Best Meat Tenderizer Powder

The professional chef secret to that perfect juicy meat is not only choosing the best and most expensive cut of meat but the secret also lies in the meat tenderizer used. The meat is marinated with this powder for a time depending on the thickness of the meat. It is then poked with a fork or meat hammer. The tenderizer breaks down the meat fibers, making it tender and juicy, like an expensive cut of meat.

Different kinds of meat tenderizers

These powders can be divided into two main groups.

Food Derivatives

They are enzymes protease or proteolytic enzymes that break down tough proteins. They are naturally derived from different foods. For eg.

Papin: it is the powder form of young green papaya.
Bromelain: it is made from pineapple pulp.
Actindin: it is made from dried kiwi pulp.
Kachri: it is a herb kachri, dried and powdered.
Ficin: derived from fig fruit.
Vinegar: it is nature’s acid. Apple cider vinegar also gives a great taste to the meat.

Chemical Derivatives

Baking soda
Citric acid
Acetic acid

Adolphs Tenderizing Powder

It has all-natural ingredients and is MSG-free. It is made from pineapple extract and contains a little salt and sugar. Can be used on all kinds of meats. Just moisten the cut and sprinkle the powder.

McCormick Unseasoned Meat Tenderizer

This is the most commented and most starred meat tenderizer on Amazon with over a thousand reviews. Being unseasoned, it does not add flavor to your meat. All-natural ingredients and made with pineapple pulp. Marination time is as little as 30 minutes for the toughest cut.

Marshalls Creek Spices Meat Tenderizer

Although it is MSG and salt-free, it contains all-natural spice blends. Papaya is the meat tenderizer. It also contains paprika, garlic powder, back pepper, parsley, and chili pepper. Mild in flavor but you can intensify the flavor without the fear of over-salting the meat. It comes in small packing, to minimize shelf life and ensure you use fresh food every time.

Badia Meat Tenderizer

It contains Monosodium glutamate as a tenderizer but its sodium content is much lower than most of the other tenderizers. Gluten-free and Kosher, it is popular among Chinese and Japanese as MSG is more recognized in their cooking. Contains canola and phosphates to increase shelf life.

Spice Classic Seasoned Meat Tenderizer

Its ingredients are a perfect blend of natural and kosher spices. It contains pineapple as a tenderizer, and other Savoury spices like sugar and sea salt, onion, dextrose, paprika, and garlic powder. Calcium silicate is added as an anti-caking agent.

Whatever meat tenderizer you choose, make sure that it is not overly loaded with chemicals. Moisten meat cut and sprinkle meat tenderizer with your choice of spices. Poke with fork or meat poker. Marinate it depending on the strength of the tenderizer and the thickness of your meat cut. It may be cooked as bar b q, grilled, or baked. Do it right and you will have a restaurant-quality steak that is super smooth, tender, and juicy. Bellissimo!