Poaching meat

[FaustianBargain]

Has anyone had success with tenderloin by poaching it in oil? The idea is to bring the oil to 68-70 degrees and to poach it for 4-5 minutes. For medium rare.

Can I substitute duck fat for olive oil?

[Shalmanese]

Where does the lamb come into this.

I don't see how it can cook in 5 minutes, even grilling it takes longer. I guess the appeal though is that you can leave it in as long as you like. I wager there would be nothing wrong with duck fat.

[FaustianBargain]

Where does the lamb come into this.

I don't see how it can cook in 5 minutes, even grilling it takes longer. I guess the appeal though is that you can leave it in as long as you like. I wager there would be nothing wrong with duck fat.

←

The recipe I have is for Tenderloin of Lamb in a marinade of olive oil, rosemary, thyme and garlic. After an hour, it is poached in olive oil that is at a temperature of 68-70 deg C for 4-5 minutes. Apparently, it turns out medium rare.

Chives, truffles and sea salt sprinkled on the top. Accompaniment, pea puree.

The poaching is so bizarre. I have never come across anything like this. At that temperature even.

[Wolfert]

I've poached salmon in olive oil at about 70 degrees celsius

The timing seems a little short for the lamb. You can try it.

[FaustianBargain]

I've poached salmon in olive oil at about 70 degrees celsius

The timing seems a little short for the lamb. You can try it.

←

How many minutes for the salmon?

I could probably finish it off on a hot pan after it is done, I suppose. For the crust thingy...

Edited March 31, 2005 by FaustianBargain (log)

[Wolfert]

Faustian Bargain:

This recipe is from my Slow Med Cooking, it is especially successful when served with an acidic salad made with shaved raw rhubarb, slivers of cucumber and leaves of arugula and mint.

Serves 4

1 pound thick center cut salmon, preferably sushi grade, skinned and pin bones removed

Season with salt and refrigerate for l hour

Meanwhile, heat 2 1/2 cups olive oill along with some sliced garlic and a sprig of thyme in a cazuela or some other wide pan that holds heat steady. Heat the oil to 155 F. Remove the garlic and herb.

Rinse the salmon, pat dry and slip into the oil. Bring the oil back to about 145 F and poach the salmon for 12 minutes. Remove the cazuela from the heat.

the fish will continue to cook in the receding heat. The salmon is fully cooked when the flesh flakes. It will look amzingly rare but will be fully cooked. Drain on paper towels and sprinkle with pepper.

Let the salmon rest for 5 minutes, then cut into 4 slices. Serve warm with a salad.

The Mallorcan chef who taught be this recipe told me that because the oil never rises above 155 F it can be reused again and again including in fish salads and for poaching more fish. The oil will keep for up to 1 week in the refrigerator.

In another of my books, Mediterranean Cooking, revised edition, I confited lamb shanks in olive oil in a 300 degree F oven for 3 hours along with lots of garlic.

Hope this helps.

Edited March 31, 2005 by Wolfert (log)

[FaustianBargain]

Faustian Bargain:

This recipe is from my Slow Med Cooking, it is especially successful when served with an acidic salad made with shaved raw rhubarb, slivers of cucumber and leaves of arugula and mint.

Thank you. I'll keep you posted.

[Jon Tseng]

Sounds like a variant on contemporary slow-cooking methods

cf, as has been cited, vogue for slow-cooked salmon

As a rule of thumb for salmon you want to get it to 40c, lamb 60c in the centre.

As note, 4-5 mins sounds too short. Given oil temp and target temp so similar you have a lot of latitude about leaving it in there a bit long.

Yes, you do lose the brown crust this way. Try blowtorching it before/after

Duck fat will be fine

J

[k43]

Here's an excellent article and recipe for beef tenderloin that I poached from the NY Times a few years ago:

Poached Beef Tenderloin

A bath of bubbling hot liquid is unquestionably the best way to cook evenly and precisely. Simmering water, broth or even oil is always the same temperature, and will never scorch. Most cooks know the gentle magic a hot bath can work on delicate fish or ramekins of custard.

But it can also make a tenderloin of beef perfectly and uniformly rare. Whether you choose a two-pound piece, which will easily serve four, or a larger one, the procedure and results are so consistent and so effortless it is the ideal dish for a dinner party.

Tenderloin has a texture closer to that of salmon than sirloin. And unlike most cuts of meat, tenderloin does not become softer as it cooks. The tradeoff for this supreme tenderness is a lack of distinctive flavor. It is generous to describe the taste as mild.

There are a couple of ways to add flavor to poached beef. One is to work hard on the poaching liquid: begin with great stock, add extra vegetables, aromatics and perhaps some wine, and reduce it after the meat is done poaching. The problem is that this requires far more work than the dish really merits, and the meat becomes cold while you prepare the sauce. Although poached beef is great cold (there is nothing better for picnics), not so with warm sauce.

A better idea, I think, is to poach the meat in plain water. You can add flavorings if you like -- a celery stalk, an onion, a carrot, some peppercorns and so on -- but these will just barely make a difference.

Simpler and more effective is serving the sliced tenderloin with a variety of flavorful garnishes like minced shallots, good mustard, chopped cornichons, coarse salt, soy sauce, even ketchup. Your guests can pick and choose among them. Personally, I favor mustard combined with shallots and cornichons, which may remind older New Yorkers of the hot-dog relish once served at Nedick's.

Ask the butcher -- a call ahead will help -- for the thick, chateaubriand end of the tenderloin, in one piece, tied. If you allow the meat to reach room temperature before poaching it, the cooking time will be reduced by a few minutes, but it will be no longer than 20.

1 3-pound piece beef tenderloin, from the thick end, preferably at room temperature

6 cups stock, or water plus a celery stalk, an onion, a carrot and some peppercorns

Salt

Garnishes like minced shallots, good mustard, chopped cornichons, coarse salt, soy sauce or ketchup.

1. Put the meat in a deep pan just large enough to fit it  a Dutch oven is usually ideal, but you can curve the meat into a wide saucepan, too. Cover it with boiling water or stock. Add a large pinch of salt if you are using water or if the stock is unsalted. Adjust the heat to medium, so that the mixture bubbles gently.

2. Cook until the meat's internal temperature reaches 120 degrees (use an instant- read thermometer), or 125 degrees for medium-rare. Remove meat and let it sit for 5 minutes, then cut into ½- to 1-inch-thick slices. Serve immediately with garnishes.