If you’re in a hurry, grab a fork—but do it right. Use a Jaccard tenderizer (a gadget with tiny blades) or just a clean fork to poke holes all over the steak. This breaks up the fibers and creates little channels for marinade to sneak into. It’s a little unhinged-looking, like you’re performing surgery on dinner, but it works. Just don’t overdo it, or you’ll turn the steak into a colander.
How To Make Meat Very Tender
But What If You Mess Up?
Don’t panic. Even if you forget to tenderize, you can salvage a tough round steak by slicing it against the grain. That means you cut perpendicular to the lines of muscle fiber, not along them. It’s the difference between biting into a rope and biting into a puzzle that falls apart easily. I once served a round steak that I forgot to marinate, sliced it wrong, and my dog gave me the side-eye for an hour.
