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Mixed Method Cooking (and a future variation on pulled pork)

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    Mixed Method Cooking (and a future variation on pulled pork)

    I realize this isn't new to most here, but this is part brain dump and part request for feedback.

    As of late, I've been experimenting a lot with multiple cooks with different goals on my meats. This began with reading The Big Chill and seeming Epic Grilled Turkey and my recent revelation that low'n slow with sous vide is a thing and what a thing it is! Most recently, I watched another ChefSteps video about brisket and which lead to some additional considerations. I've been doing burgers sous vide a lot lately because it's awesome and pink. And I love pink. Mixed Method Cooking (MMC, haha) is a total revelation. And while I've been doing it for a while (reverse sear generally) I don't know that I really considered deeply what I was doing.

    In general, we're going for a number of things when we cook meat. Want to:

    1. Control temperature
    2. Control texture
    3. Control moisture content
    4. Impart particular flavors

    This gets really complex. My steak, for instance, I want juicy, pink, and tender in the center with enough salt to bring out the flavors but brown and crusty on the outside with a bigger bang of flavor that's a mix of spices and smoke. I'm building a special kind of complementing contrast.

    I've finally begun to really think about exactly what I am trying to do with each step. So, let's look at my current burger routine:

    1. Sous vide the burgers patties with no seasoning at 131º for a couple hours. They're at the tail end of medium rare and safe for consumption.
    2. Cool the burgers. This could be a total chill, or I might let them rest in the fridge for a bit to drop things 20 - 40º. It just depends on time.
    3. Fire up the grill to around 225º - 350º (depends on how much time I have), pop some wood on the coals, and smoke them back up to around 110º - 120º.
    4. Bring them inside, apply a liberal amount of butter, salt, and pepper.
    5. Add more coals, pop a griddle over said coals, and sear the burgers.

    The end result are burgers that are pink inside, super smokey, crusty, and delicious. In some respects burgers now require more effort than steaks and I'm not sad about it at all.

    First I'm doing target temperature cooking and sterilizing, then smoking, then searing (crusting). I would have presumed moisture would suffer significantly, but as it turns out... you lose moisture primarily in two ways:

    1. Muscle fibers constricting under heat. This is why even in a bag we lose a ton of liquid in sous vide.
    2. Evaporation. This is only a really big deal (and often intended) on long, dry cooks.

    The first is particularly important because, even if you go through a bunch of steps, as long as you're not letting the meat dry out somewhere for long periods, once you hit that target temp and as long as you don't exceed it moisture content isn't going to change too much. When I go through the smoking step on the burgers, there is very little that ends up on the drip pan. The exteriors dry out a bit, which turns out to be a boon for searing anyway. The insides are still juicy though.

    This all brings me to my next experiment (or two) with pork. I made carnitas sous vide this weekend and I think it's a better method than "the real thing." Sous vide at 165º for about 24 hours followed by pulling, then crisping under the broiler. (My grill was being used for smoking tomatoes for soup.) I've been doing something similar where I would pressure cook the pork and then broil it, but the results with sous vide are better. I ended up with a lot of soft, juicy pork and a lot of crispy pork. Pop some salsa verde on that (smoked the tomatillos earlier in the day) and I was in heaven.

    Pulled pork is next. I love pulled pork. It is how I rate all barbecue joints I check out. In the traditional method, it's a long cook in the smoker that results in a smokey seasoned exterior, a slightly deeper bark, and tender pork that gets mixed together. I honestly wonder much a slight variation on my carnitas can produce similar and maybe better results.

    1. Sous-vide
    2. Pull
    3. Season, mix cool
    4. Smoke pulled meat

    It seems like, by creating more surface area, I can imbue smoke and bark much more quickly by working with the pulled meat. It's advice in this article about pulled pork (see "For more crust or if you are in a hurry") taken to an extreme. Since I've already hit the target temp with sous vide, really I just care about bark and smoke at this stage.

    Anyone messed this a similar method or aware of something I'm missing? Maybe there's science I've missed? I'd rather not ruin some perfectly good pork butts. (Though I suspect even subpar results can be salvaged easily. Meathead's Memphis Rub can make shoe leather work fine with coleslaw.)

    Sorry if this is a bit too long. I've been really messing with sous vide, smoking, and MMC a lot lately though and not a lot of people in my own social circle are that interested in the details—even if they really dig the results!

    (PS: I don't want anyone to mistake that I am advocating this for everything either. I do ribs low'n slow and don't even sear. That's by far my favorite method. Also, when I grill steaks, I don't bother with sous-vide. I find Adrenaline Barbecue's method to be far better.)
    Last edited by binarypaladin; July 16, 2017, 09:31 PM.

    #2
    There certainly was a lot in there. I'm sure I would love your food, my only comment is on Carnitas.

    Traditinally they are fried in lard. Large pig chunkage slow fried in lard is pretty hard to replicate. Enter the Chicharron and it's over.

    Comment


    • Breadhead
      Breadhead commented
      Editing a comment
      HouseHomey ... you Sir ought to compose a long very detailed thread about perfecting carnitas'. Include the lard part because I know my Mexican friends say that's a very important step. Include your tomatillo sauce recipe too. I would love to nail that cook but don't know how.😬

    #3
    I mostly followed Kenji's guide for sous-vide carnitas (except I rarely put anything in with the meat when I bag it, naked as it were). I think you can do pretty well, but whether they're traditional or not doesn't much matter to me. They are delicious.

    You're cooking the meat in its own fat, which dilutes it less than lard would (unless you've used the lard over and over). At the lower temperatures you can get chunks.

    The one cooking technique I have like zero interest in is deep frying or anything resembling it. It's not that I don't like the results, but if you don't do it a lot and reuse oil, it's expensive. It's also messy. Every year I find myself thinking, "This is the year I will do my own fried chicken and love it." And every single time, "Now I remember why I leave this cooking to other people. I hate this."

    Comment


    • HouseHomey
      HouseHomey commented
      Editing a comment
      I'm not taking shots at you and I hope it dint seem like it. I mostly agreed with you. That crunch of chunk and skin is my childhood "money bite" along with a couple of others. You actually made me think of it. It's was awesome.

    • HouseHomey
      HouseHomey commented
      Editing a comment
      BTW I'm a SV rookie and am loving it.

    • binarypaladin
      binarypaladin commented
      Editing a comment
      Not at all! I just like to make it clear I'm a pragmatist. I'm not worried about being a purist or a traditionalist as long as everyone at the table is happy.

    #4
    Check out the last part of this guy's procedure for chuckies: https://dizzypigbbq.com/recipe/clays-pulled-beef/

    And thanks for advancing BCA (Backyard Cooking Artistry)!

    Comment


      #5
      Verrryyy Interrressting!!!

      Click image for larger version

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      Comment


      • HouseHomey
        HouseHomey commented
        Editing a comment
        I'm dying!

      #6
      I like SVing pork butts for 24 hours at 165°, then cold shocking them and putting them in the fridge the night before I want to serve them. The next day... I smoke them at 240° until I get the bark I want, I pay no attention to internal temperature. Then I Cambro them for a couple hours before serving them. They are good for pulled pork sandwiches, a taco bar, fajitas, enchiladas, spaghetti sauce... I could go on and on.👍 Don't forget... pork butts are dirt cheap, much cheaper than hamburger!🤗

      Comment


      • HouseHomey
        HouseHomey commented
        Editing a comment
        That long slow fry is an art which I am far less skilled at than others. I may do it though. I told some one I would dig out the salsa recipe. I still haven't. I used last December. Fairly simple but delicious. I will get it

      • HouseHomey
        HouseHomey commented
        Editing a comment
        Off to grind meat for tacos. Let's hope I leave some for them

      • binarypaladin
        binarypaladin commented
        Editing a comment
        Yeah, this already looks like a winner. I was super happy with the results. And I like pork better than beef as a general rule anyway.

      #7
      It will be interesting to see the results!

      Comment


        #8
        You might be over thinking things a bit ... which puts you in good, kindred company around here ... ...!!!

        Comment


        • binarypaladin
          binarypaladin commented
          Editing a comment
          Probably! But I don't really enjoy anything until I overthink it. Ha,

        #9
        Originally posted by binarypaladin View Post

        1. Sous-vide
        2. Pull
        3. Season, mix cool
        4. Smoke pulled meat

        It seems like, by creating more surface area, I can imbue smoke and bark much more quickly by working with the pulled meat. It's advice in this article about pulled pork (see "For more crust or if you are in a hurry") taken to an extreme. Since I've already hit the target temp with sous vide, really I just care about bark and smoke at this stage.
        Interesting idea.

        I've read that protein stops absorbing the smoke once the surface temp hits around 140F, but I'm not sure how reliable that is (otherwise, it would be impossible to over smoke anything). Perhaps cooling the meat down as you say would allow the cold meat to absorb heat? I just assumed that the way the protein is altered once it goes past 140F, even cooling it wouldn't allow it to absorb smoke again.

        It's definitely worth an experiment though. Sous vide is definitely a great idea. I've done this the opposite way, where you smoke (heavily!) for about 2-3 hours, then vacuum seal and sous vide to a perfect 203F. The results = the best pulled pork I've ever made. Sous vide is such a clever way to perfect barbecue.

        Comment


        • HouseHomey
          HouseHomey commented
          Editing a comment
          I did a chuckie the other day. SV, shock to below 90° then put'em back on to smoke n bark in 90 minutes. It was awesome!! I'm gonna try the pork your way next time.

        #10
        In most cases, I find that I cool meat between cooking stages... sous-vide or low'n slow moved to a sear is about the only exception.

        It's funny because I was kind of sous-vide dork before I really got into barbecue or grilling and at first I was kinda like, "No! These two represent completely opposite ends of the spectrum!" When I have welding gloves on and am playing with fire, I should not be messing with a water circulator. It just seems so... not "backyardsy."

        But they pair so well and for long cooks it's just plain easier. (Even when camping!) On top of that, I buy most of my meat in bulk. I get whole hogs (butchered though) and 1/4 cows. The meat is frozen and vacuum sealed already. I take two roasts right out of the freezer and just pop them in a warm bath.

        I'll write an update at some point when I do this.

        Comment

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