Have you ever wondered how to tenderize a tough cut of beef?

Let me present a scenario. Suppose you want to prepare a stir-fried dish but don’t have high-quality beef in your refrigerator. Instead, you find a tough cut of beef shank left over from making your curry. Is there a way to transform it into tender beef?

This is actually what chefs in Chinese restaurants often do. To balance cost and quality, they use methods to tenderize cheaper cuts of beef for stir fry. One common technique involves baking soda, which you may already know. However, there are specific nuances to this method that I use, and you might pick up a few tips that are helpful to you.

This method involves a few steps: First, add the baking soda to the beef, then wash it thoroughly. After that, marinate it with light soy sauce or any acidic seasoning. Next, coat the beef slices with egg whites, cornstarch, and vegetable oil. 

If you follow these steps closely, you can transform a tough cut of beef shank into tender, smooth slices perfect for stir-frying. Here are the detailed steps.

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1. Tenderize the meat with baking soda

First, remove the beef’s thick connective tissue (silver skin), as it is too tough to eat. Next, cut the meat into thin slices across the grain. When preparing the beef for stir-frying, avoid cutting it paper thin, as it may break into small pieces during cooking. The ideal thickness should be around 2 mm.

Add the baking soda to marinate the beef slices. A general guideline is to use one teaspoon of baking soda for every pound of beef. So, if you have two pounds (about one kilogram) of meat, you need to double the amount of baking soda.

Please do not add the baking soda directly to the beef slices, as it will not be well distributed. Instead, mix two to three teaspoons of cold water with the baking soda to create a solution. After that, thoroughly mix the baking soda solution with the beef slices and set it aside for about 20 to 30 minutes to allow it to work its magic. The alkalinity of the baking soda helps break down the connective tissue by going through a chemical reaction, making the beef much more tender.

After marinating, it is crucial to rinse the beef slices thoroughly with plenty of water. Any remaining baking soda can leave an unpleasant metallic taste. I usually use a large basin or pot to rinse the beef, changing the water several times until it runs clear and without blood.

Next, squeeze out as much water as possible from the beef and transfer it to a dry kitchen cloth or paper towel to keep it as dry as possible. This is because we will marinate the meat with liquid seasonings later. If the beef is too wet, the flavor will be diluted, making the marination less effective.

2. Marinate the beef with acidic ingredients

Now, let’s marinate the beef with the seasonings. Many of the seasonings used in Chinese cooking are liquid. The most notable is light soy sauce, which I often use when marinating beef because it is slightly acidic. This low pH helps denature the proteins and break down the long chains of fibers into shorter chains, thus further tenderizing the beef.

Of course, you can also use other acidic marinade for this purpose, such as lemon juice, vinegar, or citrus juice.

Besides light soy sauce, other common ingredients for marinating beef include salt, ground white pepper, rice wine, and sesame oil. You can also consider adding ginger juice and sugar.

Set the beef aside and let it marinate for another 10 to 15 minutes before moving on to the next step.

3. Coat the beef with egg white, cornstarch, and vegetable oil

The final step to preparing perfect beef slices for stir-frying is to coat them with egg whites, cornstarch, and vegetable oil.

I use half an egg white for every pound of beef. Egg whites are slightly alkaline, with a pH between 7 and 8, which helps tenderize the meat. At the same time, they seal in the moisture and protect the beef from the heat of the hot oil during frying. Thus, egg whites serve two functions: they prevent the meat from drying out and tenderize it.

Cornstarch is another essential ingredient for achieving tender stir-fried beef. Coating the beef with cornstarch helps to retain moisture while cooking, resulting in a silky texture after stir-frying.

The final step is to add vegetable oil to the beef. You might wonder why this is necessary since we will stir-fry the meat in oil anyway. Although this may seem redundant, it plays a vital role. The oil is a flavor carrier, helping the fat-soluble seasonings penetrate the meat more effectively. Therefore, it is not redundant. Instead, it enhances flavor and helps prevent the meat from drying out while it rests on the table before cooking.

Are there any other methods to tenderize the beef?

The method described above is useful for beef slices intended for stir-frying. However, if you’re working with a whole block of beef or prefer not to cut it into slices, there are several alternative methods for tenderizing the meat. Here’s a summary of those methods:

• One of the simplest ways to tenderize a block of beef is to mechanically break down the meat using a meat mallet or the spine of a cleaver. This process helps disconnect the tough muscle fibers, resulting in a more tender piece of beef.
• If you do not like the baking soda method, you can achieve similar results with a store-bought meat tenderizer. These products are made with enzymes such as bromelain (derived from pineapple) or papain (from papayas). Since bromelain comes from pineapple, adding pineapple juice to your beef can also help tenderize it. These plant-based tenderizers are safe to consume. However, some meat tenderizers contain added salt, so consider this when salting your beef.
• The wet brine technique is another effective method for tenderizing a beef block. Soaking the beef in saltwater allows water to move into the meat through osmosis. This process increases the moisture content of the beef, making it juicier and more tender.
• Another method is dry brining. Dry brine involves adding salt to the surface of the meat. Initially, a small amount of liquid is drawn from the beef to the surface. Over time, this liquid dissolves the salt, forming a concentrated salt solution that is eventually reabsorbed into the meat. This process allows the salt to penetrate deeply, seasoning the meat while also helping to denature the proteins and tenderize meat.

Summary

The steps above describe the standard method for tenderizing beef commonly used in Chinese restaurants for stir-frying. While it may seem complex initially, it’s fairly simple once you try it. Below is a summary of the essential steps for your reference.

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How to Tenderize Beef for Stir-frying

Yield: 2 serving oif beef sir-fry

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Marinating Time: 30 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

A proven method restaurant chefs use to tenderize beef, making every tough cut suitable for stir-frying. The method works for all types of meat.

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Ingredients

• 1 pound beef shank (or other tougher cuts)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp light soy sauce
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tsp sesame oil
• 1/4 tsp ground white pepper
• 1/2 egg white
• 1.5 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp vegetable oil

Instructions

1. Remove any tough connective tissue (the silver skin) from the beef.
2. Cut the beef into slices across the grain.
3. Mix 1 teaspoon of baking soda in a small bowl with 2 teaspoons of water until well combined. Thoroughly combine the baking soda solution with the beef slices. Let the beef sit for 30 minutes, allowing the baking soda to tenderize the meat.
4. After 30 minutes, wash the beef slices under plenty of running water to remove all traces of baking soda.
5. Squeeze out as much water as possible from the beef slices. Use paper towels or a dry kitchen cloth to pat them dry.
6. Season the beef slices with light soy sauce, salt, sesame oil, and ground white pepper.
7. Mix the egg white and cornstarch into the beef to ensure an even coating.
8. Lightly coat the beef slices with vegetable oil to enhance flavor and prevent sticking.
9. Allow the beef to marinate for at least 15 minutes before cooking. The beef slices are now ready for stir-frying.

Recommended Products

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  Arm & Hammer Baking Soda, Fridge-N-Freezer Pack, Odor Absorber, 14 oz - 2 Pack
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  Pre-Seasshioned Cast Iron Skillet 2-Piece Set (10-Inch and 12-Inch) Oven Safe Cookware - 2 Heat-Resistant Holders - Indoor and Outdoor Use - Grill, Stovetop, Induction Safe
• 
  OXO SoftWorks Meat Tenderizer

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 2 Serving Size: 1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 568Total Fat: 23gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 15gCholesterol: 177mgSodium: 1914mgCarbohydrates: 6gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 78g

This data was provided and calculated by Nutritionix on 1/1/2025