Why Do You Brown Meat?

A frequent question I am asked: Why is it important to brown meat?



Answer: Developing richness of flavor is the ultimate goal. Browning the meat is a very important step to this process. A nice dark brown is ideal for beef and game meat when making a braise or a stew. This takes about 10 minutes per side. Chicken and pork are best with a medium colored browning, which is about 5 to 7 minutes per side. That being said, when I plan on a pulled pork dish I will take that pork to the darkest brown I can. If you have ever wondered why “Aunt Sally’s” roast beef is so much better than yours, even though it is the same recipe, it just might be the quality of the browning of the meat.

What is needed to brown meat?

A good heavy pot is essential.

Fat. I tend to shave off extra fat from the edges of the meat if it has good marbling (the appearance of thin lines of white fat) through-out the meat. Pork tends to have plenty of marbling, whereas game generally does not. Get rid of all the fat and skin on bone in chicken. Be aware that bone-in chicken will be more moist than deboned chicken.

Olive Oil. Just oil enough to cover the bottom of the pot. Add more if needed, especially with game meat. Remember, olive oil is the good fat and actually dissolves the nasty fat that accumulates on our organs.

Here is a recipe to try out your browning techniques. I saw this recently on one of the blog sites I frequent…sorry whoever, I don’t recall where I pulled it. I did alter it significantly.

Shredded Pork Shoulder

4 to 5 pound pork shoulder, bone-in

1 spring fresh tarragon
2 Tablespoon brown sugar
2 teaspoons cumin
1 Tablespoon smoked paprika
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper
1 Tablespoon olive oil (estimate)
1 medium sweet onion, peeled and cut into small pieces
5-6 medium carrots, peeled and cut into quarters, lengthwise
4 cloves of garlic, peeled
1 14-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 12-ounce beer such as Altitudes Chili Beer

Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

Trim the pork shoulder of any thick layers of fat. Combine the brown sugar, cumin, paprika, salt, and pepper in a small bowl. Rub the pork with the spice mixture, getting into crevices and on the sides. Allow the pork to sit for about 30 minutes.

Heat the olive oil in a large dutch oven over medium high heat. Brown the pork on all sides. Remove the meat from the pot. Add the onions and saute on medium low heat for 2 minutes then drop the heat to low then continue to caramelize the onions for at least 10 more minutes. Add the garlic, carrots and tomatoes and bring to a simmer, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon to bring up any browned bits. (why wooden? It just feels better than metal which grates on the pan or silicon that may miss some of the good stuff.)

Return the pork to the pot with the tarragon. Cover and put in the oven for 3 1/2 to 4 hours. Add the beer after 1 hour. Cook until the meat is extremely tender and pulls away from the bone easily. Shred the pork in the pot. Discard the bone or set aside for another use.

Enjoy!

Save Your Vegetables!

Fruits and vegetables are abundant at the moment. The grocery store shelves are a temptation to the taste buds and a stroll through the Farmer’s Market can make my head spin. There are so many flavors and colors to pick from. It is easy to overindulge and then up funding a very expensive compost heap.

Did you know that pairing fruits and vegetables together in the refrigerator will cause your produce to expedite their trip to the compost? The two bins in the bottom of our refrigerator are labeled “fruits” and “vegetables” for a reason. When the vast majority of families lived on a farm or at least had a functional garden it was common knowledge that fruits and vegetable should not be stored together. We have lost that knowledge along the way as we make room in our heads for cell phones, apps and searches. Here is a refresher course.

Ethylene is a naturally occurring gas in produce. However, it is also the gas that distributors use to make non-ripe fruits ripe. This additional exposure of ethylene to fruit (a normal producer of ethylene) is toxic to your vegetables. Ripe fruits “exhale” ethylene, whereas, vegetables “inhale” ethylene. Keep them separated!

Tomatoes are a fruit and are high “exhalers” of ethylene naturally. Cantaloupes, tomatoes, bananas, pears, etc. should be separate from lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, broccoli, etc. The cooler temperature of your refrigerator will help minimize ethylene’s effects and separation is key, but don’t expect these tips to keep your produce fresh for ages. Eat that produce quickly. Buy less than you think you will use. Or, get a couple of composts going.

BPA-free and why I should care

What is BPA-Free and why should I care?
BPA stands for Bisphenol A (the A stands for acetone) and is a filler that is found in many plastic products. It is a know endocrine disruptor. An endocrine disruptor means that any bodily system that is controlled by hormones is susceptible to mayhem. Many functions in the body are hormone controlled and have reported BPA interference; such as weight maintenance, prostrate function, fetus development, insulin control and cancer. Not a small list. New reports issued by the EPA disclose 90% of Americans have high quantities of BPA circulating through their bodies. Not a small number.
BPA is obviously found in plastics, like water bottles, and water pipes, but also in the lining of canned food, store receipts, packaged food containers, and compact discs. The primary form of exposure is through consumption of drinks or food that was packaged in polycarbonate plastic containers.
Can we purge our system of BPA? Yes, studies have shown that a diet high in fresh vegetables (the greener the better) can reduce the BPA in our system. However, the trick is to eliminate BPA from entering our bodies.
In effort to help reduce our BPA quantities in our bodies, we, at The Copper Kettle, have BPA-free, double-walled, cups with straws and silicone seals and also stainless steel water bottles with dual lids. Our cups with straws have a silicone seal around the lid. I really didn’t think the seal was a big deal being there is a non-sealed hole where the straw comes through. Then I took a sip from a non-sealed rimmed cup. Water dripped all down my shirt! That little seal made all the difference. When we take a sip we automatically angle the cup towards us, and I learned if that seal is not there we end up with a wet shirt. The double walled feature not only keeps the drink cold, but the condensation that normally occurs on glasses does not occur. Once again this cup leads us to a dry vs. wet shirt. We also look to improving our ecological footprint by use of re-usable cups. Each cup we reuse cuts down on the number of plastic bottles in our landfills. Grab one of these cool cups or steel water bottles to make our bodies and our world a bit healthier.