Flavor

[Driftwood11]

I can't seem to get alot of flavor in my meat's I BBQ, turkey ,pork, chicken am I not marnating it long enought, I( do it 1 1/2 hours is that not long enought to get the flavor in the meat. Need your help

[veryolddog]

Have you ever thought about marinading for a day or two? What liquids and spices are you using for a marinade?

I use a home made rub mixed with 1 cup olive oil, 1 cup worcestershire sauce, 1 cup teriakyi sauce, and either 1 cup beef broth for beef or 1 cup chicken broth for poultry. I let it sit for 2 to 3 days. You may want to think about using a brine as well on poultry or pork. It does make a difference in keeping the moisture within the food product.

I'm sure that others will offer you other alternatives as well.

Ed

[UWFSAE]

Well, there are four methods I use depending on what type of meat:  rubbing, marinating, brining and injection.

Rubbing is pretty much universal, but I do tailor the rubs for both the meat and the expected final prep.  Allowing the rub to penetrate a bit (six hours to overnight) while wrapped and refrigerated seems to boost flavor.

With regard to marinating, I love this method for thin to moderately thick cuts and I'm a fan of reducing the salt a bit and doing an overnight marinade.   This works when I want particularly strong flavors rather than the "meatiness" to be the star.

Brining is used when I want to simultaneously boost moisture and flavor.  Any poultry and a lot of pork get this treatment from me.

Finally ... injecting.  I know many purists will reject this out of hand but pumping a brisket or big pork butt are great ways to quickly increase internal flavor and moisture.  I usually inject, throw in the fridge to cool the meat back down and then go in the smoker about an hour later.

Everyone will have different methods but a good rub after a good brine is pretty much bulletproof for flavor enhancement ...

[sliding_billy]

Inject if you want more flavor in the meat.  Rub and smoke can only penetrate so far.

[muebe]

Also not mentioned yet is a vacuum tumbler. I have one and it works fantastic. You tumble the meat in the marinade under vacuum. The tumbling action and negative pressure help to force the marinade further into the meat.

And there is a device called a Jaccard. I believe Capt Jack has one. It pierces a ton of tiny holes into the meat creating little cavities that help to tenderize the meat. Then by marinated after this process you will get better results. I have done something similar to my steaks before with a fork.

[smokeasaurus]

I use a Jaccard.  I will lay a heavy coating of rub on the meat, then use the Jaccard to push the rub down into the meat. I saw Chris Marks do this while prepping a brisket.

I also have no problems leaving a butt or briskie rubbed down and wrapped up tight for 3 days or more.....makes a big difference.

[veryolddog]

I use a Jaccard.  I will lay a heavy coating of rub on the meat, then use the Jaccard to push the rub down into the meat. I saw Chris Marks do this while prepping a brisket.

I also have no problems leaving a butt or briskie rubbed down and wrapped up tight for 3 days or more.....makes a big difference.

First time that I have heard of Jaccard. Went to a "Jaccard Corp" web site and they do make things for food. Could you show us a picture of what you are referring to. Are you referring to: MEAT MAXIMIZER™ MEAT TENDERIZER - 15 KNIFE / STAINLESS COLUMNS.

Thanks, and I would really appreciate it.

Ed

[smokeasaurus]

Here is what I use

http://www.amazon.com/Jaccard-Supertendermatic-Knife-Stainless-Processing/dp/B001HP6Y7A/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1378308376&sr=8-10&keywords=jaccard

I tenderized my index finger one time by accident......Oh Yeah, I cried........man,did that hurt..... :'(

[veryolddog]

Here is what I use

http://www.amazon.com/Jaccard-Supertendermatic-Knife-Stainless-Processing/dp/B001HP6Y7A/ref=sr_1_10?ie=UTF8&qid=1378308376&sr=8-10&keywords=jaccard

I tenderized my index finger one time by accident......Oh Yeah, I cried........man,did that hurt..... :'(

Oh, yeah....we are definitely on the same page. That is what I thought. Nice! Reasonably price too!

Ed

[Ka Honu]

I recall a thread (I thought it was on this forum, but maybe not) about mechanically (blade- or needle-) tenderized meat and the associated danger of bacterial introduction.  Before buying a Jaccard or similar tool, you might want to read the Consumer Reports article here.  Of course you'd keep your Jaccard super clean but the risk still exists because you're driving any surface bacteria into the meat where it may not be destroyed by cooking. Likely not a high probability but just wanted to make sure it was out there.

[RickB]

I recall a thread (I thought it was on this forum, but maybe not) about mechanically (blade- or needle-) tenderized meat and the associated danger of bacterial introduction.  Before buying a Jaccard or similar tool, you might want to read the Consumer Reports article here.  Of course you'd keep your Jaccard super clean but the risk still exists because you're driving any surface bacteria into the meat where it may not be destroyed by cooking. Likely not a high probability but just wanted to make sure it was out there.

I'm very disciplined about how well I clean & dry my Jaccard after I use it
I squeeze the base so the needles are exposed and scrub with a brush
you can also make a sanitizing solution with a few ounces of Clorox in a bowl of water to soak it in before you dry it to put it away.

I make home-brew and good sanitation is so important so not to spoil a batch of beer

I like the texture of the meat from using the Jaccard a lot more than using a papain meat tenderizer

I used my Jaccard last weekend when I picked up those cheap T-bones
and it made a HUGE difference in how tender the steaks were

I got one of those.



Don't tell Muebe but I used a dryaged ribeye to make a chicken fried steak biscuit with the Jaccard one time. Soooo good!

[rexster314]

That's ok, I ground up a prime ribeye once to make a hamburger I was jonesing for

[Ka Honu]

I'm very disciplined about how well I clean & dry my Jaccard after I use it

Jack - I think the issue is less with how clean your Jaccard is than with surface bacteria being driven into the interior of the meat where it's not killed during cooking (unless you cook it well done).  That's why we get mad cow disease from ground beef and not from steaks.

[TentHunteR]

I'm very disciplined about how well I clean & dry my Jaccard after I use it

Jack - I think the issue is less with how clean your Jaccard is than with surface bacteria being driven into the interior of the meat where it's not killed during cooking (unless you cook it well done).  That's why we get mad cow disease from ground beef and not from steaks.

BINGO!!! Cleaning your jaccard thoroughly is a still good thing, but Ka Honu is dead right on this!



Cubed meat (run through a cube tenderizer) carries the same risks and should also always be thoroughly cooked.

[veryolddog]

What to do? What to do?

The Jaccard device sounds like a great idea. Smoke and Jack use them. You guys ever been sick?

This is a real quandry. Right but wrong.

Ed