Submitted via IRC for SoyCow1984
[...] You've just encountered the bane of aspiring pit masters everywhere: the Stall (also known as the Zone or the Plateau), a common phenomenon in low-temperature cooking. What, precisely, causes the stall is a perennial topic of debate among BBQ enthusiasts. Is it a protein called collagen in the meat, which combines with water to convert to gelatin at the 160°F point? Or is it due to the fat rendering, turning lipids to liquid?
Several years ago, Greg Blonder, a Boston College professor, did the experiments and came up with a definitive answer: evaporative cooling. The meat sweats as it cooks, releasing the moisture within, and that moisture evaporates and cools the meat, effectively canceling out the heat from the BBQ. These days, Blonder is the resident science advisor and myth buster at the popular BBQ and grilling site called Amazing Ribs. "I spend a lot of my time settling bar fights, basically," he joked.
Source: https://arstechnica.com/science/2018/09/let-science-be-your-guide-for-the-perfect-labor-day-bbq/
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 09 2018, @11:16AM (1 child)
Perfect every time: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FMyHYDmToUA [youtube.com]
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 09 2018, @01:37PM
Chef steps normally knows what they're doing, but 62.8C for 62hrs is too hot (medium-well) for too long (too much texture loss). Medium rare would be about 57C and around 50hrs would be enough to cut the meat with a fork, but still preserve some fiber structure. At 62.8, I probably wouldn't go over 24hrs because it'd loose too much structure and go mushy.