Quote:
Originally Posted by alpha1 In my humble opinion the chicken breasts taste the BEST only when deep fried or when done via low temperature slow cooking!
drk_411:
the Injection technique sounds real great. In fact that is exactly what we want right? Taste inside the meat. Are there any special considerations we need to note? |
You do get meat injectors in US and western countries.
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss...at%20injectors
In India you can make do with normal syringes. You can use a wide bore needle if your solution is oily or more viscous. A little practice would do wonders for you. Try injecting some liquid in a potato or apple to get the feel of it.
I have seen some chefs messaging the meat thereafter more so if the injected meat part is quite large eg the whole leg of the lamb, but if you are inclined to leave the meat for sometime you can omit it. This situation arises if you want to inject and then use some dry rub for some time.
Keep cooking.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Aroy I agree, but good results require a lot of practice and dedication. I have yet to come across a good and tasty recipe which will give results irrespective of the inclination and expertise of the cook. That is why most of the institutionalised fast food tastes so bland, it has to taste the same under all circumstances.
That said proper marinade does wonders to the meat Roy Sahib,
Let me reiterate in the first place that I am not against marination. I do it all the time and in fact cooking is never complete without marination if and when it is required. I do agree with you that it does wonders and also makes the inside of the meat more moist.
and no amount of sauces poured over roasted/barbequed/fried meat comes near it in the juiciness and texture. I have a different take on it. If we could somehow impart the necessary flavours "WITHIN", then the dipping sauces would become redundant. But sometimes it can't be done. Simply. So we use the path of "WITH". Imagine a Pakora , Samosa or an Aalloo Tikki with marinade ? You got to use dipping sauces. Period.
The basic idea of marinade are
. Infuse the flavour of spices in the meat
. Ensure that the meat remains moist and soft while cooking without water. If you are making a curry/sauce then the spices will infuse while cooking, Very true.
but in dry cooking there is no medium for the spices to travel from the surface to the interior. But in dry cooking, the superficial coat of spices / marinade does have a role and it does
-keep the meat moist,
- give extra and rich color [ for example caramalization of the sugars that we add to the rub or the marinade ]
- Gives crispiness by taking in all the assault of the heat to itself and and also acting as a barrier for the moisture loss. How many of us have tried to cook Chicken breasts and come up with hard white flesh? I bet most of us. The trick is to marinate the breasts and then roast them to just done. Overcook the breasts and they will tun hard. |
The simple funda that most people forget is that we are dealing with PROTEINS present in muscle fibers which does get coagulated on application of heat.
You have to know when to stop applying more heat so that your meat does not become leathery.
It depends whether we want to roast, sear or cook. Since we are talking about roasting, here is what I would do :
Pan / Oven / MW Method : [ The chicken breast may or may not be marinated. ]
I would heat the pan and then drizzle some oil in it. The pan has to be HOT.
I would slide in the chicken breast / breasts and wait for the sides of the chicken breast to go white. [ Usually 3 to 4 minutes ]. Turn over the breast.
and give another 3 - 4 minutes. I make sure that I don't try to push the chicken breast unnecessarily or lift it to make sure that everything is fine. I just let it be there. I would even let the chicken breast stick to the pan since it would come out eventually leaving a nice fondue for a great sauce.
Here the variations start.
- rest of the cooking can be done in the oven
I can wrap it in aluminium foil and put it in the preheated oven [180 C ]
for some 6-8 minutes. And would serve it to you, of course with a BBQ dipping sauce.
- It can be done in MW. 3 - 4 minutes on high suitably wrapped or placed in a container
- or if I want to sear the chicken breast. I would go ahead and add chicken stock and cover the pan. Would reduce the stock to desired consistency. Plate the breast and drip over the reduced stock/sauce.
The temp required to cook the chicken is around 170 F taken with a meat thermometer from inside the breast. Some people just wrap aluminum foil after roasting and let it rest for some time [12-15 minutes] It keeps cooking but the proteins don't get leathery. Usually cooking depends on how you want your meat to be. Rare, Medium Rare, Done or Well done.
BBW over Live Charcoal or electric BBQ/ Grill .
A well marinated and moist chicken leg / half chicken or full chicken snared in a wire mesh for easy handling. Make sure that your charcoal is not TOO HOT.
Roast on both sides and then put the wire mesh on the cooler side of the grill where there is no charcoal under the chicken. And let the internal heat do the work. You can keep on basting the chicken with some oil / infused oil for better results.
Come to Dehradun. We would cook together !!!