Why Is My Ground Beef So Chewy? -

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Ground beef is often used in different dishes. For instance, if you prepared your ground beef, but it’s so chewy after it’s served, you might wonder why it is so chewy. Let’s find out in this article.

Your ground beef is so chewy because you fried it at a low (very low) temperature which made the beef absorb a lot of fat and stopped it from formulating a sufficient sear. It could be also be due to the overworking the beef.

However, if your ground beef is chewy after cooking it, you can still soften it by following a few processes.

Having known why your ground beef is so chewy, let’s find out how you can soften it in this article.

How do I soften my chewy ground beef?

Chewy ground beef can make you move your dish aside as you’d get tired of chewing. However, you can soften it by following a few steps. Below are steps to soften your chewy ground beef.

Step 1

If you have separated the ground beef from the pan, you’d have to put it back.

Step 2

Add the leftover broth or a little amount of water. You can also add lime to the meat.

Step 3

Let the meat simmer for about 3 minutes, you just need the moisture to permeate the meat and not overcook it, so, it should not be for a long period.

How do I stop my meat from being chewy?

If your goal is to make your meat tender and not chewy, you’d have to heed a few steps. We’d discuss each one after the other to make it easier for you to understand. Below are methods to stop your meat from being chewy.

Materials

Beef ( any kind of meat).
Salt.
Meat beater.
Fruits, vinegar, or wine.
Pan.
Tray.

Method 1: Use a meat beater

Put the meat on the tray and use the meat beater to beat it till the fibres break down. Ensure the meat beater moves from the inner part to the outer.

By doing this, the meat will look flat and soft. Although you can also use your hand; Beat the meat with the side of your hand using the same motion as described earlier.

Method 2: Sprinkle salt on the meat

If you want to make any dish with the use of cheap cuts, you can sprinkle salt on your meat to make it soft.

Ensure the meat is at least 4cm thickened to allow it to build an exterior rind to retain the inner cooking.

If you need to abolish too much humidity in your meat, put salt on both sides of the meat, and let it stay for 2 hours.

Doing this will eradicate any calories, fat, and so on in the meat. Then, rinse the meat with water before you start cooking it.

NB- The more you let your meat rest, the more it gets softer; however, you can only leave it for 24 hours.

Method 3: Vinegary marinate

If you are using cheap cuts, you can attempt the vinegary marinade with the use of vinegar, wine, or fruits to break down the fibres in the meat and make it softer while cooking.

Mix lime and vinegar in a bowl big enough to size your meat, put the meat in the mixture and let it marinate till the next day.

NB- Do not marinate at room temperature. Marinate in the freezer since the mixture would add flavour to the meat. Try this when making a sauce (tomato).

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Method 4: Use any kind of fruit purée to marinate

Enzymes usually fasten up the softening cycle of meat, because it’s a form of molecules. I know I said any kind of fruit, the best to use are the ones with soured taste. In this case, they will act like acid. Fruits like pineapple, kiwis, and so on will do the trick.

However, it is more advisable to use kiwis as they do not add too much flavour, unlike pineapple which mushes the meat if it is left for a long period.

Grind the fruit to a purée form, then, put the meat in a ceramic bowl. Put two tablespoons of purée in the meat. Cover the bowl with foil, and marinate for some hours, not more than a day.

Method 5: Cook slowly with the use of a pan

This method is for those of you that spend a lot of time cooking. Put the meat in a pan, and cook slowly with low heat.

When you cook slowly, the tissue holding the fibres will melt easily to make it pleasant to eat. However, to stop the meat from drying, you can use water or broth to wet the meat while it’s cooking.

Method 6: Grill the meat

Not to worry, this doesn’t sound off. Grilling also makes meat soft and not chewy, not just that, it makes it juicy with a smoky pleasant aroma.

This cooking method is suitable for meat or beef with greases and steaks. The fats would be melted to make your dish lighter.

Also, you would not need to add other fat contents while grilling, because a little bit of fat would still be in the meat after grilling.

How do I make juicy ground beef?

To make juicy ground beef, it is advisable to use lean ground beef as you don’t want a lot of fat in your recipe. You can serve this recipe with any side dishes.

However, to make your juicy beef, you need to heed a few steps. Below are the materials, ingredients, and steps to make juicy ground beef.

Material

Pan.
Spoon.

Ingredients

1 lean ground beef.
1 tablespoon of minced garlic.
1 diced white onion bulb.
Salt.
Diced Green onions to garnish.
1 tablespoon of Virginia oil.
Pepper (Black).

Step 1: Sauté your diced ingredients

Put the pan on the gas top then, add the olive oil to the pan and sauté your onion and garlic till it is tender.

Step 2: Add ground beef

When the onion and garlic are soft, add your lean ground beef. Break it down with your spoon and let the ground beef cook till it is brown. Ensure you use your spoon to stir it while it’s cooking.

NB- Do not overcook the beef. You need the beef to be juicy as possible.

Step 3: Add the remaining ingredients

Once the ground beef is brown, add salt and pepper. Mix thoroughly. Add the diced green onion and serve with any dish.

FAQs

What should I eat with my cooked ground beef?

You can eat your cooked ground beef with any food that includes bread, yam, rice, pasta, and so on. You can also make potatoes, salad, and other types of veggies for your ground beef.

This recipe is widely used in many places and it has high minerals, you just need to make sure that it isn’t too greasy. That’s why it is advisable to use lean ground beef as the fat content is not much.

What can I make with a lot of ground beef?

As aforementioned, ground beef is widely used for different dishes. You can make sauces, burgers, pasta, meatballs, and so on with a lot of ground beef.

However, before making the dish, it is advisable to break down the beef and put it in the freezer till you are ready. By doing this, it will be easy to make your dish.

Do I need to add water to my ground beef?

Adding water to your ground beef depends on the recipe. You might not need to add water to the ground beef in some recipes, just the juicy moisture is enough.

However, in some recipes, you’d need a lot of water. The water added to ground beef is to increase the moisture in it, to form a broth.

What happens if you don’t drain your ground beef?

If you don’t drain your ground beef, your food will be too greasy. Draining your ground beef would decrease the amount of fat and calories in the beef.

You can only get away with draining when you are using lean ground beef. This is because the amount of fat in lean beef isn’t as much as the other type of beef.