why is my beef tenderloin dry and tough?

C

carroll-astana

Well-known member
Fried Pork with orange juice and sesame:

Materials

Pork 300 g

Orange 1 pc

White Sesame 1 tbsp

Sauce

Light Soy Sauces 1 tbsp

Orange Wine 1 tbsp

Orange Juice 3 tbsp

Orange Rind Jam 1 tbsp

Seasoning

Light Soy Sauces 1 tbsp

Sugar 1/2 tbsp

Pepper a little

Orange Wine 1 tbsp

Steps

1) Clean and slice the orange, onto dish

2) Slice the pork into thick pieces, marinate 15 minutes with seasoning

3) Dust the cornflour fully around the sliced pork

4) Heat the wok with plenty of oil, deeply fry the sliced pork, dish up

5) Heat the wok with few oil, add deep fried pork and sauce, stir fry

6) Dish up the fried pork onto the orange, then dust the sesame on

I have made the above with beef tenderloin. The night before, I have marinated the sliced tenderloin (quarter inch thick) in the above season plus a few spoonful of water. The beef had absorbed all the seasoning and water. Next day, when I took the beef out, it was covered with water and seasonings it had absorbed so I have to pour the liquid out. I did not deep fry it but fried it in little bit of oil.

But the beef was dry and tough not the smooth and tender ones that I had anticipated. What did I do wrong.

Thanks

Carroll - Astana (formerly Uzbeck)

PS: Glad to discover this website, was pouting for a long time because I did not seem to be able to handle epicurious.

 
I think the slices are too thin for one thing

And the acidity of the marinade might be too much too long for the beef.

 
I think beef tenderloin must be handled gently...

I would hesitate marinating it and Durward had some good points. Also if overcooked, it gets tough. Either quickly stir fry beef tenderloin so it is still pink in the middle (and leave out the marinade unless it's only for 20 minutes or so) or use sirloin steak. That packs lots of flavor and I like the taste better for stir fry. Not to mention the fact that it's so much cheaper.

 
Carroll, also, it could be the meat. I bought a beef tenderloin that was Angus

the meat cutter recommended and told me it would be good to serve company. It was tough and dry also. In my opinion, Costco has the best meat and I get my meats there when possible.

 
I would have to say that I have never had a

tough dry tenderloin anywhere--at home or out. Angus is considered one of the best beef cattle and is usually sold at a premium. I agree about Costco and Sam's meats.
In the US,tenderloin by definition is the most tender muscle of the cow/pig/deer/chicken. How you fix it can make it tough and dry. Over cooked, marinated too long-- other things do enter in to affect the outcome of the dish.

 
Hi Carroll, another idea is that you may have marinated it too long, if you

left it overnight. I would only marinate it for about 30 minutes, maximum.

 
Here are some additional possible answers

First, citrus can sort of "cook" meats or fish because of the high acidity and if you marinated the meat overnight it is a real possibility that it happened and toughened the meat.

Second, beef tenderloin has almost no fat and is universally known as the premier roasting cut (usually some sort of fat layer is added for roasting). It is really "delicate" and needs special handling. Cutting it in thin slices after marinating, then breading it then frying it, in my mind, would assure toughness. Pork loin would also be tough prepared this way.

 
Durwood, I followed the meatcutter's instructions exactly, I even went back

and told him how disappointed I was with the cut of tenderloin. They offered to replace it, but that wasn't my intent. I was just disappointed because I didn't overcook it.
I bought it at Randalls, a supermarket chain here in Houston. Usually, they have good meats, but this angus was tough and grisly.

 
Then, with all due respect it was not

tenderloin. There is no place for gristle in tenderloin. You should have made them replace it with true tenderloin.

 
Pork loin would be but probably not pork tenderloin.

It has enough fat marbling. But the time of marinating is just too long.

 
NO, that does not at all translate to "gristly"

I have rarely trimmed the silverskin. It does NOT make it tough and "grisly". You cut through it on the surface.

 
OK. Why. I just made a distinction between two VERY

different pieces of meat.
Tenderloin can be sauteed very successfully if done correctly.
Pork LOIN is a dry and tasteless piece of meat and I would agree with you.

Tell me which you were speaking about. I assume the tenderloin. It can be successfully sauteed, particularly pounded and then sauteed VERY quickly.

 
Gretchen, if she made the pork tenderloin exactly like she made the beef (more)

tenderloin, by slicing thinly and marinating overnight then breading and frying it, chances are it would turn out tough just like the beef tenderloin did.

 
Well, guess it's a matter of taste...

I personally don't like the silver but I'm picky about that kind of thing.

Also, when my nephew the chef (in a 5 star restaurant) taught me the best way to trim and tie a beef tenderloin he told me they would always trim/remove the silver and toss it in the stockpot - for exactly these reasons.

 
I don't disagree about trimming the silverskin.

I have done it both ways most recently at Christmas--trimmed and tied. It's just that it is not really like gristle. It will cut through and it does "retract". And it doesn't make the meat within tough and dry as has been described.
It think what was sold was perhaps a "filet of something (sirloin or chuck)", but not a true tenderloin. Just my opinion.

 
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