Braised beef tendon meat is not only a delicious home-cooked dish, but also a favorite accompaniment to many diners. If you want to marinate beef shank meat that is both beautiful and delicious, the key lies in the selection of ingredients, seasonings, heat and marinating time. Below, I will share the steps and tips of marinating beef tendon meat in detail to help you easily make excellent and fragrant marinated beef tendon.
1. Material selection and preparation
First of all, we want to choose fresh beef shank meat. Fresh beef tendon meat is bright red in color, firm and elastic. At the time of purchase, it is possible to smell the meat, and the fresh beef tendon meat should have no odor. In addition, the size and shape of the beef shank meat should also be moderate, so that it can be marinated to absorb the flavor.
Wash the selected beef tendon and cut it into pieces of moderate size. Then, marinate it with cooking wine, ginger slices and a little salt to remove the fishy smell of the beef and increase the umami of the meat. The marinating time should not be too long, generally 20-30 minutes.
2. Prepare the marinade
The combination of marinades directly affects the texture and taste of marinated beef tendons. Generally speaking, marinades include soy sauce, rock sugar, cooking wine, ginger, green onions, star anise, cinnamon, bay leaves, Sichuan peppercorns, etc. Among them, the soy sauce should be a combination of dark soy sauce and light soy sauce, which can not only color the beef tendon meat, but also increase the umami flavor of the marinade. The addition of rock sugar can neutralize the saltiness of the soy sauce and make the marinade more mellow. Ginger, green onions, and cooking wine can remove the fishy smell of beef and increase the aroma of the meat. Star anise, cinnamon and bay leaves are the key to fragrance, while Sichuan peppercorns bring a hint of numbness.
Put the prepared marinade into a casserole, add an appropriate amount of water, bring to a boil over high heat, turn to low heat and cook for about 20 minutes, so that the fragrance of the marinade can be fully integrated.
3. Marinating process
Put the marinated beef shank meat in a pan and bring to a boil over high heat to skim off the foam. Then, turn to low heat and marinate slowly. During the marinating process, it is necessary to always pay attention to the heat and the amount of marinade. Too much heat will cause the meat to be too tight and have a poor taste; If the heat is too small, it will affect the marinating time, so that the meat quality is not flavorful enough. The amount of marinade should also be moderate, too much will cause a thin taste, and too little will be easy to paste the pot.
In the process of marinating, we can turn the beef tendon meat at the right time to make the meat pieces evenly absorb the flavor. When the beef tendon meat is cooked to maturity, you can add some eggs, dried tofu and other ingredients to marinate together to increase the richness of the marinade.
4. Juice collection and cooling
When the beef tendon meat is cooked to a complete depth and the marinade is thick, it is time to start to remove the juice. At this point, the heat can be reduced to a minimum and the marinade will slowly penetrate into the meat. During the process of collecting the juice, it is necessary to observe the consistency of the marinade at all times and avoid sticking to the pot. When the marinade is reduced to an appropriate amount, turn off the heat.
Remove the marinated beef tendon and place it on a plate to cool. The cooling process not only makes the meat firmer and more elastic, but also allows the marinade to adhere better to the meat. Slice the cooled beef tendon meat and put it on a plate, drizzle with some marinade and serve.
5. Tips
1. When marinating beef tendon meat, you can add some acidic substances such as hawthorn or lemon juice to help the meat soften and absorb the flavor.
2. In the process of marinating, the proportion and dosage of marinade can be appropriately adjusted according to personal taste. For example, if you like sweetness, you can increase the amount of rock sugar in moderation; If you like hemp fragrance, you can add more peppercorns, etc.
3. When the marinated beef tendon meat is cooled and sliced and put on a plate, it can be paired with some spices such as coriander and chopped green onion to increase the taste and beauty.
Through the introduction of the above steps and skills, I believe you have mastered the method of marinating beef tendon meat. As long as the ingredients are properly selected, the seasoning is properly matched, the heat is properly mastered and the marinating time is long enough, it is easy to make excellent and fragrant braised beef shank. Give it a try!