Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 3: Tender the pork before cooking
• Method 2 of 3: Cooking Pork
• Method 3 of 3: Choosing Soft Bits
• Warnings
• What do you need

Pork is one of the most versatile meats available. It has a pleasant mild flavor that goes well with sour ingredients, as well as aromatic seasonings and sauces. Unlike chicken, which has very tender meat, and beef, which becomes juicy when cooked over low heat, pork can be quite tough and, according to conventional wisdom, must be cooked thoroughly (although this has been increasingly challenged recently). Learn to soften pork for flavorful, tender dishes with this versatile meat. Read on!

Steps

Method 1 of 3: Tender the pork before cooking

1. 1 Use a meat mallet. Pork cuts will be tough if the muscle fibers are kept long and intact. Before seasoning and cooking, try breaking up the muscle fibers using a meat mallet (sometimes referred to as a "meat tenderer"). It usually takes the form of either a heavy hammer, a barbed hammer used to beat meat, or a sharp-toothed tool for piercing meat.The goal is the same; just beat or puncture the meat to break up the muscle fibers.
   • If you don't have any of these items on hand, don't worry. Take an ordinary fork, but you can even beat off the meat with your bare hands. Pierce, beat, or knead meat to break up muscle fibers and make a juicy meal.
2. 2 Make a softening marinade. Marinades are a great way to make meat more flavorful and tender. However, not all marinades are created equal; to tenderize pork, the marinade must contain either acids or tenderizing enzymes. The marinade is supposed to break down the helical proteins at the molecular level. However, you don't need to use a lot of these ingredients; if the marinade is too acidic, the meat can become tough due to denaturation of its proteins, and too many tenderizing enzymes can make the meat porous.
   • Citrus juices, vinegar and wine all provide an acidic environment that breaks down muscle fibers. Pork can also be marinated with red wine, soy sauce, or brown sugar. To prevent meat from becoming tough from too acidic environments, you can use a dairy-based marinade such as yogurt and buttermilk. They are great for marinating pork, and you end up with juicy, tasty chop meat.
   • Tenderizing enzymes are found in the juices of some fruits. For example, pineapple, which contains the enzyme bromelain, and papaya, which contains the enzyme papain, are excellent emollients. However, it is important to remember that too many of these enzymes will spoil the meat.
3. 3 Salt the pork. Salting is an alternative to pickling and is especially good for pork loin. Salting helps the meat retain moisture during cooking. For salting pork, fill a large bowl with water, add a pinch of salt and stir to dissolve the salt. You can also add seasoning to the pickle; Common ingredients for pickling pork include apple cider, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme. Do not add too much salt to the brine, otherwise the meat may turn out too salty.
   • To prepare the brine, mix 3/4 cup salt, 3/4 cup sugar, and black pepper to taste in 4.5 liters of water until dissolved (you can speed up the dissolving process by heating the water in a saucepan). Place the pork in a bowl of brine, cover and refrigerate until you start cooking.
   • The amount of time you need to keep the pork in the brine will vary depending on the dish you choose. For example, pork chops usually need to be kept in the brine for about 12 hours or more; to cook the loin, the meat will need to be kept in brine for several days; the tenderloin can be ready in as little as six hours.
4. 4 Alternatively, artificial tenderizers can be used to soften the pork. These tenderizers are usually sold in powder form, but liquid tenders are also available. Usually, papain is the active ingredient in such tenderizing agents. It is a natural enzyme found in papaya. And in this case, it is important not to overdo it, otherwise the meat will become unpleasantly soft.
   • Always apply the tenderizer sparingly. Lightly dampen the surface of the pork with water, then sprinkle about 1 teaspoon of the mixture evenly over a pound of meat. Pierce the pork with a fork every inch or so and start cooking.
   • If the tenderizer says it contains spices, then it contains salt, which means you don't need to add salt to the meat before cooking.

Method 2 of 3: Cooking Pork

1. 1 Sear the pork, then bake. When it comes to pork, there is a wide variety of cooking methods that can be used to produce juicy, tender meat.For example, pork chops or sirloin should be cooked over high heat in a well-heated skillet (or grill) until crisp, then put the meat in the oven (or on a less hot part of the grill and close the lid) to finish cooking.
   • In order for the meat inside to turn out juicy and tender, it does not need to be cooked over the fire, while for the crust to form, it is necessary to cook the meat over the fire. An oven or grill with the lid closed is great for finishing meat.
   • Direct fire, such as frying in a pan, allows the meat to be baked only on the outside, therefore, to get a crispy crust, you need to fry the meat for 1-2 minutes on each side. And in order for the meat to cook inside, put it in the oven. To cook 0.5 kilograms of meat, you need to place it in the oven for 20 minutes.
2. 2 Another way to make pork tender and juicy is to stew. Braising is a slow cooking method where the meat is placed in a liquid mixture with other ingredients and cooked for several hours. Braised pork turns out to be tender, juicy and aromatic. This method works well if you have small, tough cuts of meat. In addition, the braising liquid can then serve as a base for making a sauce or gravy for meat.
   • The braising time depends on the size of the pieces, although usually half a kilogram of meat will need to be braised for about 30 minutes, or longer if the meat is high in connective tissue.
   • Often times, the meat will need to be lightly browned before stewing for a crispy crust.
3. 3 Smoking is a gradual method of cooking on low heat, used for barbecuing pork and meat is obtained with a haze. There are many ways to smoke, however, in general, you need to light the fire by placing the wood in a closed container and smoke the meat with the smoke. The smoke from burning wood will impregnate the meat with a unique aroma, and it will become juicy and tender, and will also have an unforgettable taste.
   • Since smoking is expensive and time-consuming, this method is suitable for large cuts of meat that take longer to cook (such as brisket or ham) and for larger events such as barbecues and picnics.
   • Smoking is a subtle art that requires professionalism and special supplies that can cost a lot. However, a similar effect can be achieved with a regular barbecue grill.
4. 4 Simmer meat or use a slow cooker. The gradual, humid heat of the slow cooker will help you get meat so soft that you don't even need a knife to cut it open while you eat. Simmering involves cooking meat over low heat for a long time by immersing it in a mixture of liquid and solid ingredients. Often stew meat is cut into small pieces. As with braising, this method is suitable for cooking small, tough cuts of meat or meat with a lot of connective tissue (for example, shoulder blades or ribs).
   • The cooking time with this method is similar to the stewing time.
   • The slow cooker is especially good for this way of cooking pork. Usually all you need to do is put all the ingredients in a slow cooker, turn it on, and leave to cook for a few hours. Note that vegetables should be added at the end as they cook much faster than meat.
5. 5 Let the meat rest after cooking. If you want the meat to be juicy and tender, then let the meat stand after cooking! This is one of the most important but often overlooked points. Regardless of the cooking method, leave the meat alone for 10 minutes after removing it from the stove or turning off the oven. You can cover the meat with foil to keep it warm. After 10-15 minutes, the meat will be ready to eat. Enjoy!
   • If you immediately cut the meat, then all the juices will flow out of it, and it will become harsh. When you cook a large piece of pork, it will usually drain out of the juices during the cooking process. Leaving the meat alone for a while will help the meat absorb these juices again and remain juicy.
6. 6 Slice the pork across the grain. Consider how you want to cut the pork. Cut the pork into very thin slices, across the grain of the meat. If you look closely, you will notice sections of individual fibers in the cut piece. This method allows you to additionally destroy muscle fibers before use. You will never regret these extra precautions!
   • After extra-gentle cooking methods such as stewing and simmering, your meat will be so soft that you don't need to worry about how to cut it. However, for large, thick cuts of pork that have been grilled or oven-baked, you need to know to cut across the grain to keep the meat as tender as possible. That is why, during large events, when pork roast is on the menu, waiters almost always make thin diagonal cuts against the meat fibers.

Method 3 of 3: Choosing Soft Bits

1. 1 Select meat from the loin. The loin is a long strip of meat around the pig's spine. Lumbar cuts are usually some of the tender cuts, making them great for those looking for a soft, juicy piece of pork and a source of nutritious lean protein. Here are some ways to slice the lumbar spine:
   • Butterfly Chop
   • Roast beef from butt
   • Chop on the rib
   • Portioned piece of meat
   • Roast meat
2. 2 Select a tenderloin. The tenderloin (sometimes called "pork fillet") is a small sub-section of the loin of the pig and is the most tender part of the pork. The tenderloin is a long, narrow, strip of muscle that runs along the upper inner ribs of the animal. This part is one of the most expensive pieces in the carcass, as the meat is juicy and tender. Tenderloin is often sold:
   • By her own
   • Cut into '' medallions ''
   • Wrapped for cooking "roast"
3. 3 Select the meat from the shoulder. The shoulder portion is the portion of the carcass above the spine that runs down the sides, and can be used to produce a variety of tasty, meaty chunks that differ in texture depending on which part of the ribs they are cut off. Chunks cut from the shoulder (closer to the pig's spine) are similar to chunks from the lumbar, as they are just as juicy and tender. Pieces cut from the lower ribs (closer to the belly of the pig) can also be quite tender if cooked correctly, however, they tend to be more fatty and take longer to cook. The shoulder blade can be cut into:
   • Milky hind ribs
   • Pork ribs with a thin piece of meat
   • Peasant ribs
   • Separate ribs
4. 4 Select the underperitoneum. This is a very fatty piece of meat that sits under the belly of the pig. This part is familiar to many, bacon is made from it. Bacon is thin slices of underbelly meat that are roasted or grilled. They are juicy and tender.
   • Pork belly isn't usually sold in grocery stores, unless it's bacon or pancetta (a type of bacon). In order to buy an underbelly, you need to visit butcher's or specialty stores.
5. 5 Choose more firm cuts if you are using a slow cooker to cook meat. Some of the most tender cuts of pork (especially the loin) can be expensive. If you are on a budget, then there is no need to buy expensive meat. In fact, cheaper, firmer chunks (like the shoulder of a pig) can usually be a mouth-watering dish if cooked in a slow cooker.The following are examples of inexpensive pork carcasses that can make tender meat when properly processed:
   • Pork shoulder
   • Roast shoulder
   • Pork shoulder
   • The upper part of the scapula
6. 6 Pick up lesser known soft pieces. If you're willing to experiment, some lesser known parts of pork can make a tender, juicy dish. These chunks are not widely used in modern Western cuisine, but they can be found in ancient or traditional recipes. Check with a butcher's shop for such cuts of meat. Just a few of these pieces, cooked over low heat, and you will get a tender pork dish:
   • Pork tanks
   • Shank
   • Pork legs
   • Language
   • Organs (liver, heart, etc.)

Warnings

• Do not use powdered meat tenderizer. A large amount of this tenderizer will give the meat a soft texture and unpleasant taste.

What do you need

• Pork
• Meat hammer
• Sour marinade
• Pineapple or papaya
• Closing package
• A bowl
• Water
• Salt
• Polyethylene film
• Knife