VIDEO- Dr. Greg Blonder: "The Magic Of Salt: So Vital, And So Misunderstood" (53 mins)

[TheCountofQ]

Concerning the amount of salt to use per pound of meat ...how much, if any, compensation is taken into account for shrinkage and bone weight in a cut like Beef Short Ribs?

[TheeMikeB]

Thanks, I think mine is a combo if the salt and overworking. I have a thermapen and always use temp not time. THanks for the recipe links, i'll try those.

[docblonder]

Three mistakes will cause meatloaf to become as dense as a brick: too much salt, overworking, and overcooking. The last factor is pretty common- think of meatloaf as one big hamburger, which is done around 160F. Don't use time, use a thermometer!

You can help meatloaf remain tender by breaking up the meat curds with another moist ingredient. For example ground veggies, or a panade, which is milk-moistened breadcrumbs.

My favorite ground veggie recipe is courtesy of The Silver Palate:

http://www.food.com/recipe/market-street-meatloaf-113815

And there are many panade recipes on the web-- try this:

http://www.thekitchn.com/how-to-make-meatloaf-cooking-lessons-from-the-kitchn-197077#_

[Jerod Broussard]

I forwarded this to Doc Blonder....

Working ground meat releases a protein called Myosin that makes it super sticky. We encounter this when making sausage and preparing a patty to taste test our recipe.

[TheeMikeB]

I finally got around to watching this, great information. In regards to the meatloaf, this explains why my meatloaf has been so dense, I thought it was because i was over working the meat which I may be doing as well. However you mentioned a bit about using bread crumbs or not using them. Would you care to elaborate on the meatloaf recipe or method? I have been using a 2lbs to 1 lb ground spicy pork recipe where I spread my beef out on a baking sheet, salting AND putting herbs/spices in there in order to get flavor throughout, then mixing up with 1 cup bread crumbs, 2 eggs and then forming the loaf. Sometimes I split into two loaves but last time I made a large 3 lb loaf but it was very very dense.

[David Parrish]

Mhalbrook honestly I'm not sure. I'll pass this question along. If you do find an answer in the meantime please post so we can all benefit from it.

[mhalbrook]

Glad I saw this while I'm still perfecting my own rubs, time to cut out the salt.. Makes a lot of sense. Is there away to view the videos on Vimeo if we have an account on there? I can cast the vids to my TV to watch from my tablet, but if I could do it from the app, it'd be less moving parts to cause issues.

[Huskee]

Thanks for the great video! I wish I would have seen this before I made all my rubs. They all have salt . For those of us with salt in our rubs, what's the best way to use them? Use them like a dry brine a day or two before smoking (for larger cuts)? Apply a bit more with some oil shortly before cooking to access the fat soluble flavors in the rub? Throw them out and start over omitting the salt?

I use mine as the dry brine. An hour or three for ribs, a day or two for butts. No need to toss it out!

[Dr ROK]

Thanks for the great video! I wish I would have seen this before I made all my rubs. They all have salt . For those of us with salt in our rubs, what's the best way to use them? Use them like a dry brine a day or two before smoking (for larger cuts)? Apply a bit more with some oil shortly before cooking to access the fat soluble flavors in the rub? Throw them out and start over omitting the salt?

[docblonder]

Only the salt and a few tiny flavor molecules, like garlic, will penetrate after a day or two. The rest sit on the surface. This is why Chinese food is so flavorful- they slice the meat thin enough that the marinade makes it to the center. Because the center is only an eight of an inch away.

Acids do not penetrate very quickly, and they tend to turn the surface to mush. Plus they slow smoke ring formation. I tend to use acids late in the smoke after the bark sets up, or in the final rest, so the flavor remains "bright".

[docblonder]

Chicken is denser than brisket, and sirloin is like most cuts of lamb. Pork in-between. But this is AFTER cooking, when the muscle fibers have slightly separated. Before cooking, the big molecules simply won't penetrate.

Shellfish is a bit different- it lacks a closed capillary circulation system and instead floods the interior with blood. So 30 minutes in a flavored brine will actually allow spices to penetrate through a shrimp.

[David Parrish]

OK thanks. Good to know.

[Ernest]

It was a slow hotel network. I finally got it to work.

[David Parrish]

Can you describe the issue? We have no plans to convert to YouTube.

[Ernest]

Any plans to convert this video to you tube? Having playback issues, like most vimeo videos