An apparatus and method for predicting meat tenderness, particularly with respect to raw meat, is disclosed. The invention does not require the removal or destruction of any cuts of meat from the carcass to which the method is applied. The method allows for the identification of tender meat product that might not be identified as tender using conventional United States Department of Agriculture quality grading methods. The method includes the insertion of one or more blunt, flat-tipped blades into a meat sample, measuring a value such as stress, force, or energy upon insertion of the blade, and calculating a tenderness factor therefrom based on a tenderness threshold.