6 Tips for Making Your Meat Irresistible

Whew!  I survived yet another big move.  That being said, I just barely got my internet turned on last night (thank you Comcast for finally sending someone competent.  Third time’s the charm, I guess) and I haven’t had time yet to do my big restock the pantry and fridge shopping trip.  Between that and the fact that we’re long overdue for a tip, rather than doing a proper post this week, I’ll be giving advice on how best to handle your meat.  I don’t know that I’m an expert on the subject, but I’ve had plenty of experience handling meats of all sizes and varieties.  Today’s tips are going to apply mostly to big ones.  Roasts basically. 

Tip #1: 

Buy good meat.  As with anything else, your final result can only be as good as the product you start with.  Now, when I say good, I don’t mean buy an expensive cut of meat.  I mean, get meat as close to the farm as possible.  I guarantee a piece of meat from some mega mart is not going to taste as good as something more natural, no matter what they say on their commercials.  If you don’t have a farm or market nearby to get your meat, at the very least try to find beef that is grass fed.  If you can find pastured beef, even better.  The cows will thank you too. 

Tip #2:

Don’t be afraid of the salt.  No one will enjoy your meat if it doesn’t taste good.  A big piece of meat needs plenty of salt, and since it’s basically a rock, you don’t have to worry about it burning during the cooking process like pepper and other spices can. 

Tip #3:

Sear your meat.  I always hear people say you need to sear meat to lock in the juices.  Well, I don’t really know if that’s true or not.  I’ll tell you how to keep your meat from losing its juices in tip #5.  As for searing, the truth of that matter is it brings an immense amount of flavor to your meat, not to mention the flavor it gives to anything that’s cooked with it, and any gravy or pan sauce made from the drippings.  High heat, a little oil, set the meat in and don’t move it around.  When it’s ready, it will release itself from the pan and you can easily flip it.  This piece of meat isn’t burned.  It’s perfectly seared and will be absolutely delicious when it’s finished. 

Tip #4:

Low and slow.  I know you’ve heard that phrase a million times, but when cooking a roast it is essential.  After the searing process, I add plenty of liquid and usually cook my roasts between 225° and 250° for a good three hours or so.  Trust me, your patience will be rewarded.   

Tip #5:

As I said before, this is where your meat's juices come into play.  When your meat is done (if it’s not super tender, it’s not done) remove it from the pan, set it aside, and cover it with foil to rest.  Ten minutes is the absolute minimum and 20 or 30 is even better.  I like to cook my carrots and potatoes in the beef broth while the meat is resting.  If you cut the meat right away, all of its juices will run out.  Those are important, especially in a roast.  Who knew a simple piece of meat would require so much patience, huh? 

Tip #6:

For the most tender pieces of meat, always cut across the grain.  With something like a chuck roast, you’ll probably end up with chunks rather than slices, and that’s totally fine.  But if it’s a bottom round or a rump roast, definitely slice against the grain.  Melt in your mouth tender, moist, and delicious. 

So there you have it, 6 tips on how to handle your meat that will make you and anyone else eating it happy. 

who's on first

Me again. Taneasha has a home, and some furniture, but no intrawebs. So, I'm back in my usual Tuesday spot, but I'm taking a break from cookies.

I am a total slave to cravings. I'll spend days trying to ignore the fact that I not only want, but apparently need, a certain type of food. They don't go away. Sometimes it's something nice and healthy like bananas. And when I finanlly find a bunch that is just the right ripeness, I'll eat the whole freaking bunch. Sometimes, it's fried chicken. Way too often it's fried chicken.

Lately though, it's been beans. And not just any beans. It has to be refried beans.

I freaking love refried beans.

Damn good thing too, because they're super cheap, unbelievably easy to make, and they're totally freezable, which means they're perfect for making into burritos to freeze and heat up in the (world's most disgustingly dirty) microwave at school. But we won't talk about that for now. I passed my exams. I've got 3.5 months of calculus-free bliss.

AKA: work.

Now I get to heat up my frozen burrito in a clean nuker.

But first, I had to make beans. Yes, I know, they come in a can. The ones in the can, more often than not, have sugar in them. Sugar. Why the hell do refried beans need sugar added to them? There are times when I'm glad I'm a compulsive label-reader. <<insert rant here about what's wrong with the food industry, and the apathy of consumers>>

Refried beans don't have sugar in them. At least these ones don't. So, as an alternative to the can in your cupboard I offer:

Refritos

What you need:

• 1 c dry pinto beans
• 1 small onion
• 3 cloves garlic
• pinch of cumin
• ~4 c water or broth or stock
• bacon fat
• salt

Yes, I realize I'm ranting about added sugar in a post that advocates the use of bacon fat. This is not a question of "is it healthier." The sugar is likely in there to make the beans taste better, just like the bacon fat is. But, the bacon fat is drippings from the bacon I bought at a local butcher; they make their own bacon from local pigs. I can trace the bacon fat to the farm. It's less than 100 miles away. I can't say the same about that sugar. I know that food tastes better when it has fat and sugar in it. But I'm actively making a choice as a consumer. That's the difference.

What you gotta do:

Dump it all in the crock pot.

Well, kinda. Works best if you rinse the beans first, and chop the onion and garlic.

I'd been planning on using water, but remembered that I had some chicken broth in the freezer.

So I thawed it and dumped it in.

And waited.

And waited.

I am not a patient person.

Particularly not when I have a craving.

Once the beans are soft, and you can mash one against the side of the crock pot (took mine about 4 hours on high), transfer the beans only to a bowl. I don't suggest draining the beans because some of that liquid is handy to have around when you're mashing. So, I fish mine out with the masher.

Mashing is a bit of a taste thing. Or, texture thing, I guess. Some people prefer the beans whole, some like them smashed to smithereens.

I a cake-and-eat-it-too kinda person, so I mash all but about a cup of beans and then just stir them in.

And then, I add the bacon fat. Feel free to leave this out if you'd like, but I don't recommend it.

Now, before you add the last ingredient, you need to taste them. Beans need salt. I like to add the bacon fat first because it is quite salty, and then add tiny amounts, stirring and tasting until they're just right.

Roll them up in a burrito with some guac (cover it with foil and it won't turn brown at all!)

or just dip your chips right in

What weird ingredient have you found by reading labels? Or, do you read labels?