On Wed, 7 Apr 2010 08:44:34 -0400, "piedmont" >
wrote:

>"JW" > wrote in message
.. .
>>I was given some "Spice Cargo" meat tenderizer in a white powdered
>> form, with no instructions. Can anyone give me some advice on how to
>> use it. I hava a lot of round steak to chew on.
>
>
>Hey JW,
>
>Here is a snippet from Wikipedia about Round Steak,
>
>A round steak is a steak from the round primal cut of a beef carcass, known
>as a rump steak, snip, This is a lean cut and it is moderately tough. Lack
>of fat and marbling makes round dry out when cooked with dry-heat cooking
>methods like roasting or grilling. Round steak is commonly prepared with
>slow moist-heat methods including braising, to tenderize the meat and
>maintain moisture. The cut is often sliced thin, then dried or smoked at low
>temperature to make jerky.
>
>Round steak is taste-y but requires a different cooking technique than what
>you'd think about when you hear the word 'steak'. Personally I would give
>the Spice Cargo to someone else as a gift! ha, ha.
>Tenderize with the typical cooking technique for that particular cut, time,
>temperature, braising rather than something that 'dissolves' the flesh so's
>to speak. Come back and tell us how it went!

There are different cuts of "round", and of course different grades
Bottom round is best braised/pot roasted, but USDA Choice top round is
what's typically labled "London Broil" and makes an excellent steak,
grilled, broiled or pan fried... top round also makes a fine oven
roast. All round naturally makes great burgers. Without knowing
exactly what's contained in that white powder I'd toss it in the
trash. Chemical meat tenderizers (enzymes) typically tenderize by
digestion, which gives meat an awful slimey texture. I think it's
best to tenderize tougher cuts by marinating with mild acids, like
vinegar, wine, and citrus, as one would a London broil or
sauerbratten. I would also tenderize tougher cuts mechanically, by
cubing, or grinding... NEVER pound any meat or you'll make it tougher
by driving out its natural juices... only foodtv moroons pound meat to
make it thinner, because they are incapable of using cutlery. I would
definitely toss that powder in the trash. If you still want to
tenderize with enzymes/protase I'd strongly recommend using fresh
pineapple/papaya (contains bromelain/papain) in your marinade instead
of those powders, and still be aware of the marinating time.