McGee on... Barbechoo

[deke dirt]

I picked up a great kitchen reference book, McGee on Food and Cooking, which is an "encyclopedia of kitchen science," and it had a couple of items of interest for patio daddy-o's that I've seen debated on these here forums.  Not sure it'll put the debates to rest but it's an interesting read, any which way:

Tenderizing meat

Larding (the insertion of slivers of pork fat into the meat by means of hollow needles)- 

...breaks some fibers and connective-tissue sheets.

Marinades (acidic liquids such as wine, fruit juices, buttermilk and yogurt)-

...penetrate slowly, and can give the meat surface an overly sour flavor while they do so.

Meat tenderizers (protein-digesting enzymes, including juices from papaya, pineapple, fig, kiwi and ginger)- 

...penetrate into meat even more slowly than acids, a few millimeters per day, so that the meat surface tends to accumulate too much and get overly mealy, while the interior remains unaffected.  The distribution can be improved by injecting the tenderizer into the meat.

(Despite lore to the contrary, wine corks do not contain active enzymes and don't tenderize octopus or other tough meats!)

Brining (meat is immersed in a brine containing 3 to 6% salt from a few hours to two days)- Chicken and pork 

come out noticeably juicier...  ...salt disrupts the structure of the muscle filaments.  ...the interactions of salt and proteins result in a greater water-holding capacity.  (When cooked, the meat still loses around 20% of its weight in moisture.) ...even a brief, incomplete soaking can make a difference.  Some recipes balance the saltiness by including sugar or such ingredients as fruit juice or buttermilk, which provide both sweetness and sourness.

Shredding- 

A film of liquid [i.e., the meat's own collected juices lost during cooking] clings to the surface of each shred and thus coats many fibers with some of their lost moisture.  When "pulled" meat and [the meat's own juices] are very hot, the [juices are] more fluid and [tend] to run off the shreds; when cooler, the [juices become] thicker and [cling] more tenaciously to the meat.

The Great "To Soak or Not To Soak" Debate

Straight from the horse's mouth:

Maximum flavor production takes place at relatively low, smouldering temperatures, between 570-750F/300-400C; at higher temperatures, the flavor molecules themselves are broken down into simpler harsh or flavorless molecules. High-lignin* woods burn too hot unless their combustion is slowed by restricted airflow or a high moisture content.  When smoking is done by throwing wood chips onto glowing charcoal, the wood chips should be pre-soaked in water so that they'll cool the coals.

*Lignin is made of intricately interlocked phenolic molecules -- essentially rings of carbon atoms with various additional chemical groups attached -- and is one of the most complex natural substances known.  The higher the lignin content of a wood, the harder it is and the hotter it burns; its combustion releases 50% more heat than cellulose.  Mesquite wood is well-known for its high-temperature fire, which it owes to its 64% lignin content (hickory, a common hardwood, is 18% lignin).

Smoking

The humidity of the air also makes a difference; smoke vapors are deposited most efficiently onto moist surfaces, so "wet" smoking has a stronger effect in a shorter time.

 

[big twig]

Sounds like a very interesting book. I'll have to check it out. Thanks!

 

[venture]

I did checked it out of the library and skimmed through it.  A totally awesome book by THE respected authority.  It is on my purchase list.

Good luck and good smoking