One of those cooks... Everyone has one

NoOne

NoOne

is one Smokin' Farker
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We have all been there, get really excited and plan a great cook, and then you start cooking. Everything is going well, looks spectacular, smells wonderful and you pull everything off to rest and plate up....

Bone in Ribeyes, reversed seared.
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XL Prawns
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Rested and Sliced - really juicy!
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And plated... looks sooo good!
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But it wasn’t. It was horribly disappointing. The ribeyes were a bit undercooked even though my thermometer read 135F when I pulled them. The steaks were juicy, but tough and the flavor, other than the crust, was just blahhhh. The prawns were ordinary, probably a bit overcooked, but not sweet and tasty like I hoped.

The red chimichurri had great flavor but it was a bit overpowering.

The best thing on the damn plate was the veg, and my wife cooked that.

So we have all had cooks like this. Smells great. Looks great. Should be great, but wasn’t. This was just one of those.

Now I need to think what to cook next weekend?
 
We have all had one, sometimes two, and then we rack our brains trying to figure out "what went wrong?" Best thing is "there is always next time"!
 
I have had similar issues with beef.
Solution to having great results every time?
(PORK ;)
Pork is always the answer.
 
It is frustrating. I just had it happen with a pork butt of all things. I cook them all of them time but this weekend it just came out tough. It temp'd out and the bone pulled easily but tough meat.
 
I know exactly what you mean - I've been there. If it makes any difference that plate sure doesn't look like a disappointment...
 
Yes sir, that is familiar territory to me as well. The one good thing about it though is you always live cook another day, unless it's really bad:roll:
We are here to share in your successes and to encourage you during the not so successful cooks. You will nail the next one.
 
Seems to happen for me with beef more than chicken or pork. You buy what appears to be a beautiful steak and for whatever reason it tightens up. I’ve had chuck roasts that you could chew until next New Years Day and it just wont break down. Most times I blame it on me that’s what we do, right? But left alone in a quiet environment to my own cooking demons- I wonder if it wasn’t the cow
 
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Yep!

Happened last weekend, smoked two chuck roasts and they were perfectly awful...

Get back in the saddle and ride on...
 
16Adams said:
Seems to happen for me with beef more than chicken or pork. You buy what appears to be a beautiful steak and for whatever reason it tightens up. I’ve had chuck roasts that you could chew until next New Years Day and it just wont break down. Most times I blame it on me that’s what we do, right. But left alone in a quiet environment to my own cooking demons- I wonder if it wasn’t the cow
Click to expand...

You (or me or anyone else for that matter) can't cook a "bad" cut of meat "good." It's often the cow. So many things that are impossible to see or know matter (genetics, feed, processing, blah, blah blah). Best rule - grow you own. 2nd best - find a good butcher. Best way achieve varying results - Wally Mart. Their philosophy - buy what ever's cheapest from whoever...
 
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Definitely a part of the process sometimes. It just adds that much more fuel to the fire for the next cook. When you knock it out the park, all will be right in the universe again. Beautiful plate though.
 
Sometimes my best meals are the result of an unimpressive first meal.

Take the rest of that steak and shrimp and chunk it up and give it a quick braise in some good fajita seasoning or salsa.

Make tacos. Will be outstanding.
 
Stlsportster said:
Sometimes my best meals are the result of an unimpressive first meal.

Take the rest of that steak and shrimp and chunk it up and give it a quick braise in some good fajita seasoning or salsa.

Make tacos. Will be outstanding.
Click to expand...

That's what I call smart.
 
Looks good to me :thumb:

I've found the most reliable steak doneness test for me is the "touch test". I press the center of the steak with my index finger and look for a resistance about the same as pushing on the tip of my nose. This gets me a perfect med rare every time. I've found an instant read thermometer to be somewhat unreliable for me. You can poke into them too far and get an overly high reading, hit some fat, etc. If you have a really crusty Maillard sear it can sometimes make it seem more done/firm than it is, but I only go by touch and it works well to account for any other variable.

Some people use this hand test. It doesn't work for me, dunno if I have an "impressive" thumb muscle or I'm just a freak but it goes rock hard as soon as I bend it.

Hand-Test.jpg
 
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