More mystery meat to identify

[Lost in China]

I can see this is just going to be a "thing" from now on. What happens is, I keep going to these import shops, and they keep having marked down prices on various meats that didn't sell. I keep buying them because the price is so irresistible. They are poorly labeled so I don't know what they are.

It's always dicey importing perishables. I get great deals on things that don't move all the time. There is this great Spanish red wine that someone couldn't sell and dumped on Wal-Mart. I've been buying bottles of it for $3 for the past six months and they still haven't run out. I have a friend from Holland who rides his bike around town, notes the expiration dates of cheeses and such, and comes back right after the expiration date and gets them for 70% off. Ever seen a Dutchman eat a wheel of cheese like it was an apple?

The last time this happened, it turned out to be New Zealand brisket. I sous vided it and it turned out pretty well. A bit dry because I cooked it too long, the guides all assume you have a full size brisket and this was just a piece. Still got a good deal and thanks to everyone who chipped in with guesses.

The label at the store had the baffling inscription: "Canadian grain-fed oyster blade" which I assume is an error or an overly literal translation. The only label attached to the product is the one visible in the photo. It's sliced pretty thinly, half inch at best. Anyone want to take a guess what it is?

[Jerod Broussard]

Depending on the size could be testicles aka mountain oysters.

[jgreen]

Ha. In the Canadian prairies, they are called prairie oysters.

[edible hen]

That could very well be a chuckie. When we visit my inlaws up north, chuck roasts are labeled blade roasts.

[MBMorgan]

Looks like you've got a couple of beef oyster steaks ... aka flat iron.

[RonB]

I agree - flat iron steaks.

[Thunder77]

That would have been my guess as well.

[johnec00]

Like MBMorgan said, its probably this one. http://moemeat.com.au/Shop/OysterBlade.html

[EdF]

Yep, that's it.

[Steve Vojtek]

I agree they look like Oyster Blade Steaks. I believe the Flat Iron Steak is the same meat but cut differently. ( the membrane removed. )

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flat_iron_steak

[Lost in China]

Wow, I thought oyster was a mistranslation, someone got seafood mixed up with beef. Thanks for the advice! I'll probably sous vide it. I've got a potato waiting for that beef.

[MBMorgan]

FWIW, 1/2 inch is pretty thin for cooking SV ... only because you run the risk of over cooking while searing. With flat iron steak, you want to keep it medium or lower because it'll get tough quickly. If it were me, I'd cook SV at 131 F (55 C) for roughly 2 1/4 to 2 1/2 hours to make sure you've fully pasteurized the steaks then season and sear really quickly over very high heat. Watch the IT while searing and pull it before it goes over about 135-137 F (57-58 C).

[Lost in China]

I ended up sous vide-ing it mostly according to this recipe. I didn't have to worry about making a vacuum pack, when I unwrapped them they were already in a vacuum-sealed bag. It got 4 hours at 125, and then I seared them. I do a really bad job at searing. Everyone else seems to get these wonderful brown surfaces, I just barely scorch the outside and splatter oil everywhere. The outside was hardly done and yet the steaks were so thin that even 60 seconds a side overcooked the inside. It was still edible. I made the sauce with the leftovers from the searing, red wine, powdered chicken stock and water, and the sous vide bag juices. This came out surprisingly well for some of it, but a lot of it was burnt dregs like I had added flour. The oily parts were good on the steak though. I was planning on doing steak and potatoes but my fiancee ate the potato I was going to use, so it was canned peas instead.

The inner gristle wasn't bad at all. After 4 hours you could chew through it, mostly. I think next time will be 6 hours and an even shorter searing time. It's just hard to get that brown on so quickly.

Before cooking


After cooking


My lousy searing


Serving suggestion.

[MBMorgan]

I just noticed from your pics that the pan you're searing in looks fairly thin and that there seems to be an awful lot of oil.

I don't know if you have access to a cast iron skillet but that really is the weapon of choice for most of us doing stove top searing. Unlike thin steel or aluminum, heavy cast iron retains heat really well ... meaning that it won't have that annoying tendency to quickly cool down when you add the meat.

As far as oil goes, I normally just rub the steak surfaces well with vegetable or canola oil and then sear in an otherwise dry and screaming hot cast iron skillet ... albeit a well-seasoned skillet that is pretty much already non-stick after many uses.

Other than the searing issue, it looks like you had very good results and I'd say you're to be congratulated!

[Steve Vojtek]

I'm a little worried about 125f SV. 131f is probably the lowest temp for this (unless your cooking fish and its really fresh) as it is in the "kill the bad bugs" zone..If you don't have a choise of cookware I would chill the steak first in the fridge and after searing one side let the skillet come hot again before searing the other. It may help. But it looks good on the plate and if you liked it well done. I overcook really thin steaks sometimes and still really enjoy them. Nothing wrong with that.Looks good to me

[Lost in China]

I cooked the other two tonight after 5 1/2 hours in sous vide. I used 125 instead of 130 to give more time searing before the interior overcooks. This time I only seared for 30 seconds a side and ended up with pink in the middle. The sides were barely browned, but what am I going to do so as to not overcook them? These oyster blade steaks were pretty darn thin. That, and the fact that it's not a great cut is probably why they didn't sell and why they were so cheap in the first place.



The fat streak inside was greatly reduced. It was still there but not very obnoxious. My fiancee tore through it no problem. Mine had a larger eye of gristle you can see in the photo, which I just cut around. Otherwise the steak was pretty good. I made the pan sauce without the just-add-water chicken broth this time and it was different, not nearly as good.

About getting sick, nah man that doesn't bother me any more. You would not believe the things I see with food safety. Humans are omnivores who can eat almost anything and still not get sick. I've seen it with my own eyes. People leaving the dishes of leftovers on the table overnight at room temperature with nothing but a handleless umbrella for cover. Somehow they never get sick despite food-handling procedures we clearly know are wrong.

I don't have an aluminum or cast iron pan, I have one pan. I probably put more oil because the steak was curling up when heated which made it not make contact with the sides. More oil lets it contact more of the food.

[MBMorgan]

I used 125 instead of 130 to give more time searing before the interior overcooks. This time I only seared for 30 seconds a side and ended up with pink in the middle. The sides were barely browned, but what am I going to do so as to not overcook them?

I don't have an aluminum or cast iron pan, I have one pan. I probably put more oil because the steak was curling up when heated which made it not make contact with the sides. More oil lets it contact more of the food.

One trick I use is to cook SV at 131 then, after however many hours they need, I remove them from the SV bath and from the bag, pat them dry, then allow them to "rest" for typically 15 minutes until the IT drops down to 120 or so. Then, I dry them again, rub with oil, and sear ... usually over fire rather than in a pan because, like you, I find it difficult to maintain contact with a pan if they are at all irregularly shaped.

Sometimes, I'll even toss them in an ice water bath (while still in the bag) and really cool them down before debagging, drying, rubbing with oil, and searing. This is particularly effective with really thin cuts.

BTW, that second batch looks pretty good ...

[Lost in China]

I'll have to pick up more of these steaks next time I'm in that part of town. They're super cheap and sous viding this way with searing is helping to improve my cooking skill. Thanks for the tip about chilling the steaks, I'll use that next time.

I was going to moan about the unavailability of cast iron or aluminum pans after searching on Taobao, but then I remembered my fiancee has some "tieban" iron plates for this food she did once. She has a bad habit of buying cookware to make a single dish and then leaving it around to clog up the kitchen with useless junk. Maybe I can use one next time I need to sear. It has no handle but I can just place it directly on the burner. Of course it's been used once so sticking will probably be a problem.