Meat Glue, Sous Vide, chicken parts and what have ya
Did a really fun cook last night and just had to share. I ate at Drago Centro in LA a few weeks ago and they did this chicken dish that was out of this world. I pretty much sniffed it out and vowed to try it. Once the Fabulous Janell got wind of the plan, she essentially ran me off the cook but I didn't mind. The Horns were playing in the Alamo Bowl and she is a way more artistic cook than me. Here is the rundown:
I brined 3 bone in, skin on chicken breast and then was told to go watch football. Here is what TFJ did with the brined breasts: Boned and skinned them and scraped all 3 skins. Meat glued 2 of the breasts together (inverted so the thin part of one is facing the thick part o the other.) She then glued the scraped skin all the way around both breasts (took all 3 skins) Then rolled the breast in plastic wrap to form a sphere. We lightly froze it so we could vac seal it for the sous vide without it Losing it's shape. You could drop the plastic wrapped breasts directly in the SV but we were using store bought wrap instead of commercial and didn't trust it. We cooked them SV for 4 hours, browned with a torch to crisp up the skin and served with TFJ's "all day Marsala Demi", mashed potatoes, and roasted Brussels Sprouts. Really cool take on chicken Marsala with a presentation worthy of a very upscale restaurant. Lot of work but tons of fun. We are doing it again today A few things we learned: meat glue is awesome (I've known this for a while but my love has been renewed) Scraping chicken skin and meat gluing back on is an awesome technique to get perfect skin. I'll never make chicken without brining again Sous Vide is the best way to cook chicken. Period. Here we go: This is the original meal I had in LA http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...2BA0C2A2DE.jpg Here is how we replicated it: 2 brined, boned, and skinned breasts with a little meat glue sprinkled on (skin side down) http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...DBADE81D45.jpg Scraped skin set aside: http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...DB8D43543D.jpg If you wonder why scraping is they way to get that perfect bite, here is what came off the back of the skin (nasty but wanted to share the love) http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...DB95165DC8.jpg Here they are bonded (inverted so the tails are attached to the thick part of the other). Meat glue added to the outside to reattach the skin http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...E0033559F0.jpg Reattaching the skin: http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...DBC7F4C18E.jpg Wrapping to form sphere and facilitate the bond: http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...DBCE6210BF.jpg We then lightly froze to vac seal (so it didnt get squished in the sealer) for the bath. If you use commercial film, it's wide enough to get a good seal so you can drop that right in the bath without vac sealing. http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...DBD4BB6C0F.jpg Once out of the bath (4 hrs) she finished with a torch to crisp up the skin http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...A0F5CA0136.jpg http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...A111F64119.jpg And finally, plated with mashers, Demi, and Brussels sprouts http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...A1255E9E99.jpg One of the best home cooked meals I have ever had. Simple ingredients, using modern techniques = awesome food! I know it's not bbq related but you gotta mix it up once in a while. Even I can only eat so much brisket :becky: |
Looks great, but I would be apprehensive to try it with all the hype about meat glue.
Maybe you can give us the real story on it? |
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Sure. Transglutaminase (meat glue) is an all natural enzyme found in almost all plants and animals that bond protiens. Your body is full of it and could not live without it. Most of us eat it all the time (deli meat, hot dogs, sausage, chicken nuggets, and in many normal vegetables and plants too). There is absolutely nothing unsafe about using meat glue. The initial outcry was that stores and restaurants were taking scraps and making filet mignon out of it. Thier thought was that gluing the outside of one scrap to the inside of another contaminated the inside of the meat. If this were the case, it would be an accurate statement. However, this is not what it's used for and it's in hundreds of perfectly safe foods you and I eat every day. It is also used for evil (mc rib, chicken mc nuggets come to mind) but it's very common. |
That is an interesting take, and well done. I can see why you had to be stopped and TFJ had to take over :-P
I have no problem with meat glue, it is as natural as blood or meat itself. My biggest issue is that it was being used to re-assemble chunks of meat into other chunks of meat, and then being sold as 'filet' or 'steak' which are meaningless terms. But, it was misleading none the less. |
Looks like a fun cook! My problem with meat glue is, I'm so clumsy I'm afraid I'd inhale the stuff and glue my lungs together. :laugh:
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it's fun to play with and I can totally see a BBQ team using it for chicken skin. I would for sure if I was a comp guy. Wouldn't think twice about it. |
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Thanks for debunking the stories I have been given regarding this product. |
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where can I get some meat glue?
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I do not believe it is an evil additive, and in fact, a couple of friends made a rather cool lobster stuffed tenderloin with it, and you would not have been able to find the seam. I certainly would not hesitate to use it. I even thought it would be fun to mess with it for competition chicken skin. But, I suspect it is not allowed. Although I am not sure they could really tell. |
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I think most comps still allow meat glue. I can spot it a mile away on skin though. I actually had it at a restaurant and told my wife that "this skin has been glued back on somehow". It was so thin and crispy- it was awesome. I thought it was corn starch or something like that so I literally googled "meat glue" and voila! |
It’s dangerous to get the powdered enzyme into your lungs because it will react with your lungs just like it does with raw meat. Other than that, it's not a health risk.
But, if you glue together a lot of exterior meat that has some kind of infection like eboli, etc., you need to be careful. The meat product produced is a lot like hamburger in that regard, so only well done is safe to eat. |
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you would have to injest a lot in your lungs for it to be an issue. Casual use is not a concern (hmmm, where have I heard that before- I digress). you are correct that you have to be careful but well done is not the only way to be safe. That's where the sous vide comes in so handy. That chicken was cooked at 147 (way lower than is considered safe for chicken) but for 6 hours. Nothing can live at 147 for 6 hours so it's essentially pasteurized. Same goes for stuff you do with meat glue. I did these short ribs for 5 days (no meat glue but just to prove a point). They were perfectly med rare and perfectly safe after 5 days http://i1067.photobucket.com/albums/...x/f0c25fa4.jpg so, they do need to be safe, but you can do that with other methods than well done. fun stuff |
So, the concensus is that it should be well done because the bacteria on the outer side of the meat could end up getting glued in the middle. That is the concern with beef because we like it rare/med rare and the temp is below 135 and doesn't kill the ugly bugs. That has always been my concern with meat glue. Am I wrong here???
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