Do you poke holes in your steaks?

David

What is your rule of thumb with poking steaks with a fork before adding the marnade or rub? Thanks.

WessB

David,
That would be the same as using a "Jaccerd" only much more work. A Jaccard is a meat tenderizer and it works well, I use one from time to time..So your stabing with a fork would only aid in tenderizing..I prefer to use the jaccard with the rubs and seasonings already on the steak, that way you force some of the seasonings inside the meat.[p]Wess

stike

David,
nah.[p]poking holes cuts meat fibers, but it doesn't "dry out" the meat, except for the cells which are punctured.[p]i find poking holes in chicken skin (or duck) lets out "moisture", but most of that is melted subcutaneous fat.[p]if you are hoping that poking will let in more, i don't believe it will. thankfully, it won't let OUT much, either.[p]but i still flip with tongs or a spatula.

thirdeye

WessB,[p]I don't own a Jaccard but I was wondering...... do you cook your steaks more done when using the Jacquard?[p]I don't know if you recall some of the food safety conversations recently but it was agreed that hamburger should be cooked more done than whole muscle meats because any contamination on the surface would get mixed throughout during grinding. I guess that a Jaccard would sort of do the same thing....carry some of the external to the internal?[p]~thirdeye~

stike

thirdeye,
much of the issue with hamburger is that the commercial machines that see it make a LOT of it, ans see a lot of meat pass thru. and you can't be sure how often it's cleaned, etc. so e.coli could build up in the machinery.[p]if you rinse the meat exterior and salt it, and your jacquard machine is cleaned well, there's no reason to get skittish about doing it yourself and cooking it rare.[p]this is also why some folks that grind their own have fewer qualms about eating it rare.

Jeeves

<p />thirdeye,[p]A device with a row of pins, protected with a bar that slides when the item is punctured
[ul][li]http://www.cutleryandmore.com/details.asp?SKU=4528[/ul]

WessB

thirdeye,
I cook my meat to the same doneness..basically based on what Stike said..[p]Wess

Unknown

Jeeves,[p]out of curiosity....what is the benefit of poking holes?

stike

alphaking,
usually used for for cheaper cuts, it cuts the muscle fibers. got to make three passes or more to get any real result.[p]it does what your teeth do....