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Meat can be cooked by moist heat or dry heat.
Moist heat methods
- Braising (e.g pot roast)
- Boiling
- Stewing
Moist heat methods are the least well-understood ways of cooking meat. An urban myth has floated around for the past 100 years or so that the purpose of cooking meat in moist heat is to make or keep the meat moist. And for the past 100 years or so, there have been crest-fallen faces at the table when the cooks realized how dry the meat turned out regardless of how much water they used. The truth is, they were misled. Meat won't absorb water during cooking, it will only exude water. Some studies‡ have shown that because steam can get very hot, allowing hotter temperatures than air would, you can actually lose far more water if you crank your cooking temperature in moist-head methods.
The only thing that will make or keep meat moist is fat. When choosing a piece of meat to cook with moist-heat methods, bear in mind that meat meant to be cooked with these methods will be less-tender cuts that therefore need to be cooked longer to tenderize them. With the longer cooking times, they have a greater chance of turning out dry. Consequently, you need to choose a piece of meat with a good piece of fat on one side, and cook it fat side up so that as the fat melts, it will drizzle down through the meat to keep it moist. If there isn't any fat on any side of it, ask your butcher for a piece of beef fat. Chances are, he or she will beam at you, thinking "finally here's someone who knows how to cook a piece of meat" and give it to you for free.
While it is a myth that moist heat will keep the meat moist, such cooking methods actually do have a purpose. The purpose of the moisture is to help regulate the cooking temperature and keep it reasonable (which means don't crank the heat -- that will just dry your meat out), so that the meat can cook for a long period of time to get tender all the way through without burning on the outside.
When people refer to meat being boiled, what they actually mean is that it is simmered.
‡ See: Harold McGee. On Food & Cooking: The Science and Lore of the Kitchen. New York: Simon & Schuster, 1997.
Dry heat methods
Dry heat methods are for cuts of meat that are tender or delicate. Don't take a tough cut of meat that is meant to be braised and assume you can do anything magical to it to make it fit for a summer barbeque. Marinades are as effective as donning a grass skirt and dancing around your would-be dinner.
Barbequing / Grilling are much disputed words. See the entry on Barbequing for the debate.
- Barbequing
- Broiling
- Grilling
- Pan frying
- Roasting
- Stir-frying
See Also
Barbeque, Meat
Other entries for Meat Cooking Techniques
Basting, Brining a Turkey, Dress, Meat Cooking Techniques, Meat Tenderization Techniques, Roasting Meat, Safe Cooking Temperatures, Searing Meat, Self-Basting
Other entries for Cooking Techniques
A la Parilla, Abaisse, Aceto Dolce, Acetomel, Acidulated Water, Acidulate, Adjust Seasoning, Adjusting the Taste of Dishes, Affriander, Al Carbón, Al Fresco, Al Pastor, Alambre, Alla Bolognese, Au Beurre, Au Bleu, Au Four, Au Gratin, Au Jus, Au Lait, Au Naturel, À Blanc, À l'Ailleule, À l'Anglaise, À l'Ardennaise, À l'Encre, À l'Étouffée, À l'Indienne, À l'Italienne, À l'Ivoire, À l'Occitane, À l'Orly, À l'Oseille, À l'Os, À la Bonne Femme, À la Broche, À la Carte, À la Chirac, À la Crème de Brebis, À la Cuillère, À la Diane, À la Financière, À la Genevoise, À la Japonaise, À la Jardinière, À la Laitière, À la Liegeoise, À la Minute, À la Mirepoix, À la Mode, À la Moëlle, À la Morvandelle, À la Navarre, À la Norvegienne, À la Paloise, À la Paysanne, À la Raimu, À la Reine, À la Russe, À la Tagale, À la Vapeur, À la, À Point, Bake Blind, Bake, Ballotine, Barbeque, Battuto, Baveuse, Beat, Beer Can Chicken Roasting, Bench Proof, Blanch, Braising, Broil, Caramelization, Caramelize, Carving a Turkey, Coining, Curing, Dredging, Egg Wash, Emincer, Emulsify, Fold, French Trimmed, Frissonne, Fry, Galantine, Grill, High Altitude Baking, Knead, Liaison, Measurements, Mince, Mirepoix, Mise en Place, Mochitsuki, Open-Faced, Pan Broil, Paner à l'anglaise, Parblanch, Parboil, Pâton, Peroxide & Vinegar Sterilization, Pickled, Pickling, Pittsburgh Rare, Poaching, Pork Brawn, Preheat, Proof, Pulse, Pulverize, Punch Down, Quadriller, Quick Jar Sterilization, Raidir, Reconstitute, Reducing, Rest, Ribbon Stage, Roasted Garlic, Roasting Peppers, Rolling Boil, Scalding Milk, Scald, Scallop, Separating Eggs, Skimming, Smoked Garlic Cloves, Smoking, Soffritto, Sous Vide, Souse, Spatchcock, Spitchcock, Stir, Straining, Temper, Tender To The Bite, Tezu, Top and Tail, Unmould, Usu-Zukuri, Warm, Wash, Water Bath, Whip, Wok Hay
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