Can cooked meat still be tenderized?

[RaRa]

I grilled some really tough steaks the other night and was wondering if I can still tenderize the leftovers? I was thinking of slow cooking them in the oven with tomatoes and garlic etc. Would that do any good?

[Stinky The Clown]

1. That would do a great deal of good.

Long, slow cooking indeed tenderizes. That's why tough old stew meat or tough old roosters get tender after a long cooking.

Meat actually gets tougher when it is cooked quickly. But increase the cooking time and that very same piece of meat gets tender again .... and more tender .... and more tender ..... until it nearly dissolves.

As an experiment, next time you make stew, try eating a piece of the meat right after you sear it at th every beginning. Its so tough you can barely chew it. Let it go for an hour or so and that same meat is nice and tender.

[grasswire]

2. sure....

...or simmer gently atop the stove for a couple of hours. That's what swiss steak is. Tough meat, simmered over low heat for a long time.

Or you could make some beef barley soup with it, if you add some mushrooms and vegetables to enrich the broth.

[fortyfeetunder]

3. Add a little fresh grated ginger to your cooking liquid

It tenderizes like nobody's business.
Only If you want that certain ginger bite afterward.