How We Got Started

I’ve been skin diving and Abalone diving for over 43 years. I started Abalone diving when five a day was the limit with no annual maximum. I've prepared a lot of Abalone a lot of different ways, but was unhappy with available pounders. 

Most of this time I used a metal pounder with the flat side and rough side. I only used the flat side because I want to preserve the juices by not putting little holes in the steak.  The cutting board appreciates not being destroyed.  All you want to do is break the tendons, it doesn't require much energy.

The main problem with the metal pounder, assuming you only use the flat side, is that it has sharp edges that put cuts into the meat if you don’t hit it perfectly. The distance between the pounder head and handle is small, which puts your hand close to the cutting board if you are hitting the steak at a right angle. You tend to hit down due to not wanting to smash you fingers against the cutting board resulting in cuts into the abalone steak.

The Workman Products' pounder is round with rounderd edge which reduces cuts from bad hits. It also has a taller head that allows a better hitting angle. 

Fewer hits to the steak are required to tenderized because of the wide head. 

I’ve got two sizes of Abalone pounders, one is slightly bigger than the basic model. Both work great. The larger one covers a bigger area of the steak requiring fewer hits. Weights of two are about the same as the large pounder is made from a lighter maple.

The pounders are made of solid maple with a coating of butcher block oil.  Using solid maple reduces wood splitting where pieces are glued together.  The butcher block oil coating allows the pounders to be rinsed off with soap and water when you are done.

If you are concerned about the abalone steak bouncing around until it is tenderized or abalone going everywhere in the kitchen put the steak into a plastic freezer bag when pounding.  Don't use your fingers to hold the steak as this could be bad for your fingers.