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The Secret to Successful BBQ Pork Butt and Brisket is Science

posted by mrpg on Sunday September 09 2018, @05:26AM   Printer-friendly
from the if-god-isn't-real-how-come-meat-can-be-cooked? dept.

MrPlow writes:

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/

Original Submission

 
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  • (Score: 2) by Runaway1956 on Sunday September 09 2018, @06:35AM (3 children)

    by Runaway1956 (2926) on Sunday September 09 2018, @06:35AM (#732409) Homepage Journal

    Yep, pressure cookers are awesome. No evaporation at all! :^)

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  • (Score: 2) by suburbanitemediocrity on Sunday September 09 2018, @06:46AM (2 children)

    by suburbanitemediocrity (6844) on Sunday September 09 2018, @06:46AM (#732412)

    I've been using them all my life...one of my earliest memories is driving 2 hours to a Sears parts warehouse with my grandmother to buy a new seal replacement on a probably 1940's model.

    It's nice to see they are catching on again. I still have the big stove top cooker, but have been using a programmable electric version for about 15 years. No worries about watching it and cleanup is under a minute. Best tasting food, low energy use, fast. What's not to love?

    • (Score: 4, Interesting) by Rich on Sunday September 09 2018, @12:18PM (1 child)

      by Rich (945) on Sunday September 09 2018, @12:18PM (#732463) Journal

      THE pressure cooker for any self respecting space nerd of course is:

      https://www.energia.ru/eng/conversion/tnp/catalog/skorovarka_minutka.html [energia.ru]

      Honest-to-god advertisement: "Pressure cooker design ensures its long-term safe operation, provided that its Operation Manual requirements are met.". But if any company in the world knows about pressure vessels, it's them. :)

      • (Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 09 2018, @07:36PM

        by Anonymous Coward on Sunday September 09 2018, @07:36PM (#732536)

        Nice. Where can I get one?