A meat cuber is a piece of kitchenware that doesn't exactly do what it sounds like it does. It doesn't exactly cut a piece of meat into cubes. It acts instead to tenderize meat and ready it for a marinade. Used mainly with beef but occasionally with chicken, the hand (or manual) is a great kitchen device that will help you get the most out of your tougher cuts of beef and red meat.
Instructions
1. Pick the right cut of meat to cube. Although your hand meat cuber will work on any cut of beef, it isn't necessary to be used on most cuts. The real purpose behind a hand meat cuber is to break down the membranous muscle in tougher pieces of meat with small cuts in order to make them more malleable and also allow them to absorb a marinade faster. Therefore, don't use your hand meat cuber on a piece of steak that is tender to begin with, like a filet or sirloin. A flank steak is a great cut to use because, while it is flavorful, it can be tough if not tenderized in some way. Have your butcher cut 1/4- to 1/3-pound pieces of this cut of beef, about 1 inch to 1 1/2 inches thick.
2. Secure meat cuber. Most hand-cranked meat cubers are large pieces of equipment (especially the older, metal ones) that can tip over easily during use. Make sure you use your hand meat cuber's clamp to secure it to whatever surface you are using it on. If your hand meat cuber does not have a clamp, put it up against a wall or some other sturdy structure while you use it on your meat.
3. Begin cubing your meat. After making sure your hand meat cuber is impeccably clean, start cubing your flank steak by holding the meat above the feeding rollers. Begin slowly, cranking the handle on the side of the cuber as you feed the meat into the knives of the rollers. Once the knives catch on, you can speed the cranking up a little bit--but don't go too fast. The key here is to make sure the entire steak is exposed equally to the knives in the cuber. Once you get toward the end of the steak, you can let go and continue cranking until the meat comes out completely on the other end. Repeat this with the rest of your steaks. Once finished, they are ready to be put in a marinade.
4. Clean your hand meat cuber. Like any kitchen item that comes in contact with meat or poultry, your hand meat cuber must be washed thoroughly after each use with hot water and soap. Most models will disassemble to varying degrees. Take yours apart as much as you can and clean the blades and steel rollers. Let everything dry completely before storing the item.
Tags: meat cuber, hand meat cuber, your hand, your hand meat, hand meat