The Best Meat Tenderizer Tool for Tough Steaks

I love how I can now buy tougher cuts of beef at the grocery store and turn them into tender, flavorful, and juicy steaks. This is easily the best meat tenderizer tool for tough steaks I’ve used to date.

Plus I’m including an incredibly delectable Balsamic Brown Sugar Marinade that gives you high-end steak flavors on a ground beef budget.

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The Best Tenderizer for Steak

There are a plethora of meat tenderizing solutions on the market.

• Stainless steel meat mallets: Not the greatest option as it will crush the meat fibers but does not do too much for the connective tissue which is what makes the meat difficult to chew.
• Tenderizing powders: These will break down the connective tissue using enzymes but often leave behind a mushy texture on the steak.
• Salting: This method works by breaking down the muscle fibers but will also leech a lot of the natural juices in the meat, thus making it very easy for the meat to dry out on the grill.
• Marinades: These work the same as tenderizing powders but in a much more gentle fashion while imparting the flavors that make up the marinade.

This meat tenderizing tool is not new on the market, but it’s new to me and it’s the best method I’ve used so far. So go ahead and buy those tougher cuts of steak because this tenderizer will fix that tough chewy steak problem!

It’s called the Jaccard Meat Tenderizer.

The Tenderizer

A while ago, my father and I were talking about grilling steaks. I was telling him my budget just can’t fit in those pricey, tender cuts of steak anymore.

He told me about this tool that helps turn tough pieces of meat into REALLY tender, flavorful steaks.

Enter the 48 Blade Meat Tenderizer.

When my dad had mentioned he had one of these tenderizers years ago, I looked it up on the net, and this specific model was still being sold!

These tenderizers work exactly like the big tenderizing machines that big butcher shops and meat plants use to help tenderize really tough pieces of meat. This is just the mini version of them.

***I will tell you upfront – I purchased this tenderizer with my own money, this post is NOT sponsored.

How The Meat Tenderizer Works

Budget steak cuts often have a lot of fantastic flavor, but that flavor also comes with lots of connective tissue that makes the meat tough – the more tissue present, the tougher the meat.

The tenderizer has 48 tiny steel knives connected to a handle. When you push down on the handle, the sharp knives go into the meat, breaking down the connective tissue.

I have the model that has 48 blades, so you don’t have to go over the surface of the meat too much to achieve tenderness. There is a model that has 16 blades that works just as well, but you’ll need to do a few more passes over the surface of the steak.

The mechanics of this meat tenderizer serves another purpose.

It doesn’t just break down the tougher fibers in the meat, but also creates little channels in the meat that help a marinade seep into the deeper muscle fibers which in turn, makes it more flavorful after cooking! 

A few other benefits of the tenderizing tool are:

• The meat cooks up to 40% quicker which allows the meat to retain more of its natural flavor and marinade.
• It promotes even cooking across varying thicknesses of the meat to ensure it’s grilled to perfection each time.

And check this out!! EMERIL LAGASSE discovered the tenderizer years ago and thought it was pretty awesome!!!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCJQ9UIfq1nI9OpsOUkLQulg

Can I Use this Meat Tenderizer on Chicken also?

I actually love using it on chicken and pork as well. It’s especially handy for chicken breasts if you’re wanting to impart a nice marinade flavor to the chicken while keeping them juicy while cooking.

Is it Dishwasher Safe?

Yes. After I use mine, I will CAREFULLY (those blades are sharp!) push the machine down so the needles are exposed and I wash them in a bowl of hot soapy water. For extra assurances, I place the tenderizer on the top rack of the dishwasher and have never had a problem.

Just be sure the tenderizer is dry (I let it sit at room temperature on a drying towel overnight) before putting the case lid back on it.

After I make those tough steaks more tender with what I think is the best meat tenderizer tool on the market, I move on to the marinade.

Getting the Marinade Right

Ok, let’s talk about marinades and marinating.

Marination is simply the process of soaking food (particularly cuts of meat or roasts) into a seasoned liquid (which is often somewhat acidic) for a few minutes or up to a few hours, before actually cooking it. 

A Balsamic and Brown Sugar Beef Marinade Recipe

Summer is all about grilling and enjoying some time outdoors, and what could be better than digging into a perfectly grilled, delicious, tender cut of beef, marinated with the most heavenly sauce.

This additional step gives your food a deeper, more robust flavor, and with certain meats in particular, the acid content also helps tenderize the cuts to a degree and helps make them more tender and easier to cook.

Thus… easier to chew.  

The marinade I used today is packed full of flavor that uses spices and a base of balsamic vinegar and oil. This combination helps tenderize the meat, and the tangy taste of the balsamic vinegar can be a great contrast to the fattiness of the meat. 

Be sure to look below for the full printable recipe for this super delicious marinade!

About The Marinade, Can I Make It Ahead Of time?

Yes absolutely. Make the marinade the day before you want to use it. You can marinate the beef (or even chicken or pork!) anywhere between 30 minutes to up to 4-5 hours!

Alternatively, ……

What About Freezing The Marinade?

You can make the marinade in a huge batch and pour it into ice cube trays. Allow it to freeze, remove them, and then quickly transfer them into a freezer bag.

Now you’ll have the marinade on hand whenever you want!. Just remove 2-3 cubes per steak, and just thaw them before use. It’s that simple. 

In fact, you can grab some freezer-safe bags or containers, add the steaks and marinade together, and then freeze them for future use (they stay good in there for 1-2 months).

Then, when you’re in the mood to grill, just get them out of the freezer, thaw, and you’re off to the races!

What Else Can I use this Balsamic Brown Sugar Marinade with?

You can use this marinade on pretty much any type of meat. Chicken, (chicken wings!), pork steaks, pork skewers, etc would be excellent choices.

You can also use them on pork chops, pork loin roasts, duck breasts and lamb. Pretty much any meat and poultry will work.

Grilling the Tenderized Steak

Ready to finally grill your delicious cuts of steak?

Well, you’ve got many different options to pick from. You’ve got charcoal grills and kettle grills (known for their portability) of course, but apart from that, pellet grills and gas or propane grills are also an option. 

Any grilling appliance you choose will work great for this recipe!

So after tenderizing the steaks and leaving them in the marinade for 4 – 5 hours, I fired up the grill to about 375 (burners lit only one side). I put the steaks on the hottest side of the grill.

I REALLY like that outside char when the meat is seared at high heat. If you prefer to not develop the char, start with a temp of 350..

After achieving the desired ‘char’ on the steaks, I turned down the heat to 350 and kept grilling to about a medium-rare doneness.

GRILLING NOTE: Rest the meat a few minutes after cooking before you go ahead and cut it. That way, it allows the juices to redistribute throughout the meat and as a result, will be succulent and juicier when you eat it! 

The Results Are In

So let me tell you, I was shocked at just how tender these rounds steaks were! I’m not kidding when I say that they were super flavorful with the marinade, and the tenderness of the steak was on par with a higher-end cut of steak.

I won’t go as far as saying the round steaks were as tender as a ribeye or a filet mignon – but I’m telling the truth when I say that they were really tender and such a delight to eat!

I tried grilling some SIMMERING STEAKS the following week using the same marinade as the first time. These steaks turned out even MORE tender than the first round of steaks!

In fact, keep checking back because I’ve got some FANTASTIC ideas for other recipes coming up using this meat tenderizer tool!! I truly believe that the small investment in this meat tenderizing machine is worth every penny.

It’s worth your money even if it’s only for its tenderizing solutions but it’s a huge bonus for infusing great amounts of flavor into the meat itself.

Looked after properly, this culinary tool will last you a lifetime, paying for itself over and over.

Also, if you’re totally into grilling, you should check out these other super easy and delicious grilling recipes!!

• Sweet and Spicy Grilled Wings on Skewers – Perfect for feeding a crowd

• Country Chili Lime Ribs – Tender, slightly spicy, and tangy ribs
• Summer Grilling Keto Steak Marinade – A no sugar, delicious marinade recipe

• Grilled Pepperoni and Cheese Flatbread Pizza – What? Flatbread Pizza on the grill? YES!!

• Grilled Cinnamon Bun Flatbread with a Fruity Topping – Breakfast on the grill

Thanks so much for stopping by The Salty Pot today and I hope you have a summer full of tasty grilling!!

The Recipe For The Balsamic Brown Sugar Marinade is Below!