Perfect your goulash: The secret ingredient for tender meat

Anyone who has ever made goulash knows how crucial the meat is. Sometimes, slow braising alone is not enough to make it ideally tender and melt-in-your-mouth. However, this does not mean preparing goulash is challenging for talented cooks because a simple trick will make it perfect every time. Everything you need for delicious success can be found in your kitchen cabinet.

The secret to quickly obtaining tender meat is using apple cider vinegar. Vinegar is an acid that prevents juices from leaking from the meat during cooking by coagulating the protein. This causes the meat to braise in its own juices, becoming tender and delicate. You also avoid the risk of drying it out.

Add 2-3 tablespoons of apple cider vinegar to the meat that has already been browned on both sides. Then mix everything thoroughly and braise on low heat until the smell of vinegar is no longer noticeable. Only then should you add the remaining ingredients for the goulash. This simple trick works with any type of meat, whether it's pork, beef, or poultry. This makes preparing goulash faster, and the meat achieves the perfect texture.

Besides apple cider vinegar, there are a few other ways to get perfectly tender meat in goulash:

  
• Adding a pinch of sugar. Caramelizing the sugar during braising gives the meat a beautiful color and a delicate sweetness.
• Adding pineapple juice or pulp. Enzymes in the pineapple accelerate the breakdown of proteins in the meat, making it tender and juicy.

Cooking should be made easier so that the time spent in the kitchen is associated only with pleasure and delicious food, not stress and nerves. Don’t worry about your goulash—just add a bit of magic to it.