Meat Tips by Uncle Pete

Tenderizing meat There are several ways to do this: Beat with a meat mallet; marinade it with something, anything that has vinegar or citric acid in it will work such as: barbecue sauce, ranch dressing, Sprite, Coke, or just plain vinegar.


Roasts
There are basically two types of roasts oven or pot. Rump, top round, sirloin tip, and prime rib are all roasts that would be termed oven roasts. Chuck and cross rib are roasts that would be termed pot roasts or roasts that are cooked with moisture. We use some water with both types as they come out dry without.
Roasts are cooked very slowly over a longer period normally need help in one or two ways. A cooking bag that acts a little like a pressure cooker. A teaspoon of vinegar in with the roast when you start cooking. This last will help in either way either slow cooking or with the bag. We use it with every roast we cook.

When cutting a roast look at the direction the fibers or muscle of the meat runs then cut across that fiber, the thinner you can slice it the more tender it will be.


Steaks
Steaks that have the word Loin or Rib in the name of the steak are generally more tender. Round, chuck, flank, sirloin steaks that are not as tender as you would like them can be tenderized by marinating them in something that has vinegar in it or citric acid in it. Or wiping them with vinegar using a paper towel and poking with a fork to help the vinegar get in. You will not notice the vinegar or taste it when the meat is cooked.


Ham
When buying ham look for the water content or the wording ‘ham and water product’ and for the best tasting ham stay away from the ham and water product. There is quite a big jump in the price of the two products but the taste is also much better. You can serve more people with a pound of the better ham as it is more filling. Note that they have gone to that on some of the spiral sliced ham also.


Turkey
When buying turkeys either buy a large tom or a large hen. A cooking bag is the best way to cook a turkey. When serving turkey the rule is 1 pound per person but it depends on what you have with it. I think that ½ lb is plenty as we always have so many other things with the turkey.