Wizard Recipes

ROAST PORK

In the preparation of pork for the table, and a roast in particular, several points must be taken into consideration. Unlike beef, which is often served rare, pork must be well done in order to be satisfactory.

Rare pork to most persons is repulsive. Also, as a large part of the surface of a pork roast, especially one cut from the shoulder, loin, or ribs, is covered with a layer of fat, pork does not have to be seared to prevent the loss of juice, nor does it have to be put into such a hot oven as that required for beef.

In fact, if the temperature of the oven is very high, the outside will finish cooking before the heat has had a chance to penetrate sufficiently to cook the center. While this makes no difference with meat that does not need to be thoroughly cooked, it is a decided disadvantage in the case of pork.

When a shoulder of pork is to be roasted, it makes a very satisfactory dish if it is boned and stuffed before roasting. To bone such a piece, run a long, narrow knife all around the bone and cut it loose; then pick up the bone by one end and shake it until it will pull out. Fill the opening thus formed with bread or cracker stuffing.

If an especially inviting roast of pork is desired, a crown roast should be selected, for this is just as attractive as a crown roast of lamb. It is made by cutting corresponding pieces from each side of the rib piece, trimming the bones clean as far back as the lean part of the chops, and fastening the pieces together. A garnish of fried apple rings is very attractive for such a roast.

To cook a roast of any of these varieties, wipe the meat thoroughly, dredge it with flour, salt, and pepper, and place it on a rack in a dripping pan. Bake about 3 hours, depending on the size of the roast, and baste every 15 minutes with fat from the bottom of the dripping pan.

After the roast is removed from the roasting pan, make a gravy as for any other roast. Serve with apple sauce, baked apples, cranberry sauce, chilli sauce, pickles, or some other acid dish. Such an accompaniment aids considerably in the digestion of pork, for it cuts the large amount of fat that this meat contains and that so often retards the digestion, and hastens the fat through the stomach.

ROAST PIG

In some households, roasted pig is the favorite meat for the Thanksgiving or the Christmas dinner. There is sufficient reason for its popularity, for when properly prepared and attractively garnished, roasted pig offers a pleasing change from the meat usually served on such days.

To be suitable for roasting, a pig should be not more than 1 month or 6 weeks old and should not weigh more than 7 or 8 pounds after it is cleaned. The butcher should prepare it for cooking by scalding off the hair, washing the pig thoroughly, inside and out, and withdrawing the entrails of the animal through an incision made in the under part of the body.

When the pig is received in the home, wash it thoroughly, within and without, wipe it dry, and fill it with stuffing. To make a stuffing suitable for this purpose, season 2 quarts of fine bread crumbs with 4 tablespoonfuls of chopped onion, 2 teaspoonfuls of salt, 1 teaspoonful of pepper, and cupful of melted butter. Mix thoroughly and add 3 beaten eggs.

If the stuffing needs moisture, add water or milk. Stuff the pig firmly with this stuffing, using every effort to restore its original shape. Then sew up the opening and truss the animal; that is, draw the hind legs forwards and bend the front legs backwards under the body, and skewer and tie them into place.

With the animal in this shape, wipe it off with a damp cloth, dredge it with flour, and place it in a dripping pan, adding 1 cupful of boiling water in which 1 teaspoonful of salt has been dissolved. Roast in a moderate oven for at least 1-1/2 hours, or 20 minutes for each pound of pig. Baste frequently, first with butter and water and later with drippings.

When the skin begins to brown slightly, rub over it a clean piece of cloth dipped in melted butter. Repeat this operation every 10 minutes until the meat is well done. Then remove the pig to a hot platter and garnish with parsley, lettuce, celery, or fried or baked apples.

If a more ornamental garnishing is desired, place a lemon in the mouth and use cranberries for the eyes. In carving, cut the head off, split through the spine lengthwise, remove the legs, and cut the ribs so as to form chops.

SAUTED OR BROILED PORK

Slices cut from the ribs and loin of pork are called chops, and those obtained from the shoulder and hind legs are called steaks. These, together with the tenderloin, the small piece of lean, tender meat lying under the bones of the loin and seldom weighing more than a pound, are especially suitable for sauteing or broiling.

When they are to be prepared by these processes, saute or broil them as any other meat, remembering, however, that pork must be well done. Because of this fact, a more moderate temperature must be employed than that used for beefsteak.

PORK CHOPS IN TOMATO SAUCE

A slight change from the usual way of preparing pork chops can be had by cooking them with tomatoes. The combination of these two foods produces a dish having a very agreeable flavor.

First brown the chops in their own fat in a frying pan, turning them frequently so that the surfaces will become evenly browned. When they have cooked for 15 minutes, pour enough strained stewed tomatoes over them to cover them well, and season with salt and pepper.

Cover the pan tight, and allow them to simmer until the tomatoes become quite thick. Place the chops on a hot platter, pour the tomato sauce over them, and serve hot.

SAUTED TENDERLOIN OF PORK

Since the tenderloin of pork is a very tender piece of meat, it needs no accompaniment to make it a delicious dish, but sometimes a change of preparation is welcomed in order to give variety to the diet. The accompanying directions should therefore be followed when something different from broiled tenderloin is desired.

Cut the tenderloin into lengthwise slices and brown these slices in melted butter, turning them several times. Then remove to a cooler part of the stove, and let them cook slowly in the butter for 15 minutes, taking care to have them closely covered and turning them once or twice so that they will cook evenly.

At the end of this time, pour enough milk or cream in the pan to cover the meat well and cook for 15 minutes longer. With a skimmer, remove the meat, which should be very tender by this time, from the pan, and put it where it will keep hot.

Make a gravy of the drippings that remain in the pan by thickening it with 1 tablespoonful of flour, stirring it until it is thick and smooth and seasoning it to taste with salt and pepper. Pour the gravy over the meat and serve hot.

In principle, roasting meats is a simple procedure. The prepared cut of meat is placed in an oven at a selected temperature, and it is removed when done. What could be easier?

However, there are many variables, and chefs often disagree about proper roasting procedures, especially when it comes to the fine points. In this article, you will learn a roasting procedure that you can apply to most meats. But first we discuss in more detail several of the points of disagreement and some of the possible variations.

SEASONING

Salt added to the surface of meat just before roasting will penetrate the meat only a fraction of an inch during cooking. The same is true of the flavors of herbs, spices,and aromatics.

In the case of smaller cuts of meat, such as beef tenderloin or rack of lamb, the seasoned, browned crust that forms during roasting is an important part of the flavor of the finished dish. Although opinions vary, many chefs advocate seasoning such roasts immediately before roasting so the salt doesn’t have time to draw moisture to the surface, which inhibits browning.

In the case of large roasts, such as beef ribs and steamship rounds, there is so little crust in proportion to meat that seasoning before roasting has little effect. Also, if the surface of the roast is mostly fat covering or bone, the seasoned fat and bones may not even be served, so the seasoning has little effect.

With roasts of any size, two alternatives to seasoning just before roasting are often used:

• Marinate the meat or apply seasonings in advance, to give the time for flavors to penetrate.
• Serve the meat with a flavorful sauce, gravy, or jus. The sauce serves as a seasoning and flavoring for the meat.

Another way to add flavor to roasted meats is to smoke-roast them. Commercial smoker ovens roast meats in the same way as conventional ovens, except that they also have a smoke-generating unit that passes smoke through the oven chamber, flavoring foods as they cook.

The flavor of wood smoke in cooked meats is so popular that some restaurants have even installed wood-burning hearth ovens to bake and roast meats, pizza,and other items.

Stovetop smoke roasting is an alternative to smoker ovens.

TEMPERATURE

Low-Temperature Roasting

It was once thought that starting the roast at a high temperature “seals the pores” by searing the surface,thus keeping in more juices. We now know that this is not the case. Repeated tests have shown that continuous roasting at a low temperature gives a superior product with

1. Less shrinkage.

2. More flavor, juiciness, and tenderness.

3. More even doneness from outside to inside.

4. Greater ease in carving.

Low roasting temperatures generally range from 250° to 325°F (120° to 160°C), depending on

1. The size of the cut. The larger the cut, the lower the temperature. This ensures that the outer portion is not overcooked before the inside is done.

2. The operation’s production schedule. Lower temperatures require longer roasting times,which may or may not be convenient for a particular operation.

Searing

If a well-browned, crusted surface is desired for appearance, such as when the roast is to be carved in the dining room, a roast may be started at high temperature (400° to 450°F/200° to 230°C) until it is browned. The temperature should then be lowered to the desired roasting temperature and the meat roasted until done, as for low temperature roasting.

High-Temperature Roasting

Very small pieces of meat that are to be roasted rare may be cooked at a high temperature, from 375° to 450°F (190° to 230°C).The effect is similar to that of broiling :a well browned, crusted exterior and a rare interior. The meat is in the oven for so short a time  that there is little shrinkage. Examples of cuts that may be roasted at a high temperature are rack of lamb and beef tenderloin.

Convection Ovens

If a convection oven is used for roasting,the temperature should be reduced about 50°F (25°C).Many chefs prefer not to use convection ovens for large roasts because the drying effect of the forced air seems to cause greater shrinkage. On the other hand, convection ovens are effective in browning and are good for high-temperature roasting.

FAT SIDE UP OR FAT SIDE DOWN

Roasting meats fat side up provides continuous basting as the fat melts and runs down the sides. This method is preferred by perhaps the majority of chefs, although there is not complete agreement.

BASTING

Basting is unnecessary if the meat has a natural fat covering and is roasted fat side up. For lean meats, barding has the same effect. Barding is covering the surface of the meat with a thin layer of fat, such as sliced pork fatback or bacon.

If a roast is basted by spooning pan drippings over it, use only the fat.Fat protects the roast from drying, while moisture washes away protective fat and allows drying. Juices used in basting will not soak into the meat.

Basting with drippings or juices may be used to increase the appetite appeal of the roast because it enhances browning. Gelatin and other solids dissolved in the juices are

deposited on the surface of the meat, helping form a flavorful brown crust.

This does not increase juiciness, however. Some cookbooks claim that basting forms a waterproof coating that seals in juices, but this is not the case.

Basting sometimes produces more tender roasts for an unexpected reason: Frequent basting interrupts and slows down the cooking. Every time the oven door is opened, the temperature in the oven drops considerably, so the roasting time is longer and more connective tissue breaks down. Thus, it is not the basting but the lower temperature that increases tenderness.

Without doubt, poultry is the most versatile of all meats. We eat poultry any way imaginable except raw. Chicken, particularly today’s quick-raised supermarket broilers, have relatively little flavor. It is cooking and flavoring that transform that low-flavor chunk of meat into a delicious dish. Check this out for yourself.

Steam or poach a piece of chicken breast and add nothing but salt. Your cat might even turn its nose up at the bland flavor. But poultry has the admirable quality of snatching, borrowing and soaking up flavors that you either add directly or into the liquid it cooks in. But that’s not all. The chemical reactions triggered by heat, particularly

browning, what transform the bland to delicious.

The two broad categories of cooking poultry are:

Dry heat cooking:

¨ grilling (barbecuing) or broiling

¨ sautéing

¨ deep-frying

¨ stir-frying

¨ baking

Moist heat cooking:

¨ braising

¨ stewing

With dry heat cooking methods, high temperature without additional liquid cooks the meat. The change in moist cooking occurs at a lower temperature with additional flavored liquid.

A second major difference between the cooking methods is the final internal temperature of the poultry. In dry heat cooking strive to reach an internal temperature of slightly above 150°F (66°C). This gives the juiciest poultry meat. In moist cooking, the final temperature is the same as the liquid the meat cooks in-simmering temperature.

Dry cooking

In grilling, broiling and baking you add nothing to the meat but flavoring and sometimes, if the poultry is too dry, a little fat. In sautéing, deep-frying and stir-frying, oil and high temperature convert the meat into a succulent dish.

All dry-cooking methods use high temperature, at least 300°F (157°C) in baking, much higher in grilling and broiling. At such high heat browning and the accompanying flavor changes are assured, and the changes happen quickly. Stand by with a thermometer in one hand

To arrive at the desired internal temperature, you need a good instant-read thin-stemmed thermometer, digital or analog. When you think you are near the end of the cooking period, monitor the progress often. Stop socializing, bring your glass of wine in the kitchen and concentrate on the bird.

If you let the temperature go too high, the meat fibers contract, releasing some of the juices. The meat gets drier, less tender, less palatable. Your aim is to stop cooking it as soon as your thermometer hits 150° to 155°F (66° to 69°C) in the thickest part of the meat. If the piece of poultry is large, for example, when you’re roasting a whole chicken or turkey, or even a turkey leg, stop at 145°F (63°C). The temperature will creep up for a few more minutes after you remove it from the heat, still reaching the target temperature.

Roasting a whole bird

The biggest challenge in poultry cooking is roasting a whole bird. How can you get both white and dark meat to come out at the same degree of doneness? That is a challenge. Dark meat forms thick chunks in the legs and thighs with a thick bone in the center.

It takes longer to heat such massive pieces to the correct temperature than the breast meat which is less bulky and with only thin bones as support.

Creative cooks have found some solutions to this problem, none of them easy. You can rotate the bird in the oven part way through roasting to have the legs and thighs exposed to heat as much as possible and drape cheesecloth over the breast to keep it moist and slow its cooking slightly. (Remove the cheesecloth during the last half hour to allow the breast to fully brown and crisp.)

Basting frequently also helps. The cooking time remains the same, but the breast tends to retain more moisture when you baste. A troublesome technique that works perfectly well is to debone the entire bird and butterfly the meat (split it through the center so only a narrow piece of meat remains to hold the two halves together, then unfold it like butterfly wings).

Sounds like a lot of work, but if you have a little experience with cutting up chicken or turkey, you can do the job in about 15 minutes. The butterflied bird, when flattened, cooks quickly and evenly in the oven or over the coals, and it is a snap to cut it up into serving pieces.

Roasting duck and goose produces delectable crisp skin and deliciously succulent, moist meat. The challenge is what to do with the extra fat. The fat is in a thick layer between the meat and the skin. You can melt most of it out by starting to roast in a slow oven. Later, raise the heat to finish browning the meat. To facilitate melting the fat, slip your hand between the meat and the fat layer (not between the fat and the skin) and separate the two.

A Chinese Peking duck technique is more complicated but very efficient and elegant. Immerse the duck or goose in boiling water for a minute, then let it air dry in the refrigerator for a full day. This rest time tightens the skin over the fat layer. When in the oven, the pressure of the tight skin helps to melt the fat.

Unlike in chicken and turkey, there is less distinct white and dark meat in goose and duck. That helps to finish cooking both to the same degree of doneness.

The five types of dry heat cooking are:

¨ broiling or pan-broiling

¨ sautéing

¨ deep-frying

¨ stir-frying

¨ roasting (baking)

Dry heat cooking methods use high heat and little moisture. Cooking is not entirely dry, as the name implies, because all meat have plenty of moisture that contributes to the cooking process.

Since extra moisture is not welcome because it reduces the high cooking temperature, it is always a good idea to wipe the seafood thoroughly with a paper towel just before cooking or, if fried with breading, before applying the coating.

The hottest heat in dry cooking method is grilling (barbecuing) and broiling. To avoid sticking, brush the surface of the grill or broiler pan with a film of oil, and for added insurance, do the same with the meat.

The intense heat (with some help from the brushed-on oil) rapidly browns the surface of your meat. By the time you cook the inside, the surface color is a deep caramel brown or, if you’re not careful, charcoal black.

Never turn the meat more than once either on the grill or under the broiler. This keeps handling to a minimum and produces attractive grill marks. Determine the time to cook one side, set your timer and don’t even peek until the time is up. Quickly flip the piece over and set the timer again. Now you can get ready to check the internal temperature.

When you are grilling smaller pieces, skewer them. Keep heavy work gloves near the grill to turn skewered meat.

A quick and easy way of cooking meat is pan-broiling, which is similar to grilling or broiling. To pan-broil meat, place it in a heavy preheated skillet over medium heat. Cook the meat directly on the hot surface without water or oil, turning only once.  This is an excellent way for preparing steaks and ground meat patties. Some cooks sprinkle salt in the pan before adding the meat to prevent sticking.

Initially the meat may stick a little, but if you detach it from the pan right away, the fat and juices from the meat keep it from sticking again.

Sautéing, deep-frying and stir-frying all use oil. Sauté meat in small amount of fat on strong heat. Sautéing is easy, not messy, very quick and the meat absorbs a minimum of fat.

Keep the pan in constant motion for even browning and to avoid sticking. If you are planning to serve the meat with a sauce, you can use what’s left in the pan as a base-the highly-flavored oil   with some deeply-browned food particles and possibly some juice.

Deglaze it by adding a little wine or stock, even water. The liquid dissolves the particles and within a minute you have it cooked down into a sauce.

Deep-frying and stir-frying are both high-heat methods. The difference is in the amount of oil you use-plenty for deep-frying, just enough to cover the bottom of the pan or wok for stir-frying.

Food absorbs more fat in deep-frying than in any other cooking method, but if you do it properly, you can reduce fat absorption. Deep-fried food of any kind is wonderful but home deep-frying is messy.