Why do they do this?

[timothy]

I remember back in the day my Mom used to buy cube steaks from the neighborhood butcher that was run thru a tenderizer.
But that was then and this is now, so why are they doing it, when you could do it yourself with no worries on cross contamination?
http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt...ender-steak-could-be-a-little-dangerous?sc=tw

Tim

 

[Len Dennis]

Indeed, why is the question. Top sirloin is one of my favourite cuts. I've never even considered "tenderizing" it. No need. I just don't know.

 

[Bob H.]

If people want to tenderize, they should do it themselves. People are like sheep sometimes though. "It must be good if it is already tenderized" .

 

[Clint]

I bought it a time or two and then bought a couple of meat hammers (rubber spiked tenderizing mallets) ~3 years ago when I had a little chicken-fried steak phase.



mmmmmmmmmm.............. chicken-fried steak

 

[DaveW]

As to why the stores tenderize, many people buy sirloin not because of taste/texture preference, but because it's usually the least expensive "steak" cut. At the same time, they want a really tender steak. So, some stores blade sirloin to make it more tender. Some restaurants do the same thing with a Jaccard.


BTW, the worry isn't about "cross contamination" coming from something else. Rather, it's about surface bacteria being driven down into the meat where it's shielded from the bacteria killing direct heat.