What Do You Call Hard Meat? An Expert's Guide to Tough Cuts

January 8, 2026 •

4 min read

Meat that is hard or difficult to chew is most often called "tough". This common problem arises from a combination of biological factors and cooking techniques, which can transform a flavorful cut into an unpleasant dining experience.

Quick Summary

This guide explains the terminology for hard meat, explores the scientific reasons behind toughness, and provides practical, expert-recommended cooking methods to tenderize even the chewiest cuts for a delicious, melt-in-your-mouth result.

Key Points

Toughness Terminology: Hard or difficult meat is commonly called 'tough' or 'chewy,' while 'gristly' refers specifically to chewy elastin and 'leathery' to dry, overcooked meat.
Connective Tissue: Meat's toughness is largely determined by collagen and elastin. Collagen softens into gelatin with low, slow, moist cooking, while elastin remains tough and should be trimmed.
Exercised Muscles: Cuts from active areas like the legs and shoulders contain more connective tissue and are naturally tougher than those from the loin, which does less work.
Cooking Temperature: Overcooking lean cuts makes them tough by contracting muscle fibers and squeezing out moisture. Undercooking tough cuts prevents collagen from converting to tender gelatin.
Slow Cooking: For tough cuts like brisket or chuck, methods like braising and stewing break down collagen effectively. This low-and-slow approach ensures a tender, juicy result.
Slicing Technique: Slicing meat against the grain is a crucial step to physically shorten muscle fibers, making the meat easier to chew and feel more tender.
Tenderizing Methods: Techniques such as marinating with acid, salting, using a meat mallet, or velveting can be used to tenderize meat depending on the cut and desired outcome.

When faced with meat that is resistant to chewing, most people intuitively describe it as "tough". However, several other terms are used by chefs and home cooks to specify the exact texture issue, such as "chewy," "leathery," or "gristly". Understanding the specific cause behind the hardness is the key to fixing it. The issue can stem from the cut itself, the animal's age, or the way the meat was cooked.

The Anatomy of a Tough Cut

Meat is essentially muscle tissue, and its tenderness is directly related to how much that muscle was used during the animal's life. Muscles in heavily exercised areas, like the legs and shoulders, contain more connective tissue, resulting in tougher meat.

The Role of Connective Tissue

Two primary types of connective tissue determine a cut's texture:

Collagen: This protein forms the sheaths that bundle muscle fibers together. In its raw state, collagen is tough, but it breaks down into succulent gelatin when cooked slowly with moist heat over a prolonged period. This is why cuts with high collagen content, like chuck or brisket, become incredibly tender when braised or slow-cooked.
Elastin: Found in ligaments and tendons, this elastic protein does not break down during cooking. It remains tough and chewy, and is what chefs refer to as "gristle." Because it is impossible to tenderize through heat, elastin should be trimmed from the meat before cooking.

Why Your Meat Turned Out Tough

Beyond the natural composition of the meat, cooking errors can also cause a cut to become hard and dry. The primary culprits are improper temperature management and overcooking.

Overcooking Lean Cuts: Lean cuts, like a filet mignon from the tenderloin, have very little collagen. When cooked at high heat for too long, the muscle proteins denature and contract, squeezing out moisture and leaving the meat dry and tough.
Undercooking Tough Cuts: Tough cuts, which rely on the breakdown of collagen to become tender, will remain chewy if not cooked long enough. The internal temperature must reach a high enough level (typically 160–205°F / 70–96°C) for the collagen to convert into gelatin.

Tenderizing Tough Meat: Methods That Work

Whether you have a naturally tough cut or an overcooked piece, several techniques can rescue your meal. Matching the method to the meat is crucial for the best results.

Comparison of Tenderizing Methods


Method	Best For	How It Works	Benefits	Drawbacks
Slow Cooking	Tough, collagen-rich cuts (brisket, chuck)	Low, moist heat (braising, stewing) melts collagen into gelatin	Results in melt-in-your-mouth tenderness and rich, flavorful liquid	Takes a long time; can dry out if overcooked
Mechanical	Relatively thin, tougher steaks (flank, skirt)	Pounding with a mallet or scoring cuts muscle fibers	Quick and effective for thinning and tenderizing	Can alter the texture and risks damaging the meat if overdone
Marinating	Thin cuts of steak (flank, hanger)	Acidic ingredients (vinegar, citrus) break down surface proteins	Adds flavor while tenderizing the exterior; quick process	Acid doesn't penetrate deeply and can make the surface mushy if left too long
Salting (Brining)	Most cuts, especially tougher ones	Salt draws moisture out, then helps the meat reabsorb it, breaking down protein structure	Effective for tenderizing and seasoning deeply	Requires forethought and time; can make meat too salty if not managed
Velveting	Sliced stir-fry meat	Coating meat in a baking soda or cornstarch slurry	Results in a silky, tender texture, common in Chinese cuisine	Specific to stir-frying and may not suit all dishes

Low and Slow Cooking for Tough Cuts

For cuts from heavily used muscles like chuck, brisket, and shank, braising or slow cooking is the most effective approach. The low, gentle heat gives the tough collagen time to break down, resulting in a fall-apart tender texture.

Sear the meat: Brown the exterior in a hot pan to develop flavor through the Maillard reaction.
Add liquid: Place the seared meat in a slow cooker or Dutch oven and add enough liquid (broth, wine) to come halfway up the sides.
Cover and simmer: Cook at a low temperature for several hours until fork-tender. The connective tissue has converted to gelatin when the meat easily pulls apart.

Conclusion: Mastering Meat Texture

There's no single word for hard meat, but "tough" is the most universally understood. The underlying cause is often the amount of connective tissue and how it reacts to heat. By identifying the cut of meat and applying the correct cooking method—whether it's slow-braising a collagen-rich chuck roast or tenderizing a lean flank steak with a marinade—you can overcome the challenges of hard meat and achieve a perfectly tender and flavorful result. Knowledge of these simple scientific principles and techniques is all you need to become a master of meat preparation.

Additional resources

For a detailed explanation of the science behind meat tenderness and cooking temperatures, see the Thermoworks blog: https://blog.thermoworks.com/coming-heat-effects-muscle-fibers-meat/.

Note: You can also check out this article for practical tips on how to salvage overcooked meat and prevent future toughness.

Frequently Asked Questions

The primary cause is the amount of connective tissue, mainly collagen, in a particular cut. Muscles that are heavily exercised, such as those in the legs and shoulders, have more connective tissue, making them naturally tougher.

Yes, but to a limited extent. Acidic marinades use ingredients like vinegar or citrus juice to break down proteins on the meat's surface. However, the acid does not penetrate deep into the meat, so its tenderizing effect is superficial.

Slow cooking uses low, moist heat to break down tough collagen into soft, palatable gelatin. This is ideal for tougher cuts like brisket and chuck, transforming their chewy texture into a tender, fall-apart result.

Gristle is a slang term for elastin, a type of connective tissue found in ligaments and tendons. Unlike collagen, elastin does not break down during cooking and will remain tough and chewy. It should be trimmed before cooking.

If a naturally tender cut becomes tough, it was likely overcooked. Excessive heat causes the muscle proteins to contract, squeezing out moisture and leaving the meat dry and hard.

Cutting meat against the grain shortens the long muscle fibers, making them easier to chew. This simple technique is very effective for improving the perceived tenderness of cooked steaks and other cuts.

Yes, a process called velveting, which uses a baking soda and water solution, is a common Chinese technique for creating a silky, tender texture, especially for stir-fry meat.