Why is my cheesesteak meat tough?
I made Philly Cheesesteak sandwiches and the resulting meat was quite tough and hard to bite off and chew.
For the meat I used eye of round steak, cut into roughly 3in by 1/8th-1/4th in strips. I did not marinade the meat or season until salt and pepper during cooking.
To cook the meat I used a nonstick pan over medium heat for a few minutes.
Is my cut of beef to blame, my technique, or perhaps both?
Best Answer
My experience has shown that you need to slice the meat against the grain when preparing it for sautéing. The shortened muscle fibers make for a more tender piece of meat. After that, the quicker you can cook the meat, the better. Round steak tends to be best either quickly cooked or cooked for an extended period of time -- there's not too much of a middle ground for it.
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Quick Answer about "Why is my cheesesteak meat tough?"
If you have tender muscle and it becomes tough, you have overcooked it. "A few minutes" sounds too much for such thin strips. They are cooked until they first show color (browned, not just grey). If they get tough until they show color, you need to increase the temperature, and possibly ditch the nonstick pan.Why is my steak tough and chewy?
An undercooked steak will be a little tough since all the fat has not be converted into flavors and the juice has not started to flow, hence the steak is tough and chewy. An overcooked steak on the other hand, will be tougher and chewier since heat erodes all the fats and juices, leaving it hard.Why do my steaks come out tough?
Additionally, overcooking meat, even meat that comes from the more tender muscles, can make it tough. That's because heat causes the proteins in the meat to firm up. Overcooking also basically squeezes the moisture out of the meat, making it dry as well as tough.How do you tenderize a Philly cheesesteak?
Simmer in liquid. Just like for burnt meat, if your meat gets tough and dry then you can simmer it in a little bit of broth for a couple minutes. Don't allow it to overcook again but just allow the liquid to penetrate the meat.How To Make Classic Philly Cheesesteak Sandwich
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Answer 2
For a detailed explanation of meat toughness, see What makes a moist steak (or roast)?
As for your specific case: I also don't know about American cut names, so there are two possibilities. Either you chose a collagen-rich meat, or you chose a cut low in collagen.
Assuming that you want fry steak in the pan and not have it become tough, you should choose meat which is low in collagen. If you didn't, you have to change the cut (or not cook it like a steak, as Rorschach120 advises).
If you have tender muscle and it becomes tough, you have overcooked it. "A few minutes" sounds too much for such thin strips. They are cooked until they first show color (browned, not just grey). If they get tough until they show color, you need to increase the temperature, and possibly ditch the nonstick pan.
Another option is to fry it as thicker steaks or oven-roast it. Then you can use a meat thermometer and achieve your preferred level of doneness. Cut afterwards and sear or torch the newly exposed surface.
Answer 3
The toughness in meat comes from the amount of collagen in it. In order to break down this collagen so you are left with tender flaky beef, you have to either slice it very thin so it has an easier time in the pan, slow-cook the beef in a crockpot, or pressure pressure cook it (the best way IMO). After slow-cooking or pressure cooking, stick it in a KitchenAid mixer with the paddle attachment and run it for a minute.
When you cook it in a pan (really hot pan) stir it all around for about 5 seconds and then add some Worcestershire sauce or other liquid to quench a bit of the heat and then let it heat up again and it should be done by then. Happens very fast.
Eye of round is a relatively lean steak and not quite as good for cheesesteak unless you use the first method of slicing it really thinly before cooking it. I would use chuck or rib for cheesesteak.
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