Kitchen rescueMeat, fish and vegetablesPartly saveable

How to fix dry, overcooked meat

Slice it thinly across the grain and serve it with plenty of gravy or sauce. Overcooked meat can't be made juicy again, but thin slices and a good sauce make it much more pleasant to eat.

How you can tell

  • The meat is tough, dry and chewy
  • It looks grey all the way through
  • It's stringy or crumbly when you cut it

Why it happens

As meat cooks, its muscle proteins tighten and squeeze out moisture. Cooked gently and not too far, enough juice stays inside to keep it tender. Overcooking tightens the proteins so much that most of the moisture is lost and can't be put back. Lean cuts such as chicken breast, pork loin and lean steak have little fat to help them seem juicy, so they dry out fastest. Cutting meat straight after cooking, without resting it, also lets more juice run out.

How to fix it

Option 1Slice it and add sauce

  1. Slice the meat thinly across the grain, which makes it easier to chew
  2. Serve with plenty of gravy, sauce or a dressing

Option 2Use it in another dish

  1. Shred or chop it and stir it into a sauce, curry, soup or pie filling
  2. Use it in sandwiches with mayonnaise, chutney or a sauce

Next time

  • Use a meat thermometer rather than going by time alone
  • Take the meat off the heat a little before it's done, as it keeps cooking while it rests
  • Rest meat before carving
  • Choose fattier cuts or slow cooking methods for meat that dries out easily
General kitchen guidance, not food-safety advice. If food may be unsafe, for example undercooked meat or anything left out too long, follow the Food Standards Agency and throw it away if in doubt.