Adventure Two: Beef Brisket

Girls Cooking Meat:
Adventure Two 

Beef Brisket Braised in Red Wine, Wrapped in Bacon

Serves 4-6

From Padma Lakshmi’s book TANGY TART HOT & SWEET

 

Ingredients:

3 pounds Beef Brisket

1 750-ml bottle Chianti or Barolo red wine

6 to 8 Bay Leaves

12 strips Center Cut Bacon

2 teaspoons fresh thyme

4 tablespoons butter

1 red onion, cut into 4-6 wedges

4 carrots, scraped and cut on the diagonal into 3 inch pieces

2 fennel bulbs, quartered

6 whole celery stalks, cut into 4 inch pieces, including leaves and hearts

8 cloves garlic, peeled

Directions:

1.       In a bowl, marinate the beef in the wine and bay leaves for 8 to 10 hours in the refrigerator.

2.       In a skillet, cook the bacon over medium heat, being careful not to overcook it – it should not be crispy. Remove the bacon, leaving the fat in the skillet.

3.       Remove the brisket from the wine, saving the marinade. Using the same skillet, turn the heat up to high, and when hot, sear the beef for 1 ½ to 2 minutes on each side, holding the brisket with tongs or a fork to sear all sides. (Mama Blom said 5 minutes on each side to get it brown.)

4.       Place the seared beef in a Dutch oven with the fatty side up and let it cool for a couple of minutes. Sprinkle the thyme on both sides of the brisket. Wrap the bacons strips around the brisket, securing them with kitchen string.

5.       Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

6.       In the same skillet, melt the butter into the remaining bacon fat, and sauté the onions, carrots, fennel bulbs, celery stalks, and garlic for 4-5 minutes to awaken the flavors. Pour the vegetables, the fat in which they’re cooked, and the remaining wine marinade over and around the brisket. Cover the Dutch oven and begin the slow cooking process.

7.       Bake the brisket for 3 ½ to 4 hours. Every 30 minutes, remove the brisket and turn it, stirring the vegetables. When done, the brisket should be so tender that you can cut through it with a spoon. Remove the butcher string and bay leaves, spoon the vegetables over the meat and serve.

Oh so yummy! Time to grab a fork and a plate and dig in ladies!

Happy cooking my friends!

June 20, 2011

Thermometer 101

Looking back, I can think of countless times that I found myself peeking in the oven at a chicken breast wondering, “Is it done yet?”  There is nothing worse than cutting into your chicken at the table to find that it is still pink in the middle. Possibly, the only thing worse than an under cooked chicken breast is a severely dried-out, over cooked chicken breast! I know that I am not the only one who has struggled with this process all the while thinking, “there has to be a better way to go about cooking meat!”  Well, there most certainly is and my Mom aka Mama Blom shared it with my friends and I step by step at our May 2011 Girls Cooking Meat night.

Personally, I am of the opinion that over-cooked chicken, pork chop, beef or seafood is like dirt in comparison to juicy succulent perfectly cooked meat. All of us girls learned this first hand in May at our initial installment of Girls Cooking Meat with Mama Blom when we chowed down on some amazing pork tenderloin. We had fun, learned some new tricks and it was easy too!

I am going to attempt to go through everything Mama Blom taught us about how to use a meat thermometer. For everyone at home who is ready to enjoy meat that is cooked perfectly every time here is your guide.

Your Secret Weapon and Trusted Companion: A Meat Thermometer

First, meat tastes best when cooked to the correct temperature and the meat thermometer takes the guesswork out of the equation. Secondly, by assuring that you have cooked your meat to a safe temperature you can rest easy knowing that harmful bacteria have been destroyed. I could list some of these harmful bacteria, but surely everyone can just use their imagination. Bottom line, you do not want to make yourself sick!

Mama Blom even did a drawing for us which covers the basics of a thermometer. I find this to be a good quick reference to keep on hand and so I will attempt to scan and upload this to the blog very soon.
 
Mama Blom though was quick to explain to all of us girls that just any old thermometer will not make the cut. Some of our thermometers had to be thrown away and new ones had to be acquired. This brings us to step one…
 
STEP ONE: BUY A GOOD MEAT THERMOMETER
 So there are a few basic criteria you need to look for when buying a good meat thermometer. You could probably spend quite a few bucks on one, but really you should be able to find one that is more than adequate for under $10. I found one for $7 and some change at Ballentine Food Equipment on Rhett Street in Greenville. Do not be tricked by the ones that meet only part of the criteria! Read the package closely.

You are looking for an instant read thermometer. The instant read thermometer is NOT meant to be placed in the meat and then left in the oven while it cooks. Also, make sure you are not buying a candy or appliance thermometer. There are all kinds of thermometers, but you are looking for the regular kind with a dial at the top which meets the following criteria:

There needs to be a “sensing area” on the thermometer. If you look closely at the end of the thermometer where you would stick it in the meat, about 2” or so up there should be a little dimple on the thermometer. This dimple represents the sensing area. This is important because you will use this sensing area to get an accurate temperature. To do this you would have to stick the thermometer into the meat at least as far as this dimple.

In addition, you need to get a thermometer which can be calibrated. Otherwise, when it becomes un-calibrated you will no longer be able to use it! By the way, it easily becomes un-calibrated by being dropped on the ground or even just sitting in your drawer. Often the packaging will state it comes with a built in calibrating tool on the thermometer sheath, but you need to verify that the thermometer is able to be calibrated by looking underneath the dial and if there is a hexagon or octagon looking nut attached there then  you are good to go. Turning this nut is how you will adjust the needle on the dial when calibrating.

To review, your thermometer needs to be a dial instant read type with a sensing area and a calibrating nut underneath. Now with your secret meat cooking weapon in hand, it is time for step two…

STEP TWO: HOW TO CALIBRATE YOUR THERMOMETER
 Mama Blom informed us that we really need to check our thermometer prior to each time we use it and re-calibrate it if needed. You may ask if you seriously have to do it every time? She said seriously every time and Mama Blom means it as she insists that this is vital to the effectiveness of the thermometer.

How to Test and Calibrate your Thermometer:

Mama Blom taught us what she referred to as the Ice Point Method for checking a thermometer. To do this you will need to make an ICE SLURRY.  An ice slurry is a mixture of half ice and half cold water. So go ahead and fill up a glass with ice all the way to the top and then fill up the glass with cold water. It does not need more than just a minute to sit. At this point, the water is equal to 32 degrees Fahrenheit hence the Ice Point Method. You will then insert your thermometer into this ice bath and hold it for at least 15 seconds or until the needle on the dial stops moving.

Now, this is when you check to see if your thermometer is calibrated correctly. If your thermometer reads 32 degrees, you are good to go. If not, you will need to adjust the needle so that it reads 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
To do this, you will need to grasp the nut directly under the dial with a pair of pliers or insert into your built-in calibrating tool. Then, while holding that nut steady, you’ll twist the dial until the needle points at 32 degrees Fahrenheit.
Your thermometer is now calibrated and ready to be used to cook delicious, perfectly cooked meat!

STEP THREE: USING YOUR THERMOMETER
Now it is time to put your thermometer to work!

To get a correct reading, it is important to insert your thermometer correctly. The sensing area (as previously mentioned this is marked by the dimple and is typically about 2 inches long) must be inserted completely into the deepest area of the meat. To do this correctly you may have to stick the thermometer in sideways (for example when cooking chicken breasts). You do not want to touch any bone or the pan.

Once the thermometer is inserted correctly, leave it in the meat 15 seconds to get an accurate reading. Mama Blom instructed us to take the meat completely out of the oven and close the oven up while testing the temperature. If the meat was not done, then of course return it to the oven and keep testing every 5-10 minutes depending on how close the meat is to the required temperature.

VERY IMPORTANT:
You must thoroughly clean off your thermometer after each time you test your meat! Refer to the beginning of my blog when I referenced killing bacteria. If you have more questions about why to clean it each time, think e coli and the last time you got food poisoning. NOT VERY FUN!

Once the meat has reached the appropriate temperature, remove it from the heat source and cover it with foil. The meat needs to REST at this point for 10-15 minutes so the juices can redistribute into the meat before slicing. If you slice the meat immediately, all of the juices will just run out leaving you with dry meat!

Mama Blom gave us the following minimum temperatures which different meats must be cooked to in order to be safe to eat:

 

Fish 145 F
 
Beef and Pork 145 F

**Except ground beef and pork 155 F**

Poultry (including ground turkey and chicken) 165 F

I believe this concludes our lesson on using a meat thermometer. Take a deep breath friends! Don't be overwhelmed by my long-winded blog  :)  I tried to include all the details to help you all wrap your mind completely around the process, but really it is very simple and easy.

 

Let me know if you have any questions or need any help. Now go and find yourself a meat thermometer so that you can start enjoying perfectly cooked meat!!

 

Christen

Jennie and Allison are working on the fresh blackberry cobbler...yum!

This is a pretty little barefoot mama cooking in the kitchen. Allison announced that her and Ryan are expecting at our little gathering of girls cooking beast! So excited for them!

The nature of the beast, success in the details & passion

We took on the challenge of cooking the beast, beef brisket to be exact.
The girls didn't waiver. Everyone jumped in to help. We had a Padma Lakshmi recipe of beef brisket with bacon and red wine. This recipe was a long slow braise. I started it earlier in the day. Our brisket was very good and very tender. My lovely apprentices did a wonderful job in the kitchen. All very eager to learn and many great questions were asked.
I have to say when you have been cooking a long time, you will have moments when you look back and see what you would have done differently. Maybe this is just the perfectionist in me but I see things in hind sight that I should have caught before hand.

The pan that I braised in should have been larger. The size of your pan is crucial when cooking. You would be amazed at this. Having taught cooking classes. My students were always amazed even baking cookies, if you crowd them on the pan so they touch when finished baking, they will not bake off as well.

You may remember a line from the movie, "Cooking with Julia" where she discovers cooking mushrooms or chicken?? in a pan without crowding it and the benefits of proper browning and what it brought to the sauce later. (or you may not remember this remote detail:-) from a random foodie movie) I love these kind of details in movies. These are "Ah Ha!" moments in cooking and baking.

I wished I would have removed the lid toward the end to thicken the sauce and allowed the hot air to make a glaze on the meat. Looking back I would have also trussed the meat, tying the bacon in place around it so it would have been easy to turn often. Although not critical to cook the meat, it would have taken it from very good to amazing! Cooking the meat evenly, basing it in the juices and ultimately would have made a glossy sheen on the meat that would have been both beautiful and delicious.

If you have spent anytime in the kitchen you will have experiences such as the time you bake the most amazing pan of cookies, cooked to perfection, golden brown buttery goodness and then in the next blink you will turn around and burn the next batch to a crisp resembling lumps of coal. This is all par for the course and completely normal. This reminds me of the fact that, as with most things in life, so much is held in the details. Tiny little details make or break us.
(sorry for speaking of cookies twice- I must have cookies on the brain today)

Our last cooking class was held the day after Father's Day. (which we had hosted the whole family at our home that day) so I think back in retrospect I should have waited a week for this class for myself to be re energized and ready to go, on my game. As important as great cuts of meat, garden fresh veg and extra virgin olive oil and etc. are to recipes there is one other main, crucial, more-important-than-anything ingredient that is absolutely, most definitely necessary for success: This ingredient is passion! You have to have a passion to make something amazing, go the extra mile. Passion takes energy, not just knowledge and commitment. Passion takes you through to the final details and carries you to the end. It will make success in your endeavors and this will cause delight, not frustration to your time spent creating delicious foods

All this to say...we will live to braise another day. And we will all braise well.
I love all you girls and can't wait to cook with you again.

Adventure One: THE PHOTOS

We started the evening by making some Margaritas to accompany our Latin inspired meal.

Yummy :)

Here is our pork tenderloin rinsed and dried.

The Pork coming from the oven.

Mary Frances is correctly testing the temperature of meat with a thermometer.

Mama Blom taught us well!

Smoky Black Beans Cooking on the Stove

Look at that beautiful Mango-Pineapple Salsa

Sliced Pork Tenderloin, Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes 

And Smoky Black Beans

In case you were wondering, everything was delicious!

Adventure One: THE RECIPES

Cooking with Mama Blom

Girls Cooking Meat – Adventure One – May 16^th, 2011

 

Latin Spiced Boneless Pork Tenderloin

(Recipe serves 4 - 5)

Ingredients:

1 lb. 4 oz. Pork Loin, Boneless

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

Spice Rub Mix:

1/2 tsp. Chili Powder, mild

1/2 clove Garlic

1/2 tsp. Thyme

1/4 tsp. Black Pepper

1/4 tsp. Cumin, ground

1/4 tsp. Salt

Directions:

1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Rinse meat and pat dry with a paper towel.

3. Combine all ingredients for the spice rub in a small bowl.

4. First, rub olive oil all over meat. Then sprinkle rub on meat, rubbing in with your fingers.

5. Place meat on a rack in a shallow pan* and roast for 25-35 minutes or until when tested with a thermometer reads at least 145 degrees for 15 seconds.

6. Once meat registers 145 degrees, remove from the oven, cover and set aside for at least 15 minutes before slicing.

Nutrition Facts: Per 4 oz. serving - Approximately 137 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat

 *If you do not have a roasting pan and rack, use any pan you have with sides and take heavy duty foil and fold ridges to cook meat on.

Mango-Pineapple Salsa

(Recipe Serves 4 - 5)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup Mango, peeled and diced

1/4 cup Fresh Pineapple, peeled and diced

2 Tbsp. Red Bell Pepper, diced

2 Tbsp. Poblano Chile Pepper, diced finely

2 Tbsp. Red Onion, finely diced

1 Tbsp. Lime Juice

2 tsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. White Wine Vinegar

Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl.

2. Cover and chill for 15 minutes or up to 24 hours before serving.

Great with pork or chicken!

*Green bell pepper may be used instead of Poblano chile pepper.

Oven Roasted Sweet Potatoes

(Recipe serves 4 - 5)

Ingredients:

1 lb. Sweet Potatoes, fresh

1 Tbsp. Olive Oil

1/2 tsp. Cinnamon, ground

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare sheet pan by lining with foil, parchment or by spraying pan well with non-stick cooking spray.

2. Peel and cube sweet potatoes into approximately 1 inch cubes.

3. Toss cubed sweet potatoes in olive oil, cinnamon. Salt and pepper to taste.

4. Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until potatoes are browned and tender.

Alternative: Add some sugar to preference instead of salt and pepper.

Smoky Black Beans

(Recipe serves 4 – 6)

Ingredients:

1 small onion
1 chipotle chile (either canned in adobo or dried)
Two 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans
2 teaspoons olive oil
3/4 cup fresh orange juice

1 cup water
Salt to taste

Directions:

1. Mince onion.

2. If using a dried chipotle chile, place it in a bowl soak in boiling-hot water to cover 5 minutes and drain. Wearing protective gloves, mince soaked or canned chipotle.

3. In a colander rinse black beans well and drain.
4. In a 2- to 3-quart heavy saucepan cook onion in oil over moderately low heat, stirring, until softened. Add chipotle chile and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes.

5. Add beans, 1 cup water, and orange juice and simmer, mashing mixture 3 or 4 times with a potato masher, until slightly thickened, for about 15 minutes. Season beans with salt.

The Beginning

Monday, May 16th, 2011, marked the beginning of the "Girls Cooking Meat" adventures in the kitchen with Mama Blom.

"Mama Blom" aka Beth is none other than my wonderful mother and best friend who has so graciously offered to teach a few lessons to me and my friends on the fundamentals of cooking meat in an attempt to educate all of us on the correct way go about buying, preparing, cooking and ultimately eating meat.

Mama Blom, among many things, is a wonderful cook and experienced teacher. Her credentials encompass owning and running a bakery cafe with my father for over 12 years. More recently, she taught cooking and food safety courses at a community college, a local non-profit and even to prisoners enrolled in job training courses.

One of her greatest accomplishments though (in my opinion anyway) is her family. My father, three brothers and I are very blessed to have such giving and loving woman in our life. Mom is always whipping up something delicious for us and our waist lines attest to this truth!

The friends that are joining me on these adventures into uncharted cooking waters are none but the best and dearest there are. As it turns out, we have already been cooking together for years sometimes as often as once a week and sometimes less often. No matter where we have ended up or how busy our lives get, we always make time to get together and enjoy a home-cooked meal. There is nothing better than great food and great friends. 

As it happens though, our group was really just a "bunch of girls"; one of whom is a vegetarian, and our knowledge and experience with cooking MEAT was limited. A few of us are single and felt that all the trouble to buy and cook meat for one person just was not worth the hassle. Some girls found it frustrating how expensive it was to buy meat and then not know how to cook it properly. One girl being a vegetarian of course does not eat meat, but cooks it for her husband and just really wanted to know how to cook meat well. Of course, at some point my mother "Mama Blom" found out about this little problem we had and came to the rescue insisting she would teach us all the basics on cooking meat. Furthermore, Mama Blom insisted it was easy and fool-proof at that! 

So that brings us to the present. We decided to just pick one night a month and each time learn how to cook a different meat. As it turns out, Mama Blom is right! Cooking meat is pretty simple. I never doubted her of course :) 

May 2011's menu was centered around cooking pork tenderloin. Before we dive into that though, we all learned that the real secret behind perfectly cooked meat rests with one important kitchen tool - a properly calibrated meat thermometer! Note: Any old thermometer will not do. More on all of this later in another blog post. 

My next post will include all of the recipes from our first adventure in cooking meat which we appropriately named PORK-O-LICIOUS!

Happy cooking and let me know if you catch any mistakes in the recipes or have any comments or suggestions.

- Christen aka Mama Blom's Daughter

The cooking beauties

Look at these beautiful girls and the wonderful
food they prepared

The aroma of pork roasting in the oven...

Greetings to my brave and beautiful girls!

This is the menu from our very first "Cooking with meat" cooking class:

Latin Spiced Pork Tenderloin
Pineapple Mango Salad
Smoky Black beans
Oven Roast Sweet potato cubes
Lemon Sorbet

Recipe for the sorbet will be on the blog coming soon...

I have been hearing rumors of deliciousness...pork tenderloin cooked to perfection and very happy people waiting in the wings to gladly feast on your masterpiece. Bravo! Good job girls. I am so proud of you that you jump right in and are practicing your pork.

Are you just a little surprised at how easy this is? It is all about using a thermometer. When you use a correctly calibrated thermometer you can trust that it really is accurate. This help you to confidently cook meat to the appropriate temperature.

We missed you Britney. Someone needs to invite Brittany and Billy to their house and make....
you guessed it... pork tenderloin.:-)

See you all at the next cooking class....

Can't wait

Mama Blom aka Beth