Salt and Rubs

• When a steak is naturally tender -- marbled throughout with flecks of fat -- a process called dry brining may be all you need to enhance the natural tenderness. Dry brining requires rubbing a dry steak on both sides with salt or a salty dry rub and allowing it to sit for an hour or two in the refrigerator before cooking. Initially, the salt draws out moisture, but the moisture is reabsorbed along with the salt. When incorporated into the meat tissues, the salt gently denatures the meat proteins, tenderizes the meat and holds the moisture in during cooking. Rinse off the excess salt and pat the steak dry before cooking. Add salt and salty ingredients such as soy sauce to marinades to help tenderize the meat.

Acid Ingredients and Sauces

• Acidic ingredients used in marinades break down the muscle fibers and tendons that make a steak chewy. Unfortunately, acid ingredients can also chemically denature the meat if left on too long. For most meats, use acid-based marinades for 2 to 4 hours at most. Use wine, beer, vinegar and citrus juices in marinades for steaks that will be cooked over dry heat or in the braising liquid of steaks in recipes such as Swiss or braised steak. Add tomato sauces to the marinade in conjunction with a slow cooking process to tenderize tougher cuts of steak.

Fruit and Enzyme Based Tenderizers

• Enzyme-based meat tenderizers naturally exist in fruits such as pineapple, papaya and kiwis. The fresh or frozen juice or pulp of these fruits breaks down the meat tendons. Commercial meat tenderizers also contain these enzymes. The downside of enzyme-based meat tenderizers is that they can break down the texture of the meat, making it mushy, if left on too long before cooking. Apply commercial meat tenderizers, pineapple and papaya up to 30 minutes before cooking. Kiwi fruit is very mild and can remain on the steak for long periods without affecting the texture of the meat.

Dairy Products

• Dairy products including milk, buttermilk and yogurt are ideal tenderizing ingredients. They chemically tenderize the steak without the danger of a mushy result. Dairy products act slowly on the meat, requiring a marinating time of 4 to 12 hours. Refrigerate the meat in the marinade until an hour before cooking. Dairy-based marinades are often used in kabob recipes, and they work just as well on whole steaks.