Sunday, March 21, 2010

Weekend Report...



I'm out of practice...

I did a rookie mistake yesterday, I let my brain tell me the time instead of letting the thermometer tell me the temperature. As most of you know, a brisket will shrink in size when the connective tissue collagen breaks down.

Meaning...the tough stuff in the brisket is melting away and making the meat tender. That's when you should start checking temps. My temp. is hit 185 and then double wrap and rest for an hour or two.

But no...my brain said this and I did not pay attention to that and I over shot my desired temperature on the brisket and beef short ribs by 25 degrees.

That is way over cooked, still eatable, but way over cooked.

When you haven't cooked in awhile, you do stupid things. Things you know better than that to do, but you do them anyway. On my instant read thermometer, when that needle takes off like a rocket, you're fixing to peg 200 easy.

It did and I knew that second I'd screwed up...

After a few choice French words directed at myself and my stupidity for doing this rookie mistake, I was, to say the very least...pissed.

I hold myself to very high standards and I K-N-O-W better than that.

But...when you make a stupid rookie mistake, it makes you angry enough to force you back into the caliber of cooking class you stumbled out of during the winter months.

And brother...did "I" stumble.

B.D.

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