- Oct 6, 2012
- 26
- 11
Amazing. I have sous vided some meat and made it tough! I post this in the hope that it may help someone else and also to hear what you guys have to say. (apart from I told you so.)
The story is that I had some silverside (bottom round to the US guys?) and some "budget rump", which is to say off an older animal, with tougher muscle and stronger/more gristle. I have sous vided both of these in the past with great success.
So I cooked them low and slow (say 56C/133F for 10+ hours). They were quite edible. NuOrmally I would have gone longer to get it tender,but not dried out.
BUT....I decided to make a curry and to actually cook the meat, cubed, in the (already cooked to soft) vegetables and fluid.
Mistake #1. I did not render down the curry to a really thick sauce.
Mistake #2. Pretty mush see Mistake #1; it meant the meat was stewing at a low temperature, rather than sous videing. I know that stewing can either seriously dry out lean meat (too high a temp and for too long) so it is stringy dry although fall-apart. I know that stewing low and slow can turn even reasonable, if lean, meat into rubber, and I think this is what happened here..
I am now sous videing the meat without any water and with some oil, after jaccarding the cubes (watch the fingers folks!). I am awaiting the outcome.
Any comments? Be appreciated to know if my theory has any merit. And any other ideas to fix it...if not, the dogs await with anticipation....
Hey! Nobody _did_ tell me so, yet. So I suppose the one I do not want to hear is "well duh!
The story is that I had some silverside (bottom round to the US guys?) and some "budget rump", which is to say off an older animal, with tougher muscle and stronger/more gristle. I have sous vided both of these in the past with great success.
So I cooked them low and slow (say 56C/133F for 10+ hours). They were quite edible. NuOrmally I would have gone longer to get it tender,but not dried out.
BUT....I decided to make a curry and to actually cook the meat, cubed, in the (already cooked to soft) vegetables and fluid.
Mistake #1. I did not render down the curry to a really thick sauce.
Mistake #2. Pretty mush see Mistake #1; it meant the meat was stewing at a low temperature, rather than sous videing. I know that stewing can either seriously dry out lean meat (too high a temp and for too long) so it is stringy dry although fall-apart. I know that stewing low and slow can turn even reasonable, if lean, meat into rubber, and I think this is what happened here..
I am now sous videing the meat without any water and with some oil, after jaccarding the cubes (watch the fingers folks!). I am awaiting the outcome.
Any comments? Be appreciated to know if my theory has any merit. And any other ideas to fix it...if not, the dogs await with anticipation....
Hey! Nobody _did_ tell me so, yet. So I suppose the one I do not want to hear is "well duh!