to do it.
Why Does This Tenderize the Meat?
Long tough fibers of meat can be chewy. By slicing these fibers into shorter segments prior to cooking, the meat is easier to chew – it is more tender.
This physical tenderizing is similar to pounding with a meat hammer, but a meat hammer can break down fibers all through a piece of meat – which can lead to a mushier texture. The Jaccard leaves the exterior intact and cuts through meat fibers only in the interior.
Why is Jaccarded Meat More Juicy?
Meat juices are lost as the meat fibers contract during the cooking process.
A medium rare steak will always be juicier than a well done steak because the meat fibers have contracted far less.
In a jaccarded steak, the meat fibers are cut into shorter segments which reduces the contraction of these meat fibers in the cooking process. Less contraction equals a juicier steak.
Can You See the Holes?
You can’t see the difference between a Jaccarded steak and a non Jaccarded steak after the cooking is done. You will be able to taste the difference, however.
Recommendations?
Most steak house restaurants use the Jaccard
Alton Brown recommends the Jaccard in his TV program, “Good Eats”
Cautions?
Because you are introducing blades into the interior of the meat, and with it, potentially bacteria; and because the interior of a medium rare steak will not get hot enough to kill bacteria, you should:
- Make sure to disassemble the device and clean it well after each use
- Jaccard the meat only shortly before you plan to cook and eat it.
More Steak Secrets
- Steak house secrets. Make great steak at home every ...
BBQ season is thankfully here again, and it's hard to beat a great steak; but steak can also get pretty expensive, so you want to make sure that you're doing everything right to ensure that you get great... - How to cook a skirt steak. The fajita steak!
If you're determined to really make a great home fajita dinner, it's worth it to take the time to source a skirt steak. The skirt steak is a long primal cut from the belly of the cow, and is quite narrow,... - Cuts of steak explained. Which kind of steak is best...
A lot of people have trouble with meat. They like the idea of a great steak, and they have a general notion that the more expensive the steak, the better it isbut more than thatwho knows?! I didnt...