Were you unlucky with the meat, or did you unknowingly cook the dish incorrectly and the meat became tough?
First of all, remember that the meat of the back of the carcass is softer and more tender, and it is suitable for stewing, baking, boiling, as well as frying and grilling. The meat of the front is tough and rough – it is better to put it on minced meat or cook for a very long time. Younger meat cooks faster. The meat of the old animal is tough and often not juicy.
What if you realize that nothing digestible will come out of a raw piece of meat?
Firstly, the meat can be boiled for a long time, at least 2,5 hours.
Another way is to boil water in a saucepan, put a piece of meat in there, reduce heat and cook without letting the broth boil. In this case, keep in mind that the broth will not be too rich, so this method will not work for preparing first courses.
Even before cooking, you can marinate a tough piece of meat: make cuts in the meat and, overlaying it with chopped onions, refrigerate for a couple of hours. Mustard is also suitable as a marinade – it loosens the fibers. This soaking is enough for 30 minutes, then the meat must be rinsed with water and cooked.
The meat can be slightly beaten off with a culinary hammer or knife handle, it will become thinner and softer.
Remember that adding salt at the beginning of the boil increases the likelihood that the meat will be tough.