Meat is dry
Also searched as: dry, dry chicken breast, dry roast, stringy
In short: The meat got too hot inside. The fibres have squeezed out their juice.
Like a wrung-out towel: the water has not vanished, it has been squeezed out.
What happened in your kitchen?
Did you cook with a thermometer?
All causes, by frequency
- Core temperature too high
Above about 66 °C the fibres contract strongly and lose a lot of juice.
Next time: Cook with a thermometer · Take it off a few degrees before the target; it carries on cooking · Exception, poultry: always at least 70 °C at the core; salt or brine keeps it juicy
- Lean cut without preparation
Chicken breast and pork fillet have hardly any fat or connective tissue to make them seem juicy.
Next time: Dry-salt overnight · Or put it in a brine for 1–2 hours
- Too hot and too long in the oven
At a high oven temperature the edge overcooks while the centre catches up.
Next time: Lower oven temperature · Reverse sear thick pieces
- Cut straight away
Right after cooking more juice runs out, and the meat seems drier on the plate.
Next time: Rest for 5–10 minutes