Pork is one of the most versatile. It has a delicate flavor that goes well with acidic and light ingredients, but also with fuller and fuller sauces, with strong condiments and side dishes. Unlike chicken which is very tender, and beef which can be cooked rare or medium, pork is quite tough and needs to be well cooked. So, when preparing a pork-based dish, it is always a good idea to use one of the available techniques to make it tender and choose the most suitable cooking method. Read on to learn how to do this and cook delicious dishes with pork.
Steps
Method 1 of 3: Before Cooking
Step 1. Use a meat tenderizer
Pork cuts are harder when the muscle fibers are long and intact. To start softening them before cooking or seasoning, try breaking up the fibers with a meat mallet. It is a hammer-like tool with a sharp-tipped surface; in some cases a meat mallet is used with sharp teeth (similar to a fork) that penetrate the fibers. However, both are designed for a similar purpose, so tap or poke the meat to break up the muscle fibers.
If you don't have these tools, don't despair. You can use a normal fork or even your bare hands to beat the meat and get a similar result. Poke, prick, or crush the meat to make it softer
Step 2. Try a marinade
This is an excellent solution that aromatizes and softens pork at the same time. However, not all blends are the same; To make the meat more tender, the marinade must contain an acidic ingredient or enzyme. Both of these elements break the dense protein chains at the molecular level. However, if you overdo these substances, know that you could get negative effects: too much acid denatures the proteins making the meat even tougher, too many enzymes instead make it soggy.
- The acidic ingredients that are mostly used in marinades for pork are citrus juices, vinegar and wine. It's not uncommon, for example, to find a recipe that calls for pairing red wine with soy sauce (as well as other ingredients such as brown sugar). To prevent the acid from hardening the cut even more, you can use dairy products such as yogurt and buttermilk which are only slightly acidic and are an excellent base for marinating juicy chops.
- Enzymes are found in the juices of various fruits. For example, pineapple contains bromelain and papaya, on the other hand, papain. Both are excellent substances for making meat tender. In any case, remember that an excessive dosage of enzymes turns a good cut of pork into a mushy mass.
Step 3. Make a brine
This technique is similar to marinade and is particularly suitable for lean cuts (such as tenderloin). The brine involves soaking the meat in salted water to make the final dish soft and juicy. It is generally based on water and salt, but you can add other ingredients to flavor the meat, for example: apple cider vinegar, brown sugar, rosemary and thyme. Since the brine gives a tangy flavor to the meat, avoid adding more salt during preparation or on the table.
- If you want to prepare an excellent brine, in a large bowl combine 4 liters of water with 150 g of sugar, 150 g of salt and black pepper to taste. Stir to dissolve the ingredients (you can heat the water in a pot to speed up this process). Put the meat in the solution, cover the container and place it in the refrigerator until you are ready to cook.
- Depending on the cut you are preparing, the rest times in brine may vary. For example, chops should stay in brine for 12 to 24 hours, while loin roasts need several days of rest. The fillet is ready in about six hours.
Step 4. Use a commercial product to soften the meat
This is another solution and involves the use of artificial substances sold in the form of powder (although sometimes liquid products are found). The active ingredient, in most cases, is papain, a natural enzyme found in papaya that is able to soften muscle fibers. Remember not to abuse these products, otherwise the pork will have a soft and unappetizing texture.
- Always apply these powders sparingly. Just moisten the surface of the piece of meat with water (just before cooking) and then sprinkle it with two teaspoons of product for every kilo of weight. Prick the meat with a fork about every 1.5 cm and start cooking it.
- If the product you have chosen is also "flavored", remember that it may contain salt; in this case, do not add any more.
Method 2 of 3: Cooking Tender Meat
Step 1. Brown the pork and then cook it in the oven
Pork lends itself to a wide range of cooking techniques that guarantee tender and juicy results, if practiced correctly. For example, thin cuts like chops and cutlets need to be cooked quickly over a very high heat to give them a crunchy and flavorful outer surface; cooking is then finished over low heat and in a dry context. So consider browning the meat in a very hot pan on the stove or barbecue and then transferring it to the oven for the rest of the time.
- Indirect heat plays a crucial role in keeping the meat juicy and soft. Browning it guarantees you a "crunchy" and delicious exterior, but continuing to cook with direct heat generates a hard and overcooked dish. You can use indirect heat thanks to the oven or a closed barbecue, both of which gradually cook the meat making it tender and well done.
- Since direct fire (like that of a very hot pan) cooks the outside of the meat faster than the inside, you should only apply it for a minute or two on each side, in order to "seal" the pork. Indirect heat (like that of the oven) needs more time, at least 20 minutes for every half kilo of meat.
Step 2. Braise the pork
A foolproof method for a tender, moist dish is braising. It is a technique that involves slow cooking and very liquid. The meat is combined with other solid and liquid ingredients and left to simmer for hours. In this way you get an extremely tender and moist dish, especially when it comes to the shoulder cuts and the loin. In addition, the liquid used is transformed into an excellent base for a sauce or gravy, so that the dish goes perfectly with rice or another similar side dish.
- Although the cooking times for the preparation of a braised meat vary greatly depending on the cut, in general you have to calculate an hour for each kilogram of weight (or even more if the meat is rich in connective tissue).
- Often recipes for braised meats include a browning phase to ensure a crunchy external crust.
Step 3. Smoke the meat
This slow and gradual cooking method is used in many traditional barbecues to give the classic "smoke" aroma. There are many techniques for smoking meat but, in general, you have to burn particular types of wood (such as mesquite) in a closed container so that meat cooks slowly in indirect heat. Over time, wood releases its aroma to food making it not only tender and juicy, but also with a unique flavor that is difficult to replicate with other cooking methods.
- As this process is time-consuming and sometimes expensive, it is only used for those pieces of meat that require long cooking times (such as brisket, shoulder roasts, and so on) and reserved for social occasions.
- Smoking is a subtle art, many enthusiasts and professionals use very expensive specialized equipment. However, you can manage to smoke your pork even with a simple barbecue. Refer to this article for more information.
Step 4. Cook the meat in a stew or slow cooker
A slow, gradual cooking technique such as the one that involves the use of a pressure cooker or a slow-cooker, allows you to put on the table a dish that is so tender that you won't need a knife to eat it. Stews should be cooked for a long time at a low temperature with the meat dipped in liquid and with other solid ingredients. Often it is first cut into chunks so that each spoonful of stew contains pieces of meat. Just like brazing, this method also lends itself well to softening cuts that are naturally hard and rich in connective tissue (such as the shoulder).
- Cooking times vary according to the cut of pork, but are similar to those for braising.
- Slow cookers (but also terracotta pans) are great for stews. Thanks to these appliances, often the only thing you have to do is add the ingredients, press the start button and wait several hours for the "miracle" to happen. Remember that if you plan to put vegetables in stews, you only need to add them towards the end of the cooking process, as they are ready in less time than meat.
Step 5. Let the meat rest after cooking
If you're looking to bring the most tender dish to the table, then don't stop once the meat is cooked! A very important, but often overlooked, step is the rest period. Regardless of which cooking technique you used, after removing the meat from the heat source, let it rest for at least 10 minutes. Cover it with aluminum foil to prevent it from cooling down. At the end of this period you can enjoy your dish!
If you cut the meat immediately after moving it from the heat, it will be less moist and tender. When cooking a cut of pork, one of the problems is that the internal moisture "escapes" from the proteins that make up the muscle fibers. If, on the other hand, you let the meat rest, the proteins can reabsorb this moisture. This is why when you cut it just removed from the heat you notice that a lot of liquid comes out; if you wait a few minutes, this phenomenon is reduced
Step 6. Slice the meat perpendicular to the muscle fibers
If you want to serve a particularly tender dish, you must also consider the cutting technique. For best results, slice the meat in a direction perpendicular to the fibers. If you are doing this correctly, you can see the section of muscle fibers in each slice. This way you break the muscle into small sections before it is eaten. You will never regret this little foresight!
When you prepare stews or braised meats, the meat is already very soft and you shouldn't worry about cutting it in a particular way. However, when you cook large pieces on the grill or in the oven, you have to take this into account as well and cut them perpendicular to the direction of the fibers, if you want a really soft dish. This is why, in the service buffet banquet, you notice that the meat workers slice them with diagonal cuts
Method 3 of 3: Choose a Soft Cut
Step 1. Choose a cut from the loin
This is the long strip of muscle found near the animal's spine. These are the leanest and most tender cuts, so they are a perfect choice, not only for a soft and juicy dish, but also for a healthy and rich in protein. Here are some examples:
- Loin.
- Fillet steak.
- Culatello.
- Carré.
- Roast.
Step 2. Choose a fillet cut
This is the small section of muscle that sits below the loin and is also the most tender cut. It has the shape of a long, narrow strip of muscle that runs along the inside and top of the ribs. Since it is extremely juicy, tender and lean, it is also the most expensive. Fillet is often sold:
- As a whole piece.
- Sliced into "medallions".
- Wrapped like a "roast".
Step 3. Try the ribs
The pig's ribcage extends from the spine down along the flanks to the edge and offers a variety of delicious cuts, the texture of which varies by location. The ribs at the top (near the spine) have a more similar meat to the loin and are naturally lean, moist and tender. Those in the lower section (near the animal's belly) are tender when cooked correctly because they are fatter and need longer cooking times. The ribcage cuts are:
- Push pins.
- Ribs.
- Ribs.
- Chops.
Step 4. Choose a belly cut
This area of the animal is very fat, without bones and is located above the stomach. Most people eat this part in the form of sausage (bacon or bacon). Because it is so fatty, pork belly should be cooked slowly, at a low temperature, in the oven or on the barbecue in order to be edible. The result is delicious.
Pork belly is not normally sold in grocery stores (apart from in the form of bacon or bacon). You have to go to a butcher or a specialized shop to find suitable cuts for the preparation you want to cook
Step 5. Choose hard cuts if you plan to cook slowly and at a low temperature
Some of the more tender cuts of pork (especially loin) are quite expensive. If you have to pay attention to the costs, know that you don't have to go deep in your wallet to put a delicious and tender pork-based dish on the table. In fact, the cheapest cuts (such as those that come from the shoulder) can be transformed into delicious and tender dishes thanks to slow cooking. Here are some suggestions:
- Shoulder.
- Shoulder roast.
- Capocollo.
- Cup.
Step 6. Buy the soft but little marketed cuts
If you want to experiment, there are parts of the pig that are well known for being tender and juicy. However, they are not very commercialized in modern Western cuisine, but have instead been the basic ingredients of the most ancient and traditional recipes. If you're feeling bold, talk to your butcher and book some special cuts. Here is a small list of uncommon but definitely tender pieces:
- Jowls.
- Shin.
- Feet.
- Tongue.
- Internal organs (liver, heart, and so on).
