281599 Fri Dec 09 02:27:19 -0800 2005 10 31 Home Cooking 0 1498700 I'd like to know more specifics of the Chinese technique of using baking soda as a meat tenderizer. It's commonly used on thinly sliced pieces of tough beef and renders them "gummably" tender. I was eating Korean BBQ the other day, gnawing on some tough, sinewy kalbi. It occured to me that the Chinese method can be applied to thinly cross cut slices of short rib if I try making this at home. From what I've read, there's two variations of this technique. Method #1 uses a tiny amount of baking soda in a marinade that won't leave an bitter/ salty aftertaste, and the marinade is not rinsed off prior to cooking. Method #2 treats the meat with a coating of baking soda for a few hours, which is then rinsed off completely, followed by a marination to add flavor. If using this method, how much baking soda is appropriate? Which method have you used? Will this treatment work on large pieces of meat (whole racks of spare ribs or a 7 bone pot roast, for example), or just thin slices? A couple of my reference books (The Chinese Kitchen by Eileen Yin Fei Long, and On Food and Cooking by Harold McGee) didn't mention this at all. Can any of our Chinese cooks (Yimster? Gary?) help? Fri Dec 09 02:27:19 -0800 2005 0 Professor Salt 1 1498709 My preferred tenderizer for kalbi is an acidic fruit. Korean friends' mothers have suggested kiwi or fresh pinepple. Half a kiwi is enough for a few pounds of meat (one large tupperware) of marinade, and you can't let it soak any more than a day or the meat will start deteriorating. This is my usual substitute for your method #1. The baking soda will only work on the surface of meats, making it a bad idea for large cuts. It's hard to describe what baking soda makes large pieces of meat taste like because most of us are only used to tasting tiny little tender bites of that "gummably" meat you refer to. There's a reason for that--it's really best to save this method for bite sized pieces. The best comparison I can think of is something akin to a bad chicken fried steak. Fri Dec 09 08:09:25 -0800 2005 1498700 0 nooodles 2 1498768 Agreed - I have a 20 year old cookbook for my basic chinese recipes "Cooking the Chan-ese Way," by Titus Chan - very popular in Hawaii back in the day, that uses small amount of baking soda in the marinade for tenderizing small slices of beef. Another use back then was bakng soda in green vegetable (broccoli or green beans) cooking water to brighten the green color, I don't use it since I learned that it leaches the vitamins out. Hope this helps! Fri Dec 09 12:55:06 -0800 2005 1498709 0 chopstix 1 1498712 Not sure I would call the action tenderizing. It gives the crisp surface to stir fried beef. I saw it noted as a secret on a segment of David Rosengarten's Taste on FoodTV a few years ago. Fri Dec 09 08:15:38 -0800 2005 1498700 0 rexmo 1 1498777 Many cooks simply add a bit of bicarb to the egg whites marinating the beef, then toss in cornstarch before frying. I prefer using better cuts of beef. Fri Dec 09 13:20:10 -0800 2005 1498700 0 Jim H. 2 1498804 I fully agree. Get the right piece of meat for the type of meal you want to make. Beware: bicarb does not agree with everyone. A tummy ache might be hiding there. Fri Dec 09 14:52:45 -0800 2005 1498777 0 Lamaranthe 3 1498810 I've had meats "tenderized" with baking soda and I've got to say, I think it's freakin nasty. It's just a creepy, fake texture that makes me think I'm eating food that somebody else has already chewed. The tropical fruit tenderizers aren't quite as bad but I still dislike the results. I say, if you've got a tough piece of meat, use a more appropriate (e.g., longer and wetter) cooking technique. Fri Dec 09 15:16:06 -0800 2005 1498804 0 nja 2 1498813 Thanks, everone. I appreciate the quick feedback. Thing is, I *want* to use the tougher cuts of meat. Short ribs are inherently tough, and grilling them Korean BBQ style doesn't break down the connective tissue. Nonetheless, it's the "correct" cooking technique for that cut in that context. I'll try the acidic fruit like nooodles suggested, and along with the bicarb in a side by side comparison. Fri Dec 09 15:32:51 -0800 2005 1498777 0 Professor Salt 3 1498817 I look forward to your report. Many of the Kolbi recipes I encountered when I made them a while back called for pear in the marinade--wonder if that is a tenderizer. My ribs were tender. Fri Dec 09 15:44:01 -0800 2005 1498813 0 Funwithfood 3 1499031 I could not disagree with you more. Where did you get that? Sun Dec 11 14:26:45 -0800 2005 1498813 0 Lamaranthe 4 1499298 What do you disagree with? I'm not clear on what you mean. Mon Dec 12 22:27:53 -0800 2005 1499031 0 Professor Salt