Marinate, smoke, confit

[fatbutchiks]

Hey guys, good day to all! I'd like to ask the smoking vets here if anyone has actually tried immersing your meat in marinade, smoking it the next day and then confit it for about a week before resmoking it or heating it up again through the grill.

My questions are, Is there any degradation in meat integrity once confited? or does it get better? what happens to the meat texture once reheated? over-all is it better? 

Thanks so much everyone, have an awesome weekend!

 

[atomicsmoke]

"Confit"-ing improves the taste of the meat. I don't know about a week...I go for at least a month. But I wouldn't expose the confit meat to a long smoke. Reheating is OK.

 

[chef jimmyj]

For anyone interested...Confit  (pronounced cone-FEE) is a technique for preserving meats such as duck, goose or pork by Salting essentailly creates a Dry Brine, with other flavors overnight then involves cooking the meat in its own fat, low and slow, 250 to 275°F until very tender and then storing the meat, under 60° in this fat in a covered container.Confit is an effective method for preserving meats because the fat seals off the sterile meat from further contact with bacteria. At storage temps between 40 and 60° it will last several weeks, watch for the surface fat oxidizing and turning Rancid. At temps below 40°F the confit will last several months.

A more detailed read... http://www.seriouseats.com/2013/01/ask-the-food-lab-what-the-heck-is-confit.html

The technique usually results in meat that is cooked low and slow until it is extremely tender. Refrigeration causes the gelatin to set up fairly firmly and only completely melts again at temps in excess of 165°. So, if you eat it right after the Confit cook the meat is nearly falling apart. If you refer and only reheat to 165, on the Grill, Saute or Deep Fry, the meat will maintain some integrity and hold together but be exceedingly tender. The aging time, I was taught a minimum of 2 weeks, improves the flavor. Kind of like Chili, Soup and Pulled Pork tasting better a day or two later...JJ

 

[gravey]

David Chang has a recipe in one of his books with pretty much the same premise except for a few things. He first cured the items, cold smoked them, and then cooked them confit style. As far as I know, the items are considered done (confit proper) once cooked thoroughly, and cooled in the fat slowly to room temp in one's oven/cooking vessel. The items will keep for a long while, refrigerated, as long as all meat is kept under a layer of fat and not exposed. To reheat, remove from the storage vessel and into a hot pan with a spoonful or so of the cooking fat. Once all your meat is used, you can filter your fat and use it to confit again.