Salt Your Steaks. As discovered by scientists, when the meat draws in the salt, the latter breaks down the protein and improves the steak’s texture. So salting your steak can be a good way to tenderize your meat.

Wet Brining. Another similar but more efficient way is to soak your steak in salt water for an extended period of time. This can make meat much less chewy and additionally, the water also keeps the meat moist. This method is called wet brining. For this method, one thing to keep in mind is that you need to watch time closely because you don’t want to see that the flavor is destroyed just because of meat being soaked for too long.

Soak Steaks in Acidic Liquids. For method 2, you have tried soaking steaks in salt water, and how about replace the salt water with some other liquids? It has been found that acidic liquids can soften muscle fibers. Such liquids can be wine, vinegar or citrus juices (pineapple, lime or lemon). This technique brings another advantage of adding additional tasty flavor.

Pound with a Meat Mallet. Connective tissues and the muscle fibers can usually be cut up if you pound a steak with the pointy side of the mallet. Hence a steak with a lot of connective tissue even when cooked over high heat can be refrain from being too tough. Pounding meat is also an effective way of flatting the meat, which will reduce the cooking time. It is well-known that longer cooking time leads to drier steak. Since dry meat is tougher, a steak with more juice can certainly taste more tender.

Braising. Braising is the cooking act of simmering meat in a fluid for an extended period of time, on the stovetop, on the grill, with a deep pan. During such cooking process, the heat breaks down the connective tissue and melt it into flesh. The most prominent advantage is that because the heat is low, so meat doesn’t just cook and become dry. Of course, the fluid also plays an important role in keeping it moist.

Resting and Slicing. We always recommend that you let the steak rest on a chopping board for 5-10 minutes before you slice it. The reason of doing so is that sufficient rest will relax the meat and make it juicier. Also we suggest that you should slice it very thinly across the grain, because thin slices ensure short meat fibers and can make even a fibrous steak seem tender.

Use Meat Tenderizing Powder. The last most efficient way is to apply meat tenderizing powder on your steak. Most such powder includes salt and either bromelain or papain, the enzymes found in pineapple and papaya, respectively. As you may know, enzymes works on proteins and breaks them down, thus making your steak more tender. Remember to moisten the meat before you sprinkle the powder in an aim to aid adhesion. Then pierce the steak several times and it’s all ready. Simple and quick!