Information about commercial tenderization of beef

By JOE O'CONNELL, cbbqa  Past President 

Barbecue cooks face complex issues in the selection and preparation of beef cuts for barbecue.  Most of the beef that is sold in the United States is regulated by the USDA, which regulates the type and scope of tenderization.  See the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website for more information.

Tenderization

Retail cuts from beef (as well as of pork, veal, and lamb) are often tenderized to increase their palatability.  Tenderization of meat cuts is done in one of two ways, mechanical or chemical.  Since barbecue contest rules often require that the contest meat be raw and unseasoned prior to the beginning of the contest (KCBS Rules, for example), cooks must know how brisket and other retail cuts of beef are tenderized and labeled, so that they can avoid any breach of the contest rules.

Mechanical tenderization is the process of physically breaking up the muscle fiber structure.  This can be achieved by needle or blade tenderizing.  Needle tenderizing is the process of pressing several thick needles through the meat cut.  As the needles pass through the muscle, they will break up the fiber structure.  The use of a tenderizer machine is the most common method of tenderization that the industry currently uses.

Chemical tenderization is the process of utilizing proteolytic enzymes to attack or digest complex protein within the cell fiber.  Proteolytic enzymes commonly used by the industry are papain, bromelin, and ficin, and are activated by heat.  These enzymes can be applied by the use of a pumping machine, or simply by hand dipping the retail cut into the enzyme solution.  In addition, if proteolytic enzymes are incorporated into a meat product, the ingredient statement on the label must reflect this.

Related sites:

See the U.S. Department of Agriculture's website for more information about tenderization.