FeChef

The problem is that there are so many "asian dishes" that are on the menu at "chinese take-outs"in america. There is chinese,japanese,cantonese,thai...ect..ect. I have no idea what is what. I am not of any asian decent so when i search for a recipe for a favorite asian dish i must rely on the internet. And 9m out of 10 times all the recipes i find require soy sauce as the main flavor enhancer. Some dishes i have hard time finding recipes. An example is a dish called "meifun" it comes in a wide variety of ways. 3 main ones are shrimp, house special, and singapore. I dont like the flavor of curry so did not like the singapore version, but the house special is my favorite that comes with pork, chicken,and shrimp in it. The seasoning they use is like no other flavor ive ever tasted. Its not very dark in color so a dark soy sauce is most likely not used. Its served on the dry side so i doubt they use a sauce. I have ordered this dish at many local chinese/asian take-outs and they are all similair in taste. Every recipe i find for meifun or maifun require either curry (singapore version) or soy sauce with no other stand out flavor besides chicken broth/stock.

See this is the type of information i was asking help with. What makes this type soy sauce, and have that umami flavor? Also, could it be that most "asian take-out" use this type , but just in large containers instead of packets?

Alot of dishes/recipes call for oyster sauce. All the bottles i have/have used have fermented soy in the ingredient list. If i reword chinese take-out to asian take-out would that make you feel better?

Yes i realize i can try to buy the packets. I even considered asking the local chinese take-out's if they would sell me a box. But i really posted here to find out information on the differences. Mainly what are they using to cook with that doeesnt ruin the smell/taste of the food i buy from them. Are they even using soy sauce? When i make any asian dish at home, it always calls for soy sauce and its the same dishes i buy when i go chinese take-out. Im confused. I have tried narrowing down every ingredient i add and it all comes down to the soy sauce. Sometimes its another variant of soy sauce like stir fry sauce, teryiaki sauce, oyster sauce..ect..ect. All have fermented soy in the ingredient list, and all kikoman,la choy, and asian gourmet brands.

I did some google searching and it sounds like the burning in the throat could be an allergic reaction to soy. I dont know if im allergic though because the soy sauce packets contain soy and those dont effect me at all. They dont say fermented soy on them like the bottled stuff does so im wondering if that could be a factor.

I dont know why but love those chinese take-out soy sauce packets. I have tried all kinds of store bought brand names and i can not stand the smell and taste of them. Some even make my throat burn. Not like a spicy capcaisin or horseradish burn, but like this weird burn you would get if you swallowed salt water while swimming in the ocean. Sorry its the best way i can describe this feeling. Anyway, I am hoping someone knows more about all the different types of soy sauce that could steer me in the right direction. Just incase this gets mentioned....I do not find these soy sauces too salty. I actually add salt to some of my dishes if i run out of these soy sauce packets. And when im out of the packets and am forced to use the store bought bottles, i try to use less soy sauce and add salt instead. So being too salty is not the problem. Thanks. And yes i am aware the salt water reference sounds contradicting, but i cant think of any other way to describe this sensation in my throat from these store bought brands.

The paper towels did the job. The brisket wasnt swimming in a pool of liquids.The rub stayed on the brisket. But the bark/crust still lost some of its crunchy texture. I think longer dry ageing and a harder pellicle will be needed next time. The brisket did turn out fantastic though. I decided to chill overnight and slice it thin, instead of chopping it like you would burnt ends. It was borderline slice/pull whicj is the texture i like. Next time im going to dry age a chuck roast and form a thick bark then SV and chop/pull it for burnt ends.

You really shouldnt go more then 4 days using the paper towel method. Ive done 3 weeks for beef using drybagsteak though. The paper towel method is really just a quick way to pull some moisture out of the surface so the dry heat in the smoker can form a nice crust in a short amout of time without drying out the inside of the meat. I never tried to dry age pork for any other reason or more then a day or two. Again, this isnt for flavor, just a way to dry out the surface.

Another trick i use for butts, brisket, and chucks is paper towel dry ageing for a day or so to form a rind (pellicle) this will also speed up and improve the bark/crust formation in the smoker.

The beef back ribs i posted were done as followed: Smoker set to 275F (preheat) Lowered to 200F ribs were sprinkled with coarse kosher salt, coarse black pepper, and turbinado sugar. smoked with alder about 2 hours of subtle blue smoke. pulled out when probed between 150-155F hit it with a quick torch just for good measure (probably wasnt needed but didnt hurt) lightly brushed with thick bbq sauce and bagged and SV 155F for 30ish hours. removed from bag with another quick surface torch and set on cooling rack, foil overtop in oven to keep warm (150F) till served (about 30 min) Some important info: I use an electric smoker with a smoke generator attachment. I use hardwood lump charcoal to smoulder the Alder wood chips. I dont use a water pan, or mist/mop any liquids. You want the surface to dry out as much as possible. This is what gives you Da Bark.

Well somebody has to test these things. Dont get me wrong, I could do bbq traditionally in the smoker, but why worry about watching it all day/night and bringing it to "pull" temps of 190-205F when you can #1 only watch it for a few hours in the smoker. #2 get that same "pull" texture at 155F. And #3 end up with a much more moist inside. For the past few years my only issue with SV i had was losing some of that bark/crust im use having with traditional bbq. You could really tweak this and have every bite being a moist juicy "burnt end"

Crunchy, moist, gelatinous, sticky, sweet, salty, smokey, savory.....drooling yet?

Im thinking the paper towels might not have been needed to preserve the bark/crust. The trick i believe is getting the meat to the final target temp first that you plan to "hold" it at in the SV. I smoked some beef back ribs to 155F the day earlier and put them in the SV @ 155F for 24-30 hours. I even brushed a tiny bit of bbq sauce on them before bagging. The sauce was pretty thick and when i pulled the ribs out there was just a tiny bit of slightly thinner bbq sauce in the bag. So there was a bit of juice loss but the bbq sauce thickened the juice up. This may be a good way to prevent meats from swimming and losing their bark/crust. If bbq sauce isnt something you like on bbq, im sure other thickeners could be used. Although similar, I thought of even tomato paste, that double concentrated stuff in the tubes would work nicely. Anyway pics of the beef back ribs.

Dont confuse collagen with fat. Collagen converts to gelatin. When i make stock i get 3 layers. top layer is fat, second gelatin, 3rd is sediment.

Its in the bag wrapped in 3 layers of paper towels. It took 3 layers till it sealed with the last layer being compleyely dry. The second layer was slightly wet. The very first layer absorbed pretty much all the juices that came out while vacuuming out the air. We will see how much, if any juices are in the bag in 24 hours.

Not only will the paper prevent the brisket from swimming in liquid, it will also prevent the rub from comming off into the liquid. I still dont see how your point you are trying to make is worse then just throwing it in the vacuum bag without the paper. I already been smoking the brisket, so SV first is not an option. If anything, you could convince me to bring the brisket up to 205F in the smoker, but its going to be a long night if i go that route.

But in this case we will be bringing the brisket in the smoker to the same temp it will be in the SV, so basicly holding it at that temp. I dont see much liquid loss. Yes liquid has to pass through the bark/crust but if the paper absorbs most of it, the brisket wont be swimming in it. It should definitely help. Probably better off using bounty paper towels instead of butcher paper/brown bag.

I am doing a really nice Middle point cut brisket today in the smoker and plan to finish it off in my basement SV rig. One of the disadvantages of finishing SV is the loss of "bark/crust". This got me thinking about...."TTC" (the texas crutch). How can we apply this technique as an advantage for SV?...What came to mind is to bring the Brisket to final target temp in the smoker, in my case im going 155F. Now wrap the brisket in butcher paper, or plain ol brown bag and then vacuum bag and finish off in the SV. My thoughts is the paper will absorb any expellled liquid and prevent the bark/crust from getting soggy. If this technique works in the oven or cooler, i see no reason this would not work for SV. Any thoughts?

You were better off buying vinegar powder. Maltodextrin + vinegar isnt very strong in flavor. I find you end up tasting the maltodextrin more then the flavor your trying to impart. Bacon grease + maltodextrin is a perfect example. I had to use so much maltodextrin to make a dry powder that all i tasted was a funky sweet greasy powder.

I dont see why you would have to if its been pastuerized. Im sure alot of worry warts will chime in, but my rule has always been that unless it was left out all night, its safe as long as it goes in the fridge before bed.

I have never tasted Chianti by itself, so honestly i dont know what it "should" taste like. The Bolognese was excellent though. Wine for drinking i prefer sweet pink wines like Catawaba, or sweet red lambrusco. I know there cheap, but its what i like to drink.

Due to the weather, I cant get new wine for a sauce. Also my area is in a state of emergency so local grocery is closed. I know i should have planned ahead, but I actually thought i had a bottle of marsala and red wine in the cabinet. Turns out all I have is 3/4 of a bottle of Chianti that has been in the fridge for probably a month. I had used a cup of it for a bolognese and put the cap back on and stuck it in the fridge. Would it still work for a wine sauce reduction, if not why? Would it make the sauce sour? Could it be salvaged with sugar? And also, if using the wine is not feasible, does anyone have any other suggestions? I dont have mushrooms, so thats out. I do have golden raisins,pink lady apples,apple cider. But those ingredients i usually use for a sauce for pork. Help

I love black pepper. I put it on just about everything, even some desserts. But i absolutely can not stand the smell of white pepper. My sense of smell is not very good, but i can detect white pepper if its in something.

I know you mentioned a meat sauce but if you want a really easy amazing meatball recipe i found one i really like that uses 2 pounds of ground beef, 1 box of stovetop "savory" stuffing, 1 1/4 cup water, 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, and 1 large egg. You can bake @ 350F till they reach internal temp of 145F. I prefer to freeze 2oz balls and sous vide them @ 145F for 2-4 hours and flash fry them in a pan or deep fryer. Them come out soft and tender inside and slightly crunchy outside. Great contrast in textures.