When it comes to cooking can be both a fun and complicated process. The reason it can get complicated is because of what you have to do before you can even get started.
One of the things you may have to do is a process called tenderizing.
People will tenderize all types of meat, which includes ribeye steak. In this article, we will go into what ribeye steak and tenderizing are before finally going into the top three ways to tenderize your meat.
By the end of the article, you will know exactly how to tenderize ribeye steak.
Contents
What Is Ribeye Steak?
The ribeye steak cut is a very popular type of steak cut out there. This tender and rich cut of steak come from the top of the rib primal on the cow.
It can come in a boneless and bone-in form. Just depends on what you prefer to eat!
Ribeye has a genuinely nice taste. As we mentioned, it is extraordinarily rich in flavor, and when you bite into it, you will discover that this cut is very juicy as well!
What Is Tenderizing?
We want to dive into the topic of what tenderizing is before going into the top three methods of tenderizing ribeye steak.
When you tenderize meat, you break down the connective tissue so you can chew and eat the meat properly.
This method is best for those who do not enjoy fighting with their food and not people who enjoy their meat to have a tough exterior. Hey, you like what you like! No shame in that.
How to Tenderize Ribeye Steak
We have found there are three proven methods of tenderizing ribeye steak. In this section, you will learn about using a meat mallet, marinating it, and finally, slow cooking the ribeye steak.
So, what are you waiting for? Go on and read to find out the different ways to tenderize your ribeye steak!
Mallet
First up is the meat mallet or pounding method for tenderizing ribeye steak. It is really easy to accomplish.
All you need is a cutting board, some kind of plastic wrap or something to wrap the meat in, and finally, a meat mallet. You, technically, could pound the meat without a mallet, but it may not end up being as effective as it would be with a mallet.
- Wrap the flank steak in plastic wrap, wax paper, a plastic bag, or something similar to minimize splatter and not make a mess.
- Go ahead and place the covered meat on the cutting board and reach for your mallet.
- Now you can start pounding away at the meat! Do not pound it for too long or too hard because this could end up making the meat a little too thin. Trust us on this.
- Once the meat is at your desired tenderness, uncover the meat. Then cook your ribeye steak in whatever you usually cook it in.
This method is the quickest out of all three tenderizing methods we have listed in the article. It is great for people who find themselves short of time or just are super busy with little to no free time.
Marinade
When you use a marinade to tenderize your ribeye steak, you are soaking your meat in some kind of acidic liquid.
Some common marinades are wine, lemon juice, lime, beer, and vinegar, to name a few options.
- The first thing you can do is put the ribeye steak in a container before pouring the marinade over it. You have to make sure that both sides of the ribeye steak soak in the marinade for a certain amount of time.
- Then go on ahead and put the steak in the fridge. Leave it in there for a minimum of an hour and a maximum of twenty-four hours. It’s best not to leave it in there any longer, so make sure you put on a timer or something.
- The final step is taking the meat out of the fridge. You can then start cooking it with whatever method you prefer to cook your steak.
This method does take some time, but once you are finished, you will end up with the marinade infusing into the meat.
When you bite into it, we promise it will be one of the most amazing things you have ever tasted. Trust us on this.
Slow Cooking
When you are slow-cooking something, you help break down the connective tissue in the meat. As it sounds, it is a slow process, and the best way to do this is by using a slow cooker or crock pot.
Of course, you can do it in an oven, but if you do it in an oven, then you need to keep it on low heat and put it in for about 2 to 4 hours.
- Take your ribeye steak and put it in the pan, crockpot, or slow cooker. Then pour in the rest of the ingredients.
- Let it cook on whatever device you are using for a few hours.
- Once it is done, take it out of your cooking device and then prepare it however you like. If you are unsure of the internal temperature, you can always use a meat thermometer to check and see. However, eating steak rare is pretty common.
This method is best done in the morning so that by the time you get home, your dinner and everything will be ready to go.
All you will have to do is serve it to yourself and/or the rest of the household.
Final Thoughts
And there you go, all you ribeye lovers out there! Once we went on and explained what ribeye steak and tenderizing were, we went into the top three ways to tenderize it in the first place.
It might take a while to get used to tenderizing your meat, but once you get used to it, you will be tenderizing with the best of them.
You might also be interested in the following:
- How to Tenderize Steak?
- How Do You Tenderize Chicken?
- How Do You Tenderize Stew Meat?
- How Do You Tenderize Skirt Steak?
- How Do You Tenderize Sirloin Steak?
- How Do You Tenderize Pork Chops?
- How Do You Tenderize Flank Steak?
- How Do You Tenderize Cube Steak?
I have been smoking and grilling meat from an early age and enjoy sharing my knowledge and expertise through the hundreds of articles I have written about BBQ. I hope to make everyone’s BBQ journey that little bit easier.