Giraffe Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Wondering if anyone else does this.... My husband is what I call a "recovering vegetarian". My daughter is not a big meat eater. So when we moved to be closer to my MIL, I did not expect them to go crazy over her meat dishes. But they do - and continue to not be crazy about mine. At first I thought it was just situational, but no, it's my cooking. So I adjusted my cooking style to match MIL's, but still no success. I've started buying 100% grass-fed beef - better. I've changed the way I season the ground beef. More success. But still, there is resistance, especially from DD. So I bought a roast today and I'm soaking it overnight to flush out the blood before I cook it tomorrow. It's the one thing MIL does that I haven't yet tried. Well, short of buying halal meat, which is not easy to find 'round here. (Halal is the Muslim version of kosher.) Does anyone else soak their meat before cooking it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 No, I have never heard of such a thing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 No, I have never heard of such a thing. Neither had I before I met MIL, but she's a wonderful cook and my family eats her meat so I'm trying it. Just wondered if I'd missed something all these years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
i.love.lucy Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Is the water salted or seasoned? If so, then it's more like a brine, like for chicken or turkey, or a marinade. But to just soak it in water? No. Never heard of such. Can you ask your MIL for her recipes if dh and dd like them so much? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Is the water salted or seasoned? If so, then it's more like a brine, like for chicken or turkey, or a marinade. But to just soak it in water? No. Never heard of such. Can you ask your MIL for her recipes if dh and dd like them so much? Oohhh....I will brine things in salt and seasonings. Is that what she is doing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DarcyB Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 It does sound to me like she's brining. There is little to no blood left in the meat..the red juice you see is protein (myoglobin) mixed with the water from the tissue. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 I really hate it when my computer eats my post.... No, it's not a brine - it's plain water, which she will pour off and replace with fresh once or twice while soaking. I know - weird! I have MIL's recipes, such as they are (most Turkish recipes are prepared by eye and feel). I've watched her cook, I've prepared dishes in her kitchen under her watchful eye, I've done the same in my kitchen. I've got the vegetarian dishes down cold. It's the meat where I miss. And the only thing different is how we buy and prepare the meat. So I'm buying what she buys, and soaking the roast. MIL theorizes that DD (who started eating meat when we lived in Turkey) and DH (who was raised in Turkey) are tasting the blood in the meat and that's what's turning them off. Turkish meat is halal - drained of blood before it's sold. ETA - I have no idea about halal meat, to be honest. I only know what MIL has told me. I know our meat is drained of blood too, but there's something different in the way halal meat is prepared. I'd buy it if I could, but it's not easy to locate 'round here. MIL only gets it once in a great while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dobela Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 So many of our meats now have additives if you read the fine print. Words like 'may have x% solution added" are essentially a sign that salt and other stuff has been added. Some meats are sprayed with things to make them keep their color longer, others have color added... I honestly had never thought of soaking such as your MIL but in a way it makes sense. It would be a way to help rid the meat of any other additive. I know I have read that you can remove some salt from canned veggies just by draining the water they are in, rinsing them, and cooking in fresh water. Why not meat? I think I will have to try this in the future... You may also want to look into a food co-op or a health food store for meats. I have kosher friends here that found a health food store that can order kosher meats and breads for them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JenniferB Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 I've soaked a roast in buttermilk before. It tenderized it. It was good. Supposedly this is an old trick. :confused: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 5, 2011 Author Share Posted January 5, 2011 I got the roast from Whole Foods - 100% grass fed with no additives. Still she soaks. DH and DD can tell when I buy meat that's not 100% grass fed or has additives. I've tested them and they can tell every single time. Honestly, if it works, I'll be happy. If it doesn't - I'll have her make our meat from now on! I'll trade borek and stuffed grape leaves, which I have time to make and she doesn't. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Leighton Academy Posted January 5, 2011 Share Posted January 5, 2011 Hmmm...my mom soaks venison before cooking it and it's delish! That's the only way I can eat it. Never really thought about soaking other meats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mergath Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I've soaked a roast in buttermilk before. It tenderized it. It was good. Supposedly this is an old trick. :confused: I do that with my roasts. I've let them sit for up to three days in the fridge like that. The meat turns out amazingly tender, though it looks a little freaky when you take it out of the buttermilk. :tongue_smilie: Never soaked one in plain water before, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy in Australia Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I'll have her make our meat from now on! I'll trade borek and stuffed grape leaves, which I have time to make and she doesn't. I have nothing useful to contribute to this conversation. I just want to move in with either one of you so you can feed me. I looooooooove Turkish cooking. :drool5: Somehow, getting a Turkish recipe book from the library and cooking the dishes myself doesn't quite taste the same as when they are cooked by someone who's been doing it for 30 years :D I have never heard of soaking meat in plain water. Now I have to try it. I have soaked meat in buttermilk and marinated it in yoghurt. It does tenderise it beautifully and does "soften" the taste somehow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Amy in NH Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 No, but I washed my pork ribs in soap and water tonight before cooking them. They smelled fine, but felt slimy. They tasted great! Thanks for the buttermilk roast tip, gals! ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3littlekeets Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 No, but I washed my pork ribs in soap and water tonight before cooking them. They smelled fine, but felt slimy. They tasted great! Thanks for the buttermilk roast tip, gals! ;) Soap???? Really? I'd be terrified to do that ...I'd be scared they'd be soapy forever,LOL. I always use Apple Cider Vinegar and water when meat is slimy :D. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Melenie Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Let us know how it turns out, I am very interested to hear if the soaking changed the flavor. I have heard of people soaking meat and draining the water several times when they cannot find Kosher or Halal meat, but this is normally over several hours not over night. In fact in the case of kosher meat it should not be left over night, not sure why though. :confused1: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alpidarkomama Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Kosher meats are salted/soaked (brined!) to get the blood out, so you could always try that too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 6, 2011 Author Share Posted January 6, 2011 I have nothing useful to contribute to this conversation. I just want to move in with either one of you so you can feed me. I looooooooove Turkish cooking. :drool5: Somehow, getting a Turkish recipe book from the library and cooking the dishes myself doesn't quite taste the same as when they are cooked by someone who's been doing it for 30 years :D I have never heard of soaking meat in plain water. Now I have to try it. I have soaked meat in buttermilk and marinated it in yoghurt. It does tenderise it beautifully and does "soften" the taste somehow. I haven't faced the roast yet - I'll post when I do and when I serve it tonight to let everyone know the results. But for Lucy - I'm not Turkish so I'm learning too and I understand what you mean about it not being the same when you cook out of a book. There's one cookbook that DOES give you enough instruction to get it "right" - The Sultan's Kitchen. When I cook out of that book DH loves it. You might try it. http://www.amazon.com/Sultans-Kitchen-Cookbook-Ozcan-Ozan/dp/962593944X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1294318569&sr=8-1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
susankenny Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 No, I marinate meat. I soak beans and grains. Susan Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucy in Australia Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Thank you, Hopscotch! I'm all in a tizzy now because I just discovered that one of our libraries has this book :w00t: I can smell the pilaf cooking already :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lionfamily1999 Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 I soak "game" meat. It DOES remove all the nonmeat flavors. It blands it out some but you lose the gamey taste, which is (here anyway) essential. I've never done it with non-wild meat, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LostSurprise Posted January 6, 2011 Share Posted January 6, 2011 Sometimes grass-fed beef can be more 'gamey' (it has to do with the technique of the butcher when doing the kill...just like wild game if there is more adrenaline in the blood it can change the taste of the meat), so soaking it in a brine solution will draw out the blood and eliminate that taste. I suppose a long soak with a few changes of water would do the same thing. We buy grass-fed as well. We've been doing a brine soak, or a marinade, for all meat including hamburger. It helps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Giraffe Posted January 7, 2011 Author Share Posted January 7, 2011 Hello! Update here - I cooked the roast and DH liked it. DD had eaten meat at lunch so I didn't push it for dinner. We'll see this afternoon for lunch. I don't know. I still think there's something she's doing that I'm not doing so I'm seriously leaning towards buying the meat and asking her to prepare it and then I'll just freeze it. I'll trade stuffed grape leaves. Maybe I'll try a brine the next time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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