Can You Recook Meat in a Sauce to Make it Tender?

Recooking tough meat in a liquid or sauce, also known as braising, may make it tender, depending on why it's tough to begin with. A tough cut of meat, such as chuck roast, will be made tender by cooking it again, especially if it wasn't cooked long enough the first time. But not every cut of meat can be tenderized through cooking. Let's learn more about recooking meat to make it more tender.

Some cuts of meat were made for long cooking in sauces or liquids. These cuts, such as brisket, chuck roast, and bottom round, contain a lot of connective tissue and intersecting muscles. They must be cooked to temperatures of around 185 degrees Fahrenheit. At this temperature, the connective tissue melts into gelatin, and the tough meat fibers break down.

If you didn't cook one of these cuts long enough, you can certainly recook it in liquid to tenderize it. Just keep the temperature low and plan on a few hours of cooking time.

If you have tough meat, cook it slowly to make it more tender.

1. If the meat wasn't previously browned, brown it first in a bit of oil on the stovetop. Browning takes about five minutes and adds flavor, color, and moisture to the meat.
2. place the meat in a slow cooker or a heavy-lidded pot.
3. Add 2 to 3 cups of liquid — enough to cover it halfway, but not submerge it. Select a liquid that complements any seasonings you've already used on the meat.
4. Place the lid on the slow cooker or pot and gently simmer the meat until it's fork-tender. Plan on six to eight hours in a slow cooker or two to four hours in an oven set at 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

In most cases, it's best to braise tough cuts of meat in a liquid, such as beef broth, red wine, or apple juice, rather than a sauce. Sauces or gravies may contain flour or cornstarch. Flour may burn with long, slow cooking, while cornstarch breaks down. Once the meat is tenderized, you can thicken the liquid to make a sauce. Simmer it to reduce it or thicken it with cornstarch, flour, or potato starch.

Tender cuts of meat, including tenderloin and prime rib, taste best when they're cooked to medium-rare. If they're tough, they may have been overcooked the first time, and cooking them again probably won't improve matters. In this case, just heat the meat gently with a gravy or sauce and slice it thinly across the grain, or in the opposite direction of the meat fibers running through the meat. You can also use this strategy for steaks or London broil. Thinly sliced, the meat can be dressed up with a sauce or used in stir-fries, fajitas, or sandwiches.