Slow cooking

(Alec) #1

I don’t normally do slow cooking, but last week I did a lamb shoulder on the bone on low heat for 6 hours… WOW!! Absolutely divine! Why? A lot of the fat had rendered through the meat, and it was a rich fatty flavour throughout, as well as being “fall-off-the-bone” tender. I am definitely going to do that again.

Today, I have put a pork leg joint in the oven on low and it will be in there for 6 hours. Let’s see if it does the same thing. I think it might.

The only downside on the lamb was a lot of fat got rendered out into the pan as well. I collected it all of course, but there’s a limit to how much rendered fat one can use! :joy::joy::joy:

(KM) #2

There is? :rofl:

(Doug) #3

Right on, Alec - I think there are different cuts and types of meat where this operates more, but when it does it’s a great pleasure. ‘Low and slow’ is often the way to go.

(KM) #4

Wondering how that came out. Most of my pork efforts with low n slow I’ve found there isn’t enough fat in the meat and it tends to get tough and dry. (Exceptions are butt and ribs, plenty fatty, so plenty tender).

(Geoffrey) #5

Here in Texas we are the kings of slow cooking meat on the pit. It’s the only way to cook large pieces of meat imo. It’s how I do most of my lamb.
How about some whole wild hog?

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(Alec) #6

It was not as good as the lamb. It was OK, but it was not as good…. There was some fat topping the pork, but it seemed less able to penetrate the meat overall. So good learning for me…

(KM) #7

I’ve also discovered my best for pork loin is slicing it into rounds and giving it a fast pan sear, so it’s still juicy and just slightly pink inside. Otherwise loin of pork and I don’t see eye to eye …

(Alec) #8

I think my next plan for pork is to cook slow for the next one, but use only the top section with the fat initially, and then the leftovers I am going to shred and add some of my leftover lamb fat, that should make it more fatty and palatable. Pork does get stiff and non-moist if cooked too long.

(Edith) #9

I’ve done pork loin roast in my instant pot and it comes out awesome. Much better than oven roasting.

(Bob M) #10

The sous vide does wonders for meat, too, as you can cook low and slow.

(icky) #11

The only “issue” with slow cooking can be that meat isn’t heated up to high enough temperatures to kill all parasites. Remember that brain worm that JFK Jr had? You get those from eating under-cooked pork… So slow cooking can be great for some things, but you want to make sure you reach a high enough temperature for long enough, too.

(KM) #12

“If fresh pork has reached 145°F (62.8 °C) throughout, even though it may still be pink in the center, it should be safe . The pink color can be due to the cooking method or added ingredients.”

(Bob M) #13

Also, there’s a time-temperature relationship. For beef, for instance, you can cook above 130F, and after 2 or so hours where the meat hits that temp, it’ll kill the bacteria. 145F is a lot shorter for bacteria.

Don’t know enough about the stuff that’s not bacteria and that’s in pork though. We usually cook pork a lot higher in temp, probably because of this.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #14

And don’t forget the shoulder joint (“picnic,” as they call it in this region), which comes with enough fat that it’s self-basting and yields a lovely pork rind for dessert! :pig2:

(Geoffrey) #15

If that’s the case then your doing it all wrong.
Slow cooking is all about taking a tough piece of meat and cooking it low and slow to break down the connective tissues.
The temperature range is generally 225°-250°. When the internal temperature reaches 165 it’s done but will still be tough so the meat is often wrapped and kept cooking until it reaches 203°. Mouth watering and fall apart tender.
In American and most developed countries pork can now be cooked to a medium rare with no danger since we wiped out trichinosis a long time ago. In fact I never cared much for pork chops until I started eating them medium rare and found out they actually had flavor.
But now my wild hogs, like that one in my picture are always cooked to 203°. Can’t take any chances with the wild game.
Now red meats such as beef, lamb, venison and bison are perfectly fine being slow smoked to an internal of 120°-130° if you like it rare to medium rare.