Title: What is Connective Tissue in Meat?
Headings: What Is Connective Tissue?
What Is Connective Tissue?
Collagen vs. Elastin
Slow Cooking: The Key to Breaking Down Collagen
Gelatin Makes Meat Moist and Succulent
Other Sources of Collagen

Content: By comparison, braising is pretty foolproof. Cooking meat to 160 F or higher causes the muscle fibers themselves to become tough and dry. You know this if you've ever had a steak that was cooked well done. The cuts of meat we use for steaks don't contain as much collagen, which is why they can be cooked very quickly, to an interior temperature of less than 140 F, and still is tender. Gelatin Makes Meat Moist and Succulent
With collagen-rich cuts of meat, even as the muscle fibers themselves become tough and dry, the collagen around the muscle fibers starts to melt away, coating the muscle fibers with gelatin, giving the meat a moist and succulent texture in your mouth. Additionally, the bundles themselves start to loosen up once the sheaths holding them together have softened. Thus, even though the muscle fibers themselves are tough and dry, the meat itself will seem tender and succulent. This is truer of collagen-rich cuts of meat like beef chuck than ones from the rib or short loin . Another way to tenderize tougher cuts of meat is to physically break up those collagen sheaths by pounding the meat with a meat mallet. This allows the meat to be cooked quickly.