Secret to Keeping Meat Juicy and Flavorful
January 12, 2006 | Issue 18
If you have ever had a problem with "too dry" meat then this newsletter is just for you..
Good day,
Welcome to the January edition of the Smoking-Meat.com monthly newsletter. I am your host Jeff Phillips and I am excited about this month's topics and I know you will be too so let's get right to it with no further ado!
Coming up in this issue:
- Give the Meat a little R&R after Cooking
- Feb/March BBQ Competitions
- Complete "How to Smoke Meat" eCourse on CD
- New Home Gardening Website/Forum
- Joke of the Month - from SmokingMeatForums.com
Give the Meat a little R&R after Cooking
This is something that we have not covered (as far as I can remember) in any of our newsletters.. and it needs to be covered since it is such an important issue. I think this may be something that will solve some problems for some of you who have complained to me about the meat being too dry.To give you a little scientific knowledge on this.. when meat is cooked and reaches around 110 to 120 degrees the protien strands begin to shrink forcing the moisture out of its hiding places much like squeezing a balloon. The air just moves somewhere else.
In meat the juices tend to move to the cooler areas in the center of the meat and stay there throughout the larger portion of the cook time until:
- You puncture the meat with a knife, fork, thermometer probe, etc.
- You slice the meat when the meat is done cooking
So if you cannot puncture the meat how do you check the doneness of the meat or insert a thermometer probe? Well.. you do it very carefully.
The proper way to avoid moisture loss is to insert the thermometer probe to the center of the meat at the very beginning of the cook. You do not poke, puncture or cut the meat after that until after the meat is done and has rested for a certain period of time.
At what point does the meat return from the center of the meat back to its' original location throughout the meat? Well I am going to explain that in detail right after this commercial break..
Short Commercial break...
This website and newsletter is made possible by all of you who support the site by making donations and ordering our products.. the best product that I have is my rub and sauce recipes which sell as a package deal for only $18.95 and they are so worth it.. I am so sure that you will like them that I make a guarantee that if they are not the best you have ever eaten then I will gladly refund your money.. it is a win-win situation. I simply want every one of you to be successful and my special rub and sauce recipes have the potential to make you both famous and successful.
I have folks email me daily telling me how my recipes have made them so popular at family get togethers, in the neighborhood and even in the competition venue and you can be next by ordering today!
Ok.. back to the article now:
We have solved part of the problem of losing moisture by learning not to poke or puncture the meat while it is cooking but now we are going to learn how to allow the juices to return/redistribute throughout the meat before carving, slicing or pulling.
Every meat is different in how long it takes the juices to return but for the most part I like to wait for at least 15 minutes and usually 20 to 30 minutes depending on the size of the meat.
Ribs, chicken pieces, and other smaller pieces of meat need to rest for about 15 minutes before cutting.
Larger pieces of meat such as pork shoulder, whole chicken or turkey, and brisket should be allowed to rest for 20 to 30 minutes before slicing, carving or pulling.
For the larger pieces, more is better and I recommend a full 30 minutes if possible for maximum juiciness.
If you follow these instruction to the letter, you will immediately notice a more juicy and flavorful piece of meat and you family and friends will vote you in as backyard chef of the year!
Some Really Great Articles..
We have some really good articles at the website that I would like to draw your attention to..
Smoked Meat Loaf Recipe (outstanding!)
Be sure to also check out the all new sitemap just added to the website.. it lists all of our articles, tutorials, old newsletters, recipes, etc.
February/March BBQ Competitions
This is a new section in the newsletter.. to keep everyone abreast of the upcoming competitions I will scour the various calendars for the KCBS and other barbecue associations and list all of the events coming up in the following month.
If you have knowledge of an upcoming event sanctioned or not by one of the well know BBQ associations then I will be happy to list it as well if you will send me the information.
KCBS is showing no competitions scheduled for February so I will go ahead and list the ones for March
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And here are some other competitions/cookoffs I have been made aware of for February:
2-03/05 . Navasota, TX Grimes County Go Texan BBQ Stacey Ross 936-825-2020 (T)
2-10/11 . Humble, TX Humble Rodeo Cook-off Humble Civic Center http://www.humblebbqcookoff.com Stacy Williams 281-831-5780 Bobby (T)
2-17/18 . Austin, TX "Chilly" Chili & BBQ C/O - VFW 8787 Dee Dee Barton 512-365-7821 Ronnie Akin (TxBA)
2-24/25 . Mercedes, TX Smokin' on the Rio Texas State Championship $10,000 prize money www.smokinontherio.com Chuck Sellman 956-975-1254 Jen & Mike (STBA)
2-24/25 . Irving, TX Irving Elks Lodge BBQ David Boedeker 972-579-0005 (TxBA)
2-10/11 . Humble, TX Humble Rodeo Cook-off Humble Civic Center http://www.humblebbqcookoff.com Stacy Williams 281-831-5780 Bobby (T)
2-17/18 . Austin, TX "Chilly" Chili & BBQ C/O - VFW 8787 Dee Dee Barton 512-365-7821 Ronnie Akin (TxBA)
2-24/25 . Mercedes, TX Smokin' on the Rio Texas State Championship $10,000 prize money www.smokinontherio.com Chuck Sellman 956-975-1254 Jen & Mike (STBA)
2-24/25 . Irving, TX Irving Elks Lodge BBQ David Boedeker 972-579-0005 (TxBA)
Don't forget to order the Bayou Shakedown.. an incredible blend of spices that will take you to Cajun country with every bite. I use this stuff nearly every day on everything from popcorn to fried potatoes to scrambled eggs. To order check out the website at www.crazzycajun.com
The eCourse Goes... Plastic
High quality, professional grade, full length CD, worthy of being a gift for yourself or someone else you care about.
Go ahead and get your copies now.. I have decided to leave the price at only $9.95 +s&h instead of the proposed $14.95 and that is just because I felt like it. Many others are selling CD's much higher but there again.. I am just trying to make an honest living online and I sincerely appreciate all of you who consistently support the site through your donations and purchases.
Here are a few more details on the popular CD
77 minutes of great elaboration on:
- Meat Selection
- Building and maintaining a fire
- Different types of smokers and how they work
- Mods you can do to make your equipment work better
- Ways to Increase flavor using marinades, rubs, sauces, mops, and brining
- How to know when your meat is done by feel, touch, and sight
- How to accurately estimate cook times for Poultry, Beef and Pork
- And More...
No more reading small text.. listen instead while you drive or relax in your favorite chair
These are hot and will not last long.. I plan to reorder in just a few days.
The email version is free and the PDF download version is available for only $3.99
Get the free 5-day eCourse in your inbox or if you would like to get the course in PDF format you can acquire it for only $3.99 here.
Got High Speed Internet?
If you happen to be fortunate enough to have high speed internet then you can get the entire 77 minute CD as an MP3 file for only $7.95 and it will download in about 10 to 12 minutes.. you just saved several bucks and still got all of the good information.. very smart choice!
| If you have friends, family or coworkers who are not signed up for this newsletter or you feel could benefit from the eCourse, please send them the link so they can take advantage as well. |
Joke of the Month
Another new section of the Smoking Meat Newsletter.. I want to keep the information fresh and insightful and your comments, ideas, criticism, etc. is helping to do just that and is appreciated. Please send me your joke ideas and who knows.. I may use it sometime.
Please note.. it is not our intention to offend anyone. We hope everyone is thick-skinned enough and mature enough to understand that jokes are meant to be funny and should not be taken seriously.
We have a whole joke section at www.SmokingMeatForums.com and if you have not joined up then you are missing out.. here is one from the forum:
Dear Vinnie
An old Italian man lived alone in the country. He wanted to dig his tomato garden, but it was very hard work as the ground was hard.
His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.
"Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.
- Love Dad"
A few days later he received a letter from his son.
"Dear Dad,
Not for nothing, but don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES.
- Love Vinnie"
At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.
"Dear Dad,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
-Love Vinnie"
His only son, Vincent, who used to help him, was in prison. The old man wrote a letter to his son and described his predicament.
"Dear Vincent,
I am feeling pretty bad because it looks like I won't be able to plant my tomato garden this year. I'm just getting too old to be digging up a garden plot. If you were here my troubles would be over. I know you would dig the plot for me.
- Love Dad"
A few days later he received a letter from his son.
"Dear Dad,
Not for nothing, but don't dig up that garden. That's where I buried the BODIES.
- Love Vinnie"
At 4 a.m. the next morning, FBI agents and local police arrived and dug up the entire area without finding any bodies. They apologized to the old man and left. That same day the old man received another letter from his son.
"Dear Dad,
Go ahead and plant the tomatoes now. That's the best I could do under the circumstances.
-Love Vinnie"
Jeff's Top Secret Recipes
I have two of the best recipes that have ever been known in the barbecue venue.. The rub recipes is nothing short of phenomenal and the accompanying barbecue sauce is the best you have ever eaten.. I guarantee it!
Those of you who have ordered can attest to the fact that these recipes are unbelievable and if you have not ordered then I have to ask.. What are you waiting on?
$18.95 gets you the 2 best barbecue recipes you have ever tasted and that is something you cannot afford to do without.
If you have already ordered one of the recipes previously simply go here to find out how to order a single recipe to complete the collection.
Our New Sister Site.. ExtremeHomeGardening.com
By popular request I have created a new website at www.ExtremeHomeGardening.com and it has it's own active forum already up and running. Many of our members who smoke meat also grow gardens and like to use the peppers and other veggies as well as homegrown herbs in their recipes.
This website will be modeled after the www.Smoking-Meat.com site and will be a huge encyclopedia of information on everything related to gardening.
Go ahead and check it out, register at the forum and help me get the ball rolling on this great new spot on the web!
Thank You for Supporting Smoking-Meat.com!
Until next time... thank you for being a part of the best smoking meat/barbecue site on the world wide web! At this time we are supported solely by the sponsored ads on the site and the few items that we offer for sale.
Every time you purchase one of our excellent products it helps pay for the hosting and domain to provide this service to you.
We have also added a "donate" link to the site and if you have been helped at all by this newsletter or the website then please consider a small $5 or $10 gift of appreciation to help keep this site going. We are forever grateful to all of you who constantly let us know how much the site means to you.
Have a Wonderful Day and Keep Smoking (meat that is)!!!
Jeff Phillips
Pitmaster/Webmaster
www.Smoking-Meat.com
www.SmokingMeatForums.com
Feel free to drop us a line about anything at all by using our contact us page or the speedy form below.
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