There are staunch mutton lovers who won't settle for any other meat but mutton. We are sure you know many of them, or maybe, you are one yourself. For mutton buffs, the dish has to be perfect. But the problem with cooking mutton is that it's difficult to get it right. One small misstep and you get chewy and dry meat, which is really a disappointment. But there are people who manage to get soft and tender mutton every single time. How? They follow the following steps to make the perfect mutton dish. Check out some of them below:
Also Read: Indian Cooking Tips: How To Make Street-Style Crispy And Khasta Samosa
Here Are 5 Tips To Make Soft And Tender Mutton:
1. Buy the right meat
This is obviously the first step to cooking mutton at home. By picking the right kind of meat, you can ensure that it will turn out as succulent as you want. Always pick freshly cut meat in place of frozen meat. It's a given that fresh meat will cook better. You can make out if the meat being sold at the butcher shop is old by checking its texture. If the meat appears loose, not hard, and the fibre is breaking, chances are it's not fresh.
Also Read: How To Clean Raw Meat At Home- 5 Tips To Follow
2. Cut the meat judiciously
Yes, the way you cut the raw meat before cooking it makes a whole lot of difference in the end result. The purpose is to break the muscle fibre so that it doesn't turn chewy, and the ideal way to do this is by slicing across the muscles and not from the centre. This will break down proteins, helping it cook faster and turn out more tender.
Also Read: 11 Basic Cooking Tips To Help Beginners Become Better Cooks
3. Don't skip marination
Cooking Tips: Always add an acidic ingredient to the marinade. Photo Credit: iStock
This is actually one of the most important steps in cooking meat, not just mutton but any other meat. The process of marination is key to making soft mutton and imbuing flavours in it. One rule of thumb is to add at least one acidic ingredient to the marinade. Acid breaks down the collagen in the muscles, adding moisture to the meat. Marinate your meat in a pool of curd or lemon or both, with salt, pepper and other seasonings. Aim to marinate for at least two hours, and for best results, do it overnight.
4. Cook slowly
There is a reason the method of slow cooking is so popular. Cooking for long hours helps the flavours seep in deep into the food. In the case of meat, slow cooking tenderises it. To get good meat, try to cook it for around three hours on low flame.
Also Read: 9 Cooking Mistakes That May Spoil Your Chicken
5. Salt the meat
If you don't have enough time to prepare the marinade, you can also rub salt on the meat and leave it for a couple of hours before cooking it. Salt also does a good job, if not better, to break down muscle fibre. But remember to wash off excess salt before cooking it.
Also Read: 17 Best Indian Mutton Recipes | Easy Mutton Recipes
Enjoy, juicy, tender and soft mutton with these tips, every single time. Are you slurping already?