Cooking stuff you suck at

[DoobieWah 1,476]

30 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Most probably realized I wasn't sincerely positing that HEB buys its meats from a roving meatwagon.

 

Sorry dude. I was missing the following information. 😁

 

8 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Coincidentally, the nickname of your high school girlfriend.

 

[Braff Zacklin 13,672]

29 minutes ago, Brisketexan said:

Coincidentally, the nickname of your high school girlfriend.

Don't desperate shame me, bruh.

[BabaYaga 15,399]

On 9/24/2024 at 7:32 AM, Spaulding Smails said:

Evidently, after 25+ years of crafting my fajita cooking skills, I now suck.  

I had something really strange happen Sunday evening.  Picked up a big inside skirt steak from the meat counter at HEB.  Probably a pound and a half.  Had them run it through the tenderizer.  Used a tried and true lime marinade.  The meat sat for maybe 2.5 hours in a Ziploc in the fridge in the marinade.  Fired up the charcoal grill around 6 PM.  Added a few small chunks of well seasoned Oak.  Coals were perfect by 7:00.

Threw the beef fajitas on there along with a few chicken breasts and a link of sausage.  I went to go flip the beef, and it fell apart.  Not in the form of a desirable tenderness.  As in disintegration.  Every time I tried to pick it up with the tongs, it would get worse.  I slid some foil under it to keep it from falling through the grates.  As it cooked, it fell apart more and more.  As a last ditch effort, I heated up a skillet and threw it in there thinking it would be like a machacado.  The end result was a big pile of mush.  I tried a bite and immediately threw it in the trash.  Not even the slightest semblance of appetizing texture.  Literal mush.  It wasn't until this morning that I remembered this thread.  I really wish I would've taken pictures of this science experiment gone awry.

So, what gives?  I'm dumbfounded.  Was the lime juice too acidic?  Bad cut of meat?  Or, for the tin foil hat conspiracists, did the acidity + heat compromise the integrity of the food-grade glue that was holding together the Soylent Green product that was sold to me as a beef skirt steak and I've now developed a technique to expose a massive scheme by big beef to alter our food supply?

As stated, over-tenderized.  Acid and mechanical tenderization broke it down.  It also could have been a bad cut.  All the above.  I'd try again with a thicker cut.  Maybe try the flank steak at Costco.  

[Deej 77,233]

8 minutes ago, BabaYaga said:

Maybe try the chicken fajitas

 

[After irth 1,245]

On 9/24/2024 at 6:28 PM, dcbc said:

This, except a lot of veggies will be beautifully roasted at 400F in 12--15 minutes (in my experience).  Depends on the veggies though.  I certainly can see carrots taking a bit longer.

If you like to pull out early...no judgment here.  I like for things to get good and...carmelized.  Much more satisfaction all-around than pulling out early.

[Jerry Callo 8,836]

On 9/25/2024 at 5:16 PM, BabaYaga said:

As stated, over-tenderized.  Acid and mechanical tenderization broke it down.  It also could have been a bad cut.  All the above.  I'd try again with a thicker cut.  Maybe try the flank steak at Costco.  

The flap steak from Costco makes great fajitas as well.

[elfenix 34,387]

i once tossed a bag of HEB's marinded fajitas into the sous vide for 24 hours and it came out mush. but that is subject to a lot more chemical tenderizer than fresh beef in a relatively short marinade. also, 24 hours of cooking.

[tigol 2,421]

5 minutes ago, elfenix said:

i once tossed a bag of HEB's marinded fajitas into the sous vide for 24 hours and it came out mush. but that is subject to a lot more chemical tenderizer than fresh beef in a relatively short marinade. also, 24 hours of cooking.

Oh wow.  I bet it was really grey soup.

[elfenix 34,387]

18 minutes ago, tigol said:

Oh wow.  I bet it was really grey soup.

heb fajita flavored chicken thighs will glue themselves together between the various binders, tenderizers and collagen in just a couple hours of cook time (what you'd normally use for sous vide chicken)

[Brisketexan 105,626]

6 hours ago, elfenix said:

heb fajita flavored chicken thighs will glue themselves together between the various binders, tenderizers and collagen in just a couple hours of cook time (what you'd normally use for sous vide chicken)

Maybe.  Which is, ummm, why you just grill them for 10-12 minutes to make some pretty damned tasty quick tacos.  Even just cooking them in a skillet over med-high heat makes for solid tacos.  Maybe a key cooking thing is "don't over-engineer shit, and don't try to do all the new/fad lazy cooking shit -- don't do it in an instant pot, no sous vide."  Cook on a grill or in a pan.  Slice.  Eat.

[BabaYaga 15,399]

23 hours ago, Jerry Callo said:

The flap steak from Costco makes great fajitas as well.

Your

Mom......;)

[elfenix 34,387]

17 hours ago, Brisketexan said:

Maybe.  Which is, ummm, why you just grill them for 10-12 minutes to make some pretty damned tasty quick tacos.  Even just cooking them in a skillet over med-high heat makes for solid tacos.  Maybe a key cooking thing is "don't over-engineer shit, and don't try to do all the new/fad lazy cooking shit -- don't do it in an instant pot, no sous vide."  Cook on a grill or in a pan.  Slice.  Eat.

Someone has to advance human knowledge. Also much easier to sous vide and then crisp as needed in a skillet for lunch or dinner for 1 than cooking them all at once with limited grill access, with no raw chicken hanging around the fridge.

Edited September 30 by elfenix

[locodos 5,425]

Been eating a lot of fajitas lately.

I sous vide chicken with fajitas spices @150f.  I char hatch chiles, onions, and bell peppers in advance.   Reheat the peppers and onions in a skillet, slice up sous vide chicken and toss that in to reheat.  While that's warming cook some tortillas on a cast iron skillet and get the fixins ready

add some shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce and pico...  

Comes together pretty quick and it's damned good.  I hate dry chicken so I don't miss the char on that at all.  Plus the vegies add that flavor in spades.

Edited September 30 by locodos

[jimmyjazz 46,502]

I roasted a couple of boneless skinless chicken thighs for tacos on Friday.  I'm pretty sure I seasoned them the way I usually do.  30 minutes at 375 F, internal temp was 168 F.

They sucked ass.  I have no idea what I did wrong -- must have underseasoned them.  Bleh.  Pretty disappointing when you're planning on some delicious & easy chicken tacos.  I took it out on our chihuahua by yelling at her more than usual for barking.  (She is a shameless barker.)  Then I gave her the rest.

[Deej 77,233]

5 hours ago, locodos said:

Been eating a lot of tacos lately.

I sous vide chicken with fajitas spices @150f.  I char hatch chiles, onions, and bell peppers in advance.   Reheat the peppers and onions in a skillet, slice up sous vide chicken and toss that in to reheat.  While that's warming cook some tortillas on a cast iron skillet and get the fixins ready

add some shredded cheese, sour cream, shredded lettuce and pico...  

Comes together pretty quick and it's damned good.  I hate dry chicken so I don't miss the char on that at all.  Plus the vegies add that flavor in spades.

 

[locodos 5,425]

11 minutes ago, Deej said:

 

meh potato, tomato

Listen man, I got to work through 25lbs of hatch chiles here

[After irth 1,245]

On 9/30/2024 at 10:23 AM, jimmyjazz said:

I roasted a couple of boneless skinless chicken thighs for tacos on Friday.  I'm pretty sure I seasoned them the way I usually do.  30 minutes at 375 F, internal temp was 168 F.

They sucked ass.  I have no idea what I did wrong -- must have underseasoned them.  Bleh.  Pretty disappointing when you're planning on some delicious & easy chicken tacos.  I took it out on our chihuahua by yelling at her more than usual for barking.  (She is a shameless barker.)  Then I gave her the rest.

Brine them first next time in a Ziploc bag.

3/4c Kosher Salt, 3/4c Sugar, 4c Water... for 45 minutes.  

[jimmyjazz 46,502]

2 minutes ago, After irth said:

Brine them first next time in a Ziploc bag.

3/4c Kosher Salt, 3/4c Sugar, 4c Water... for 45 minutes.  

I brine chicken all the time, but this was surprisingly short of where it usually lands even when I don't brine.

[After irth 1,245]

2 minutes ago, jimmyjazz said:

I brine chicken all the time, but this was surprisingly short of where it usually lands even when I don't brine.

I get that.  It always chaps my ass when I actually crank out something that's sub-standard.  Just so damn disappointing.  And, every time, "I should know better".

Fortunately, it doesn't happen often...ha!

I am brining 4# of Chicken Thighs right now.  They will get seasoned with my own Cajun Dust and a few pats of Butter, and will go in a baking dish to roast at 275 tonight until they hit 170 or so.  Then I will hand-pull them and put them in a pot of Creole tomorrow, along with my own Tasso, some Smothered Okra, and some Gulf Scrimps.  

It's what we do...cheers!

[jimmyjazz 46,502]

Damn that sounds good.