Food & Drink What makes meat tough when cooked?

Any chef's in the house?

I cooked a roast lamb shank tonight.
It tasted pretty good but it was quite tough, even though I cooked it at like 150degC for about 3 hours.
Slaw and low as they say.

Yet the meat was still quite tough, even after I let it rest.
i did let it rest in a cold place however instead of warm, could that have caused it?

Anyone know the best way to make sure your roast meats are juicy and tender?

 

You cooked it too long. You'll find that the meat goes: uncooked -> cooked -> cooked + tender -> tough (cooked for too long) -> tougher (far too long) -> like rubber/leather (inedible).

Try 1h40m to 2h, it should be bang in the middle of 'tender' at that point

 

^ pretty much exactly as RTT says.
Too much time and you will over-do it, Chicken goes tough/dry and fish goes dry and flakey.

You should be watching Gordon Ramsey "cook along" on ch4 for tips

 

When you overcook chicken it falls off the bone + is real soft. To make a chicken tough/dry you have to really leave it cooking, lmfao.

Airchie, sounds like you were on the right track, except you left it a tad bit long.

 

You didn't cook it long enough imo - I've never had a Lamb Shank that was cooked for under 4 hours. It's one of those things that just needs to cook and cook and cook and cook.

 

Yeah, some say slow and low, some fast and hot.
Times are all to pot depending on what meat it is, fan assisted or convection oven, is the meat covered, how much meat is there, is it on the bone etc etc.

Anyone know the science behind what makes meat tough.
I need someone to get all Heston Blumenthal on me here!

Any bollocks!!
I missed the cook along thing.

Ah, hang on, C4+1 ftcheesecake...

 

I've cooked lamb shank for about 3 hours and it was much softer than "tough".

I had it once in a Resturant and it just fell off the bone, was amazing. Must of starting to cook it in the morning I guess. (+ heat it up w/e)

 

Yup, it falls off the bone if you cook it for hours upon hours. Much like a curry gets more tender and more succulent the longer you cook it for and let it absorb the sauce, lamb shank simiilarly seems to get more tender and more bone-fally-offy the longer it's cooked for.

 

Time and temperature are inversely related when it comes to this kind of cooking, which is all due to the type of meat, or more specifically where it comes from on the animal. For a 4 hour cook, the temperature would need to be lower than 150C, although obviously you can't just chuck it in a 240C oven and enjoy your meal in 30 seconds flat

 

Gas ovens Cheesecake. Meat never dries out.

I've had restaurant lamb shank, if they fall to bits it's because they've been braised first.

 

Along with cooking time, your method of cooking and ingredients have a drastic effect on the tenderness of your meat.

 

ooooo cpemma, I'm going to have to write that down!

I'm bad when it comes to cooking and I've never tried cooking lambshanks but my gramma said something about oven bags when roasting? I dunno.

 

Dumb question: The pot of lamb shanks with the wine & vegies that you let sit overnight... that's in the fridge right?

 

In a warmer Melbourne, yes, if the fridge isn't full of cannies; in a January Yorkshire, just put a cover over it to keep the cat off.

 

Yes actually, I was one for 11 years.

First, roasting is a dry cooking method and not at all suited for shanks of any kind. Roasting is more suited to either whole birds or large chunks of boneless meat.

Any meat on the bone = Braising for the cheesecake.
Any meat from a well used muscle = Braising FTC.

If you want it super soft and sticky with gelatin (and this is the restaurant secret) cook it 80% and then let it cool in the liquid, even for a few hours. Then reheat to over 160 degrees C internal temp for 5 min.

To really cook meat well, I recommend you buy a meat thermometer and learn to use it.

 

The "braise then roast" method is the best way with a ham joint too, though I drink the wine rather than use it in the cooking liquid.

Burning meat creates the taste.

 

Yeah, but unlike the lamb shank, a ham joint usually has a A. a thick skin that crackles and B. a fat layer that renders. That lets you get away with a heavier caramelization the usual.

If you really like a heavier "burnt" taste, cut an onion in half and lay it in a hot dry pan until wayyyyy brown. Then put that into the braise.

 

So I assume a well-used muscle = leg of lamb?

OK, so next question.
What's braising?

<ninjaedit>Wiki has a good page on it.

 

like that.

 

Cooking the other half of the leg of lamb now for some uni mates.
Gone for the slow and low braising method (which I may have made up, I'm not sure ).
Basically, lamb, rosemary, thyme, garlic cloves and red wine in the tray and sealed with alu foil.
At 150degC for 4 hours is what I'm aiming for.

I'll let you know how it goes.
Anyone got any bets as to how good/bad it'll be?