Does Braggs increase Maillard reaction?

[Duvel]

2 minutes ago, FeChef said:

I see we disagree on this as well. I prefer to high heat sear first to get some good char, then tent in foil and cook low and slow till IT reaches target temp (for me thats 133F ) The benefit to this is the juices in the foil make a really savory au jus.

Now you are getting me confused: are you asking your initial question for a piece of meat that is already seared and browned, so it has undergone Maillard reaction already ?

[FeChef]

3 minutes ago, Duvel said:

Now you are getting me confused: are you asking your initial question for a piece of meat that is already seared and browned, so it has undergone Maillard reaction already ?

No sorry, that was in response to your reverse sear steak method. 

[Duvel]

2 minutes ago, FeChef said:

No sorry, that was in response to your reverse sear steak method. 

I was not making a point for the reverse sear method, I was trying to utilize Kenji‘s way of describing the things going on on the surface of a piece of meat at low-ish (120 oC) temperatures to get my point across. Maybe it’s simply a lack of English skills on my side, so I thought I borrow from a popular author. 

 

In any case: I‘ve tried with the little patience I have left at the end of the working day to help you to get where you want. Of course, you can freely choose your course of action, and I am sure you will post your results here to advance the discussion, that seemingly can’t be concluded without your experiment.

 

Good luck !

[paulraphael]

Duvel is right about using dextrose (or any reducing sugar) and baking soda (or any base). I use a 1:5 ratio by weight of dextrose powder and baking soda. The mixture is deliquescent and will eventually turn to syrup in whatever container you use (and then start maillardizing itself). When this happens I apply it with a silicone brush. Before it happens, I dust it on. A little goes a long way. After browning, correcting the seasoning with some acid is helpful. 

 

No idea if adding amino acids will help the process. The sugar+base works so well it doesn't need help.

 

I believe pre-searing plus post-searing helps. I do this often with sous-vide cooking. Some people have disputed this. Dave Arnold and crew at cookingissues.com actually did a blind test, with chefs and culinary students as subjects. There was a significant preference for the flavor of meat that had been pre- and post-seared. 

 

Pre-searing can also help kill spoilage bacteria on the surface of meat before long low-temp cooking. 

[gfweb]

Given that protein is nothing but AAs, I can't see adding AA to be useful.

 

As @paulraphael says, reducing sugar and pH adjustment have been shown to work well.

[Slim W]

18 hours ago, paulraphael said:

Pre-searing can also help kill spoilage bacteria on the surface of meat before long low-temp cooking. 

 

https://stefangourmet.com/2017/11/01/how-to-prevent-a-bad-smell-with-long-and-low-sous-vide-cooks/

 

I know this is starting to drift, but I have tried to above method and never had the "puffy" bag or off smell on 48+ hrs sous vides since.

[&roid]

On 6/24/2023 at 4:19 AM, paulraphael said:

After browning, correcting the seasoning with some acid is helpful. 

This part is interesting, Paul. I’ve often been left a bit put off by the flavour of food where I’ve used baking soda to help browning so wonder if this would help. What acid have you used? Just something like a bit of wine vinegar?

[mgaretz]

I found that dextrose alone works as well as dextrose plus a base, with none of the grittiness the base can add. 

[Duvel]

@FeChef: how did your experiment go ?!

[FeChef]

10 minutes ago, Duvel said:

@FeChef: how did your experiment go ?!

Haven't got around to it yet.

[paulraphael]

On 6/24/2023 at 5:32 PM, Slim W said:

 

https://stefangourmet.com/2017/11/01/how-to-prevent-a-bad-smell-with-long-and-low-sous-vide-cooks/

 

I know this is starting to drift, but I have tried to above method and never had the "puffy" bag or off smell on 48+ hrs sous vides since.

Yes, I've been advocating for this for a while for long cooking. I've scalded for 1 minute, not based on any rigorous testing.

[FeChef]

No comparison yet but @250F for 7 hours w/steam and spritzed with a dextrose simple syrup mixed with braggs 50/50 then holding chamber for 15 hours at 150F 100% humidity wrapped in BP.

 

[Duvel]

This is smoked, isn’t it ?

[FeChef]

6 minutes ago, Duvel said:

This is smoked, isn’t it ?

Correct.