# How tender is too tender ?

**URL:** <https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625>\
**Category:** General\
**Created:** [August 7, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625 "2020-08-07T17:02:51Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 7\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Fishchris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/fishchris/32/5528_2.png) [@Fishchris](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Fishchris)\
**Post date:** [August 7, 2020, 5:02pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625/1 "2020-08-07T17:02:51Z")

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I like mine about 2 minutes away from being mushy 🙂 Been doing all of my meats longer, and my Picanha steaks for 16-18 hrs @ 135F. They could be eaten with only a fork, but it would take a little more work, and kind of mutilate the pieces. Of course with a knife, I can almost just push the blade straight down through it.  
My GF complains that they are too tender. Maybe if I had molars, Id agree.

I know beef can start to disintegrate, and become powdery, and that’s pretty nasty. But personally, I like it just before that point. How about you ?

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**Author:** ![Mirozen](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/mirozen/32/2786_2.png) [@Mirozen](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Mirozen)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 12:33am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625/2 "2020-08-08T00:33:59Z")

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My wife leans towards the same ultra tender preference as you do Chris! Personally I am a bit more traditional. 🙂

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**Author:** ![Ember](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/ember/32/729_2.png) [@Ember](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Ember)\
**Post date:** [August 8, 2020, 11:28pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625/3 "2020-08-08T23:28:05Z")

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Pure, unadulterated personal preference.

I like texture in my food. Chewing increases the opportunity for tasting.

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**Author:** ![Fishchris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/fishchris/32/5528_2.png) [@Fishchris](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Fishchris)\
**Post date:** [August 9, 2020, 1:45am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625/4 "2020-08-09T01:45:27Z")

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I hear you, but in my case “gumming” doesn’t work as well 😀 lol

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**Author:** ![Mike9999](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Mike9999](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Mike9999)\
**Post date:** [August 10, 2020, 2:13pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625/5 "2020-08-10T14:13:41Z")

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In another post, I described a supermarket corned beef as having the texture of mashed potatoes (not an exaggeration). It was awful. Not sure if that was due to a long cooking time, over tenderized at the factory, or both (probably the last two). The problem is that there’s no way to know in advance. So I’m going the DIY route next St Patty’s Day.  
Costco regularly sells a marinated skirt steak, which I believe contains papain as a tenderizer. Delicious, melt-in-your-mouth goodness when tasting a sample in the store. Way too mushy when eating a full serving at home.  
I like a little bit of chew in my meat. Not a jaw exercise, but I want to know I’m eating something. To that end, I’ve pretty much sworn off ‘tenderized’ meats. Instead, relying on the notes I’m gathering on the cheap cuts I’ve been buying since discovering sous vide.

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**Author:** ![jmack03](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/3bc359/32.png) [@jmack03](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/jmack03)\
**Post date:** [August 17, 2020, 7:28pm UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625/6 "2020-08-17T19:28:31Z")

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I do tri-tip roasts (known elsewhere as bottom sirloin) at 131F for 16 hours and they’re super-tender. Those are our favorite cut of beef.

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**Author:** ![Fishchris](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/community.anovaculinary.com/fishchris/32/5528_2.png) [@Fishchris](https://community.anovaculinary.com/u/Fishchris)\
**Post date:** [September 3, 2020, 6:23am UTC](https://community.anovaculinary.com/t/how-tender-is-too-tender/26625/7 "2020-09-03T06:23:13Z")

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I do tri tip roasts for 16 hrs at 135F, and also very tender, but not so rare / red.