# Tough steak rescue
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645
**Category:** Cafe Society
**Created:** [September 14, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645 "2012-09-14T00:18:02Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@singular1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/singular1)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 12:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/1 "2012-09-14T00:18:02Z")
Mr. singular bought some thin cut T-bones, and they cook up tough enough to punch the cook and walk away. Any suggestions on how to salvage the remaining steaks?
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### Author:  [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 12:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/2 "2012-09-14T00:51:07Z")
Crock 'em. For several hours. Even the toughest stew meat is falling apart after a full day in the crock.
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 12:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/3 "2012-09-14T00:54:56Z")
You could try [this](http://steamykitchen.com/163-how-to-turn-cheap-choice-steaks-into-gucci-prime-steaks.html) technique that purports to turn so-so steak into great steak. It involves scads of salt, but you do rinse it off before cooking.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 1:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/4 "2012-09-14T01:51:43Z")
> [@Rachellelogram](#):
>
> Crock 'em. For several hours. Even the toughest stew meat is falling apart after a full day in the crock.
With steak meat, you’ll just get dry meat. It will not fall apart. It does haven’t the collagen content to do so.
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### Author:  [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/5 "2012-09-14T02:11:04Z")
Use it to help flavor your next batch of spaghetti sauce. Just lightly brown it, and let it simmer in the sauce for a few hours, then just toss it out if it’s too lean to fall to pieces.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/6 "2012-09-14T02:14:47Z")
Yeah, if you cleaver it to pieces or grind it, you should be able to resuce it in a spaghetti sauce or something similar.
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### Author:  [@not\_what\_you\_d\_expect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/not_what_you_d_expect)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/7 "2012-09-14T02:17:18Z")
Could you grind it into hamburger?
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### Author:  [@COGringo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/COGringo)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/8 "2012-09-14T02:22:28Z")
What about a marinade?
Have a latin market near you? Mojo Criollo. Marinade them overnight and cook them fast and high heat.
If you don’t have that, lemon juice, orange juice, chili powder, dab of vinegar, garlic.
About 4 hours. Again high heat flip it quick.
Charcoal even better.
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### Author:  [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/9 "2012-09-14T03:11:40Z")
I’d pound the steak a bit and pick some marinade for it. THat should tenderize it enough to make it edible. How well was the steak cooked? If it was well done then shoot for medium.
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### Author:  [@Alice\_The\_Goon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alice_The_Goon)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 3:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/10 "2012-09-14T03:22:49Z")
> [@Odesio](#):
>
> I’d pound the steak a bit and pick some marinade for it. THat should tenderize it enough to make it edible. How well was the steak cooked? If it was well done then shoot for medium.
If it was well done, then shoot… the cook.
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### Author:  [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 4:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/11 "2012-09-14T04:24:00Z")
Cut it into slivers suitable for stir frying, but instead simmer in a bit of water and Tex-Mex spices. When finally tender, make tacos.
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### Author:  [@MaltLiquor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MaltLiquor)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 5:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/12 "2012-09-14T05:40:19Z")
> [@pulykamell](#):
>
> With steak meat, you’ll just get dry meat. It will not fall apart. It does haven’t the collagen content to do so.
True, if you only crock for a few hours. Throw them in for 8 hours or more with some onion, Worcestershire, a bit of ketchup or any canned tomatoes you have on hand and maybe a bit of garlic or you can pressure cook for one or one and a half hours with the same (leave out the garlic it may burn,) and you will get what my mom used to call “swiss steak”. It was good, really good. Serve on mashed potatoes or make some scalloped potatoes.
Edit: re-reading I see your point **Pulykamell** , I swear that is what she did, maybe it was dry, but using either method you can end up with a whole mess of gravy so maybe that is why it didn’t seem dry.
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### Author:  [@D\_Odds](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/D_Odds)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 1:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/13 "2012-09-14T13:50:57Z")
I never understand why supermarkets cut their steaks so thin. They are so hard to cook that way. By the time one gets a decent crust, they are hockey pucks. Marinades generally do NOT tenderize meat, though a salty marinade doubles as a brine. A dry brine of salt helps, as it lets the meat retain more moisture so one notices it less when overcooked.
A thin layer of oil will help with the browning. A pan hot enough to melt the ‘One Ring’ and a very short cooking time also help. Lastly, a very cold steak allows it to remain in the pan just a little longer.
Personally, I would not use stewing/braising techniques on T-bones ever.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/14 "2012-09-14T13:58:03Z")
> [@MaltLiquor](#):
>
> Edit: re-reading I see your point **Pulykamell** , I swear that is what she did, maybe it was dry, but using either method you can end up with a whole mess of gravy so maybe that is why it didn’t seem dry.
It does seem not to bother a lot of people, so long as there’s a lot of gravy. Come to think of it, I am wrong about saying “it will not fall apart.” It will eventually get kind of crumbly or shreddy.
My mom did the same thing with certain steak cuts, pork loin, and chicken breast, and all those meats are terrible, in my opinion, slow cooked to a shredding stage. The are dry and stringy and no amount of gravy salvages that texture. But, like I said, this is a your-mileage-may-vary kind of thing.
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### Author:  [@pulykamell](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pulykamell)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/15 "2012-09-14T14:02:20Z")
> [@california\_jobcase](#):
>
> Cut it into slivers suitable for stir frying, but instead simmer in a bit of water and Tex-Mex spices. When finally tender, make tacos.
Actually, stir fry is a good suggestion. I’ll do that with cuts of sirloin steak. I’ve never tried it on T-Bone, but it should work fine. I would freeze it a little so its easier to slice it thin, and then cut against the grain into thin slivers. Only takes about a minute or two in the pan to cook. When I stir fry, I first cook the meat 90% done, take it out of the pan, then do the vegetables and fold the meat back in for the last minute or so of cooking.
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### Author:  [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 2:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/16 "2012-09-14T14:15:08Z")
Yeah, stir fry or stroganoff is the way I’d go. The toughness is probably the result of overcooking a steak that was just cut too thin to begin with. Cook very hot and very fast.
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### Author:  [@OtisCampbellWasRight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtisCampbellWasRight)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/17 "2012-09-14T18:33:34Z")
[quote=“D\_Odds, post:13, topic:634645”]
I never understand why supermarkets cut their steaks so thin. They are so hard to cook that way. QUOTE]
They do this because they want to sell what they have. If it were cut at the proper thickness to cook properly it would be heavier and thus more expensive, so people wouldn’t buy it. I guess they figure if you buy it cooking it is your problem. Just don’t buy it, or talk to the butchers behind the counter.
Sadly, this is why you see those pathetic little packages of “stir fry” beef. Cut so thin, that’s all it’s good for.
As others have suggested, marinade/dry rub/high heat/ minimum time in cooking pan or wok.
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### Author:  [@luvrbcs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/luvrbcs)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 6:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/18 "2012-09-14T18:34:39Z")
> [@MaltLiquor](#):
>
> True, if you only crock for a few hours. Throw them in for 8 hours or more with some onion, Worcestershire, a bit of ketchup or any canned tomatoes you have on hand and maybe a bit of garlic or you can pressure cook for one or one and a half hours with the same (leave out the garlic it may burn,) and you will get what my mom used to call “swiss steak”. It was good, really good. Serve on mashed potatoes or make some scalloped potatoes.
I don’t care how dry it is, Swiss Steak and Mashed Potatoes is one of my favorite meals!
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### Author:  [@ouryL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ouryL)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 10:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/19 "2012-09-14T22:03:02Z")
Worcestershire sauce
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### Author:  [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)
#### Post date: [September 14, 2012, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/tough-steak-rescue/634645/20 "2012-09-14T22:18:36Z")
Mash up a ripe papaya, and spread it over the staeks-12 hours and it will be as tender as butter.