Several methods are available for tenderizing meat at home, including using a meat mallet, a rolling pin, or slow cooking. However, if you want to skip this step, you may want to purchase your steaks from Costco, as they perform a mechanical tenderization on their steaks before selling them, but it has some drawbacks.

The pre-cut rib-eye steaks from Costco are generally pre-tenderized, which is done by puncturing the meat with small, sharp needles using a machine. While this process is convenient, as a result of using the blades repeatedly, bacteria can be transferred between cuts of meat, and the bacteria on the outside can be punctured through to the inside of the meat.

These bacteria could cause illness if not cooked off properly, meaning the meat should be heated thoroughly to make it well done. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) states that it should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 145 degrees Fahrenheit and requires organizations that mechanically tenderize their meat to label the packages accordingly, informing consumers of how it should be prepared.