Tenderness of Meats

Tender meat generally is preferred by consumers, but just because meat is given a top quality grade does not guarantee its tenderness. The only real test is how easily the meat gives way to the teeth. Extreme variations of tenderness exist in beef, even within different areas of a single meat cut, but overall, natural meat tenderness is due to factors such as the cut, age, and fat content. Meats can also be treated to make them more tender by adding enzymes, salts, and acids, or by subjecting them to mechanical or electrical treatments. Preparation temperatures and times also have an influence on tenderness.

Natural Tenderizing.

The particular cut of the meat, the animal’s age at slaughter (connective tissue concentration), its heredity and diet, its marbling, slaughtering conditions, and aging all play a part in determining tenderness.

Cut. The most important influence on the tenderness of meat is the location, on the animal’s body, of the muscle from which it came. Muscles that are exercised are tougher than those that are not. Meat cuts such as chuck and round from the shoulder and hindquarters come from muscles that are used for locomotion, and are therefore tougher than those from the loin (lower back) and rib areas of the animal. The least tender cuts are flank steak, short plate, and brisket from the legs and underside of the animal. The most tender cuts of the carcass, such as sirloin, tenderloin, and rib eye, are found in the loin and rib areas.

Animal Age. An animal’s age at the time of slaughter contributes to tenderness, and top USDA grades usually come from relatively young animals. As muscles age, the diameter of the muscle fibers increases and more connective tissue develops, resulting in toughening of the meat.

Heredity. Cuts of meat will vary in tenderness because of genetic factors. For example, beef from Black Angus cattle, which are bred to be heavily muscled and marbled, will be very different from meat obtained from dairy cattle or from one of the other, large breeds of cattle.

Diet. The type of diet fed to the animal directly influences its fat accumulation, which is one of the factors affecting the tenderness and flavor of its meat. Ranchers have long known that grain-fed cattle yield ground beef that is more tender and better flavored than that from cattle fed hay or left to feed on the range.

Marbling. Fattening animals before slaughter is thought to increase tenderness by increasing marbling and the development of subcutaneous fat. The amount of subcutaneous fat on the carcass contributes to tenderness by delaying the speed at which the carcass chills when refrigerated. When choosing meat cuts, consumers seem to prefer lean-looking meats over more marbled ones, but usually reverse their choices in a taste test after those same cuts are prepared.