Meat Up with Tea

By Colleen Walsh Fong

Day 9 of 10 Days of Tea

A great way to keep your food costs down is to use less-expensive, and therefore tougher, cuts of meat. This strategy has its downside though since tougher cuts can be difficult to chew. It’s usually worth your while to intervene with meat tenderizing additives or techniques. My food mallet has helped me to improve many a piece of meat. But I also like to use additives because they can enhance the meat’s flavor, too.

Many people think of MSG (monosodium glutamate) when they hear the term “meat tenderizer” as it’s been widely used to keep costs down in restaurants and even in our home kitchens.  But MSG has been tied to adverse side effects in recent years, so many restaurants now advertise “no msg” on their menus.

If you’ve followed this series, 10 Days of Tea, you won’t be surprised to read that one of the most effective substances for tenderizing meat is tea. Here’s a marinade I’ve used to tenderize a 2-lb flank steak before grilling it.

Mix together and place the following into a Ziploc bag with your meat:

2 cups of cooled black tea

1/4 cup of extra virgin olive oil

4 cloves of garlic, minced

2 teaspoons peeled ginger root, minced

It’s best to marinate the meat for several hours or overnight if possible. The longer it soaks the easier it will be to chew.

If my creation doesn’t sound like your cup of tea (I couldn’t resist) scores of recipes for tea-based marinades will arrive at your fingertips by conducting an internet search. I encourage you to find one that sounds good to you.

For more ways to eat delicious food and keep your costs down check out the Easy Weekly Meals cookbooks for smart devices. If you like what you see, give our Facebook page a “Like” so we can keep you up-to-date on creative food ideas. 

Enjoy National Hot Tea Month.