SC - FWD: Classes at Pennsic

[THL Renata]

> Date: Sat, 16 May 1998 23:06:12 EDT
> From: Kallyr <Kallyr at aol.com>
> Subject: Re: SC - Beef redaction-An opinion
> 
> <<Chop up the brisket and add back to the water. (is there any real reason I
> can't just cut up the beef before hand?)  -Beatrix>>  
> 
> << The original seething was for rybbes so I would suspect that after the
> first
>  seething , the meat was picked from the bones and then added back to the pot.
>  The bones would add some flavor to the dish but I suspect that if you used
>  boneless beef it would turn out just fine without preboiling.  - Ras >>
> 
> If you cook the meat as a whole piece, then cut up, the resulting chunks of
> meat will retain more of their flavor-- rather than it going into the stew
> water.  This is the reason  modern recipes for stew often instruct one to sear
> the meat chunks before stewing them-- to keep in the juices.
> 
> ~~Minna Gantz <KALLYR at aol.com>

FWIW, depending on medieval butchering techniques versus the details of
modern techniques, the original recipe calls for the meat of the ribs of
the forequarters. So, we know that a forequarter contained some of the
rib meat.  Modern cutting techniques in the U.S.A. call for one rib to
be left on the rear quarter or loin/round structure. My suspicion is
that while it might be reasonable to use any of the front ribs, it might
have been looked on as wasteful even to the medieval cook to use the
"prime rib" cut. 

What we're left with are the frontmost ribs, which, in modern butchers'
parlance at least, are really part of the chuck, and, if cut separately,
are commonly known as Club or Delmonico steaks. Yes, definitely a
braising cut. Now, we can't necessarily assume the cutting techniques
are the same, but I'm not aware of any real evidence to indicate they
methods used today are really much different from period cutting
techniques. In the case of hogs, we know that the definition of the loin
has changed somewhat, but I haven't seen anything to suggest that is
true of beef.

For the recipe I'd suggest brisket, chuck, plate, short ribs (yum!) or
Club steak.

As for the question of whether to cook it before cutting it up, I can
only suggest that it depends whether you want a flavorful stock, or a
flavorful meat. As has been said by others, cooking the meat whole keeps
more of the juicers and flavor in the meat. The meat, BTW, is almost
certainly parboiled before cutting up so that its medical nature will be
changed from hot and dry to warm and moist.

Adamantius     
- -- 
______________________________________
Phil & Susan Troy
troy at asan.com
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