Why Your Meat Turns Out Tough—and How to Fix It

Tough meat usually comes from one of two opposite problems: a tender cut cooked too long, or a hard-working cut not cooked long enough. The fix begins with identifying which kind is on the plate. While meat cuts are a science unto themselves, learning how a handful of cuts react to heat can exponentially increase the number of dishes you can create.

Tender cuts and tough cuts need different treatment

Steaks, chops, tenderloins, and many chicken breasts contain relatively little connective tissue such as tendons and ligaments. They are most tender when cooked only to the doneness required or desired (depending on type of protein), then rested, and sliced. Longer cook times make the muscle fibers tighten and release moisture, which is one reason a medium-rare steak is less firm than a well-done steak.

Chuck, brisket, pork shoulder, shanks, and similar working cuts contain more collagen. When cooked inappropriately, they may be safe to eat yet still feel rubbery or chewy. Given enough time with gentle heat and moisture, collagen softens into gelatin and the meat becomes yielding. This is why a roast breaks down after hours of stewing.

In general, tender cuts of meat come from muscles that animals use less during their lives. A filet mignon, one of the most recognized tender cuts of meat, comes from the tenderloin cut. Located beneath the ribs near the kidneys, it runs along the backbone of the animal. Since this is a rather unused part of the animal in daily life, it becomes a very tender cut.

Brisket, a well-known cut for barbeque, comes from the lower breast in front of the shanks. Because this area is used every day as the cow walks, it is a well-defined and therefore tougher muscle.

Diagnose the cooked texture

• Dry, firm, and crumbly: a tender cut probably went too far.
• Juicy but rubbery: a connective-tissue-rich cut probably needs more time.
• Tender in one direction but chewy in another: it was sliced with the grain.
• Brown outside and raw or cold inside: the heat was too high for the thickness. If raw, continue to cook up to a safe internal temperature.

What to do right now

You cannot put moisture back into overcooked lean meat, but you can slice it thinly across the grain. Cutting across the grain shortens the muscle fibers, making each bite easier to chew.

Serve it with a broth, gravy, salsa, yogurt sauce, or another moist component. Avoid simmering it in sauce for a long time; that can overcook and tighten the meat further.

If a braising cut is rubbery, return it to a covered pot with enough liquid to create steam. Cook gently and check every 20 to 30 minutes. Keep the liquid at a lazy simmer, not a violent boil.

Prevent it next time

Match the method to the cut. Use quick, dry heat for naturally tender meat and slow, moist cooking for collagen-rich meat. Brown in batches, then lower the heat for the interior. Rest larger pieces after cooking but before cutting, and look for the long lines of muscle fiber so you can slice across them.

An inexpensive cut is only a bargain when its cooking method fits its structure. Start with How to Buy Cheap Meat Without Buying Bad Meat before your next trip.