Tricks for cooking beef empal that is not tough, not tough, and the spices are absorbed perfectly without using a pressure cooker

foto ilustrasi: YouTube/Juns Kitchen Story

The characteristic of beef empal lies in its soft yet fibrous texture, with a sweet and savory taste that penetrates into the meat.

Brilio.net - Empal beef is a classic Indonesian dish that is famous for its distinctive sweet and savory taste. This beef dish is a favorite of many people because of its tender texture and spices that penetrate deep into the meat fibers. However, not a few have failed when trying to cook empal beef at home.

illustration photo: Instagram/@icha.irawan

Empal beef or gepuk is a processed beef that is boiled until tender, pounded until the fibers are stretched, then cooked again with traditional spices. The characteristic of empal beef lies in its soft but fibrous texture, with a sweet and savory taste that penetrates into the meat.

The most suitable cuts of beef for making empal are the sirloin or shank. The sirloin has a more tender texture with less fat, while the shank has denser fibers but will be very tender if cooked properly. Avoid using meat that contains too much muscle or tendon because it will be difficult to tenderize.

1. The meat is tough and tough.

The most common complaint in cooking beef empal is the hard and tough texture. This is usually caused by:
- Cooking time is too short
- Inappropriate selection of meat parts
- Suboptimal meat striking technique
- Imperfect boiling process

2. The spices are not absorbed properly.

The second problem that is often encountered is that the seasoning does not penetrate optimally into the meat, which can be caused by:
- The meat pieces are too thick
- Short marinade time
- Inappropriate cooking techniques

Processing beef into perfect empal requires an understanding of the characteristics of the meat and the principles of cooking it. Each step has a specific function to produce tender empal with perfectly absorbed spices.

Beef has dense and strong protein fibers. Without the right technique, these fibers will remain tough even after long cooking. In addition, the tight fiber structure also prevents the spices from seeping into the meat. Here is a detailed explanation of each trick and its function summarized by BrilioFood from various sources, Wednesday (5/2).

1. Cut the meat against the grain (for tenderness)
- Cutting against the grain breaks the protein bonds that make meat tough.
- The ideal thickness of 1-1.5 cm ensures that the meat cooks evenly

2. Boil method 5-30-7 (for tenderness)
- 5 minutes initial boiling: opens the pores of the meat
- Leave for 30 minutes: give the heat time to absorb slowly.
- 7 minutes final boil: ensure the meat is cooked perfectly

3. Meat beating technique (for tenderness and seasoning)
- Stretches meat fibers
- Creates gaps for the spices to penetrate
- Creates a distinctive texture

4. STICK WITH A FORK (FOR SEASONING)
- Create a path for the spices to penetrate
- Expands the surface area of the meat

5. Marinate for at least 4 hours (for seasoning)
- Give the spices time to soak into the fibers.
- Tenderizes meat with natural enzymes from spices

6. Cook over low heat (for seasoning)
- Give the spices time to fully absorb
- Prevents meat from becoming tough due to excessive heat.

Material:
- 500 grams of outer tenderloin beef
- 8 cloves of garlic
- 6 cloves of shallot
- 3 roasted candlenuts
- 2 cm galangal
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 stalks of lemongrass
- 3 tbsp brown sugar
- 2 tbsp coriander powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper powder
- 200 ml coconut water
- Oil for frying

How to make:
1. Cut the meat against the grain with a thickness of 1-1.5 cm
2. Boil the meat using the 5-30-7 method as described above.
3. Puree the shallots, garlic, candlenuts and galangal.
4. Pound the boiled meat until the fibers stretch.
5. Prick the surface of the meat with a fork.
6. Mix the ground spices with brown sugar, coriander, salt and pepper.
7. Marinate the meat with spices for at least 4 hours in the refrigerator.
8. Cook the meat with the spices and coconut water over low heat until the water reduces.
9. Fry briefly over medium heat until golden brown.
10. Serve the beef empal while it is warm.

Additional tips:
- Use coconut water to boil the meat to make it more tender.
- Marinate can be done overnight for optimal results.
- Don't fry for too long so the meat doesn't become tough.
- Store the remaining empal in a closed container in the refrigerator.

By following this detailed guide, making tender beef empal and the spices can be done without the need for a pressure cooker. The main key lies in patience in the cooking process and precision in following each step. The 5-30-7 method combined with the right pounding and marinating techniques will produce beef empal that is no less than the results of restaurant cooking.

(brl/tin)