Can You Eat the Tendons in Steak? A Culinary Guide

October 11, 2025 •

4 min read

According to food scientists, beef tendons are primarily composed of collagen, a tough connective tissue that becomes gelatinous and tender when cooked properly over a long period. This means that while you can eat the tendons in steak, they require different preparation than the muscle meat to be enjoyable.

Quick Summary

This guide explains how to properly cook and prepare the tendons found in steak to create a rich, flavorful, and tender ingredient, detailing various cooking methods and debunking common misconceptions about edibility.

Key Points

Yes, tendons are edible: Beef tendons can be safely eaten after proper cooking to break down their tough collagen.
Requires slow cooking: Unlike steak meat, tendons need hours of slow, moist heat (like braising or stewing) to become tender and gelatinous.
Often repurposed: Because they don't cook well with quick-seared steak, tendons are often trimmed and used in stocks, sauces, and stews.
Rich in collagen: Tendons are a great source of collagen, which is beneficial for skin, hair, and joint health.
A staple in Asian cuisine: Dishes like Vietnamese Pho and Chinese braised tendons utilize this ingredient for its unique texture and flavor.
Do not eat raw: Raw or undercooked tendons are tough, chewy, and indigestible due to their high collagen content.
Pressure cookers speed up the process: A pressure cooker can dramatically reduce the time needed to tenderize tendons from hours to minutes.

The Science Behind Beef Tendons

Tendons are the fibrous bands of tissue that connect a cow's muscles to its bones. While muscle tissue (the "meat" part of a steak) cooks quickly, tendons are dense with a protein called collagen. In its raw or undercooked state, this collagen is tough, elastic, and chewy, which is why a gristly bit in a quick-seared steak is so unpleasant. However, with the right cooking process, the collagen breaks down and melts, converting into a rich, flavorful gelatin. This transformation is why many inexpensive, tougher cuts of meat that are rich in connective tissue are best prepared through low-and-slow cooking methods like braising or stewing.

Why Most People Trim Tendons from Steak

The main reason home cooks remove tendons and sinew from their steaks is practical: the cooking time for a prime steak cut is too short for the tendon to properly tenderize. A ribeye, for instance, might be grilled for only 10-15 minutes, while a tendon requires hours of moist heat to become tender. Furthermore, while the beefy flavor of tendons is mild, their texture can be off-putting if not fully broken down. Most diners prefer a consistent, tender bite of muscle meat, and the tough, chewy tendon interrupts that experience. The "silver skin," a tough membrane of connective tissue often found on cuts like tenderloin, is also typically trimmed for this reason.

Best Uses for Beef Tendons in the Kitchen

Instead of discarding the sinew and tendons, many chefs and cultures repurpose them into delicious, collagen-rich dishes. This practice is especially common in Asian cuisines.

Stocks and Sauces: The most straightforward use for beef tendons is to add them to a stock pot. As they simmer, they infuse the broth with rich flavor and a beautiful gelatinous body that enhances soups and sauces.
Braising and Stewing: Tendons are excellent when braised for several hours until they are fork-tender. Dishes like Vietnamese Pho (noodle soup) often feature soft, melt-in-your-mouth beef tendon.
Snacks and Appetizers: In some cuisines, cooked and chilled tendons are sliced thinly and served cold in salads or with a spicy sauce. Other preparations include deep-frying cooked tendons until they are crispy, similar to chicharrón.

Comparison: Cooking Tendons vs. Lean Steak Cuts


Feature	Cooking Beef Tendons	Cooking a Lean Steak (e.g., Filet Mignon)
Cooking Time	Long (4-8 hours or more)	Short (minutes)
Cooking Method	Low and slow (braising, stewing, pressure cooking)	High heat (grilling, searing, pan-frying)
Heat Type	Moist heat to break down collagen	Dry heat to cook muscle proteins quickly
Desired Result	Tender, gelatinous, and rich	Tender, juicy, and a consistent texture
Texture	Soft, sticky, and rich mouthfeel	Firm yet tender, with fine muscle fibers
Flavor	Mildly beefy, adds deep flavor to stocks	Intense, pure beef flavor

Step-by-Step Guide to Preparing and Cooking Beef Tendons

For those who wish to go beyond trimming and master cooking this ingredient, here is a general preparation guide.

Rinse and Blanch: Thoroughly rinse the tendons under cold water. For extra cleanliness, blanch them by boiling in water for 2-3 minutes, then draining and rinsing again. This removes impurities that can cause an off-putting smell.
Slow Cook: Place the tendons in a heavy-bottomed pot or a slow cooker. Cover them with water or a flavorful broth. Use aromatics like ginger, garlic, or star anise for additional flavor.
Simmer for Hours: Simmer gently for 4 to 8 hours, or until the tendons are very tender. A pressure cooker can drastically reduce this time to 30-100 minutes. Check periodically and skim off any scum that rises to the surface.
Cool and Chill: Once tender, remove the tendons and let them cool. For easier slicing, refrigerate them for a few hours until they firm up.
Slice and Reheat: Slice the chilled, cooked tendons into bite-sized pieces. Reheat them in a sauce or add them directly to soups and stews for a fantastic texture boost.

Conclusion: More Than Just Trimmings

The answer to "can you eat the tendons in steak?" is a resounding yes, but the key lies in the preparation. While they are unsuitable for a quick-cooked steak, these often-discarded parts are a culinary treasure when given the proper time and care. By transforming tough collagen into tender gelatin through slow cooking, you not only reduce food waste but also unlock a deep, satisfying flavor and texture that elevates dishes like soups and stews. So the next time you trim a steak, consider giving those tendons a new life in the kitchen. For further cooking and nutritional information, consult a comprehensive guide on offal preparation.

Frequently Asked Questions

If you eat undercooked tendon, it will be tough, fibrous, and chewy due to its high collagen content not yet having converted into tender gelatin.

Yes, eating properly cooked beef tendons is healthy as they are a rich source of collagen, which benefits joint health, skin elasticity, and other connective tissues.

Chefs often save trimmed tendons and silver skin to use in making rich, flavorful beef stocks or to add to braised dishes, where the long cooking time will properly tenderize them.

No, you cannot effectively cook the tendon and steak at the same time. The cooking requirements are opposite: steak needs high heat and short cooking, while tendon needs low, slow, moist heat for a long period.

Properly cooked beef tendon has a mild, beefy flavor and a wonderfully soft, almost gelatinous texture with a rich mouthfeel, similar to high-fat cuts of meat.

The best methods are low-and-slow techniques such as braising, stewing, or using a slow cooker. Pressure cooking is also highly effective for significantly reducing the cooking time.

Yes, the white, fibrous tissue you might notice in some steak cuts is a tendon or other connective tissue like silver skin. For the best eating experience with a typical steak, this is usually trimmed off.