15 meat tenderizer recipes

Portuguese sauce blends ketchup, chili sauce, tomato juice, pickles, capers, olives, and Tabasco into a tangy zesty cocktail-style sauce. Five minutes in a blender, ready to spoon over shrimp, steak, or burgers.

Kung pao chicken with overnight egg-white-and-cornstarch velvet marinade for restaurant-tender meat. Stir-fried with ginger, scallions, and peanuts in a soy-sherry-vinegar-sesame sauce. The Sichuan classic, made at home.

Swedish meatballs in a creamy dill and mushroom sour cream sauce, served over egg noodles with green beans. Club soda in the meat mixture keeps them light and tender.

Traditional meat dolma: small green bell peppers stuffed with seasoned meat and rice, gently simmered over parsley stems until tender. Served hot with cool yogurt on the side.

Slow-braised shredded beef simmered with stewed tomatoes, cumin, and garlic until fork-tender. Makes 3 quarts of tender, saucy meat for tacos, burritos, and more.

One-skillet pork loin chops braised with acorn squash, onions, sage, and garlic in chicken broth. A savory fall dinner with tender meat and silky squash.

Steak and kidney pudding with diced beef and kidneys in a suet pastry crust, steamed for 4 hours until the meat is meltingly tender. A proper British steamed pudding done the traditional way.

Tender venison pot roast simmered low and slow in tomato juice with potatoes and carrots. This hearty game meat recipe turns deer or elk into a fork-tender, melt-in-your-mouth Sunday dinner.

Italian-style venison pot roast braised low and slow in red wine, tomato sauce, and oregano. A Dutch oven recipe that turns lean game meat fork-tender with rich gravy.

Porridge meat loaf made with oatmeal, beef, and pork baked in a water bath for a tender, steamed texture. Seasoned with savory, thyme, and red wine.

Special lard-based pastry dough for tourtieres (French-Canadian meat pies). A flaky, tender crust that rolls out easily and handles beautifully. Makes enough for multiple pies.

A trail-worthy chili made from beef jerky, chili powder, cumin seeds, and oregano simmered low and slow until the jerky rehydrates and turns tender. No fresh meat or refrigeration needed.

Two whole chickens simmered with leeks, carrots, celery, and fresh thyme yield a crystal-clear broth and tender diced meat. A from-scratch chicken soup that's worth every minute of the 2.5-hour simmer.

No-boil lasagna with ground beef meat sauce, ricotta-mozzarella cheese filling, and uncooked noodles that soften right in the pan. Skip the boiling step and still get a classic family-style lasagna with tender layers.

Classic buttermilk waffles with crisp edges and fluffy centers. Simple batter made with sour milk for tang and tender texture that beats any mix.