Transglutaminase idea

[Doodad]

For those who have used this product and can advise.

I had some ideas and hope to have some meat glue on the way soon. One idea: "Cedar Plank" Salmon

I thought that I could take a full salmon filet and cut it in strips. Then I would glue them together on their sides to create a wood board look. Part of the board would be a "knothole" of seared filet mignon which the salmon strips would wrap around to look like wood grain around a knothole. Glue all these together, wrap and press flat. Then brush with ponzu and perhaps mastic to get a resiny flavor and cedar plank grill it to get some wood flavor to it.

Would this work? Can a partially cooked protein be glued with TG or does even slight cooking break the bonding sites in the protein?

Edited September 16, 2009 by Doodad (log)

[pastameshugana]

Wouldn't the salmon and beef cook at drastically different rates? You mentioned it was seared, but I imaging it would take a lot of experimenting to get the combo of cooking times (searing + cook w/salmon) to get it right...

My $.02

[Doodad]

Yes, I expect issues with the cooking times and that is why I was wondering if partially cooked would still "glue." I would cut the filet down as well and since I like rare meat, that might work. My other thought was to put a place holder in the spot and place the steak at service. I could even differently flavor the steak to contrast the fish.

[KennethT]

You could definitely do this if you wanted to... glueing the seared meat to the salmon is the hardest part - so you should wipe off all the oil that you can, and then use the Activa GS - it has 10% more bonding strength than the typical Activa RM... The way you use it is to make a slurry of 1 part GS to 4 parts water by weight... then wisk for 3 minutes or so to dissolve, then wait until the foaming stops and then it's ready to use. Brush the slurry in between each layer, then wrap tightly and refrigerate overnight... I once glued an already cooked duck skin onto a raw duck breast to get crispy skin, completely rendered fat and perfectly cooked meat...

I would recommend talking to the Ajinomoto people - they're very knowledgable... and there's lots of info on the website...

[Tri2Cook]

You could sous vide the beef pieces so they don't have the seared surfaces. They'll already be cooked to the desired temp and will reheat while the salmon cooks.

[Doodad]

KennethT,

Is there a limit to the amount of cooking a piece of protein can take and still glue? And, does tofu have enough to enable sticking?

[KennethT]

KennethT,

Is there a limit to the amount of cooking a piece of protein can take and still glue? And, does tofu have enough to enable sticking?

I don't know if there's an actual limit... your best chances are with the GS... When I originally talked to the Ajinomoto rep about the duck breast idea, he thought it would be tricky, but he thought it was possible and to go with the GS to do it... It did work... but I was bonding raw meat to cooked fat+skin (not much protein in fat/skin, especially after cooked) - and the skin was crispy so it about as cooked as could be.

After searing your filet "knot", I would first wipe off as much fat/oil as possible, then cool it down so it's cold. Put a lot of slurry (I paint it on with a brush on both sides to be glued) and then wrap it really tightly - as tight as you can - before it goes into the refrigerator for at least 6 hours...

As for the tofu, I have no idea - try it and let me know!!! Or talk to the Ajinomoto people - htye may have some experience glueing tofu...