# Browning Meat ?



## chez suz (Dec 20, 2004)

Whenever I make stews, braises, pot roasts..I brown (sear) my meat first..I recently found what looked to be a great pot roast w/balsamic vinegar as part of a marinade..the recipe doesnt call for browning the meat first...any thoughts on this??


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## PA Baker (Dec 20, 2004)

Suz, I have some beef recipies that don't call for searing that turn out fine.  I, also, usually sear my roasts first, but the couple of recipies I've tried w/o searing haven't had any problems.  Just make sure that your cut of meat has enough fat throughout that it will stay moist and I'd say give it a try.  I don't know if the properties of balsamic would affect it in any way.  Maybe someone else has an idea on that.


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## jennyema (Dec 20, 2004)

I always brown my meat for pot roast or stew.  The Maillard reaction is what gives meat it's "meaty" flavor.

http://missvickie.com/howto/cooking101/meatbrowning.html


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## chez suz (Dec 20, 2004)

Thank you PA for such a quick response.the recipe calls for a chuck roast..so it has a good amount of fat....I will try it anyway and will report bk...but I've got a thing in my head that it should be browned first..it also gives it such a nice deep color.

Jennyama..what a great article..I saw it after I originally posted this response....My decision based on experience and reading the article you posted is to sear the meat regardless of what the recipe says..there are too many good reasons to sear first..I dont know of any reasons not to!


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## Psiguyy (Dec 20, 2004)

I think the fact that you are supposed to marinate it in balsamic vinegar first might be the reason for not browning the meat in this recipe.  I'm thinking the sugar in the balsamic vinegar will burn before the beef is browned.  Might make the stew a bit on the bitter side.


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## chez suz (Dec 20, 2004)

PSIGuy..interesting pt about the sugar content in the balsmic vinegar..ummm
need to think about this some more...You may have found the 1 reason not to sear this meat!


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## Haggis (Dec 20, 2004)

In my experience Balsamic Vinegar has no effect on the meat apart from helping to tenderise the meat by breaking down the protein strands. Of course it does impart a delicious flavour and colour.

I have marinated meat in balsamic and cook on a very hot grill, have never noticed any bitter taste.

Mmmmm stew, another thing not to eat in summer!


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## AllenOK (Dec 21, 2004)

My 2¢....

I always like to brown my meats first, before stewing, braising, etc.  The reason is for color, as I like a deep golden brown, and for flavor.  Jennyema mentioned the Malliard reaction.  When you're making a stew, you're going to be deglazing the pan with whatever liquid you add in.  If you sear the meat first, you have the caramelized surface of the meat, as well as the "fond" (the brown stuff in the pan).  When you deglaze the pan, this all dissolves out into the liquid, which adds to the color and flavor.


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## buckytom (Dec 21, 2004)

i'm also for browning. i have cooked baslamic and herb marinated london broils before, on a grill and in a pan, and they didn't burn. they appeared darker because of the marinade, but tasted ok, not burnt or bitter.


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## chez suz (Dec 21, 2004)

Thank you everyone for your input...my insticts say sear..it looks like we are in agreement.


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## jennyema (Dec 21, 2004)

Haggis said:
			
		

> In my experience Balsamic Vinegar has no effect on the meat apart from helping to tenderise the meat by breaking down the protein strands. Of course it does impart a delicious flavour and colour.
> 
> I have marinated meat in balsamic and cook on a very hot grill, have never noticed any bitter taste.
> 
> Mmmmm stew, another thing not to eat in summer!




*Acidic ingredients don't tenderize meat, they actually will toughen it if left in too long or the marinade is strong.*

Here are exceprts from Shirley's article (which can be found here:http://www.taunton.com/finecooking/pages/c00157.asp): 

"There is a commonly held belief that soaking a tough cut of meat in a marinade will make it tender. Sadly, this just isn't true much of the time. While some marinades are very successful at adding flavor to meat, chicken, and fish, they are, with one exception, a disaster at tenderizing.

...  highly acidic marinades can actually toughen food, while enzymatic marinades can turn the surface of the food to mush. 

Acidic marinades "denature" proteins. Imagine the protein in raw meat, chicken, or fish as individual units of coiled ribbon, with bonds holding each coil in a tight bundle. When these proteins are exposed to an acidic marinade, the bonds break and the proteins unwind. Almost immediately, one unwound protein runs into another unwound protein and they bond together into a loose mesh. (This is the same thing that happens when proteins are exposed to heat.)

At first, water molecules are attached to and trapped within this protein mesh, so the tissue remains juicy and tender. But after a short time, if the protein is in a very acidic marinade, the protein bonds tighten, water is squeezed out, and the tissue becomes tough. 

In limited cases, mildly acidic marinades can add wonderful flavor to fish and meat, especially if you enhance the mixture with fresh herbs, spices, or perhaps another liquid like Worcestershire sauce. The key is to use the correct strength acid for the food you're marinating. 

A fairly tight-textured cut of meat like flank steak can survive a more acidic marinade. Since the marinade only penetrates a fraction of an inch, it won't toughen the meat.

Shirley O. Corriher is the author of CookWise (Morrow).


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## Haggis (Dec 21, 2004)

Being a poor uni student I don't buy the best quality meat and I have always found that the vinegar helps to tenderise the meat. But then again I am definitely not leaving the meat marinating overnight in it and it it is also mixed with olive oil and other things.


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## Psiguyy (Dec 21, 2004)

My philosophy is, you make it the way the recipe is written at least once so you have an idea of what it's supposed to taste like.  Once you understand what tha author of the recipe had in mind, you experiment and improve on it.


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## Chief Longwind Of The North (Dec 23, 2004)

Psiguy.  That's the premise of my cookbooks exactly.  Try the recipes to learn the techniques, then make them your recipes by playing with them.  Glad to learn someone else uses this philosophy.  

Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North


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## GB (Dec 23, 2004)

I am another one who whole heartedly agree with this philosophy. For me, it is very important to taste the recipe the way it was intended first. You can not alway tell what something will taste like just by looking at a list of ingredients.  Once you make it then you can decide if you want to tweak it. That works for me, but I understand that not everyone will want to do it that way.


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## ronjohn55 (Dec 23, 2004)

GB said:
			
		

> I am another one who whole heartedly agree with this philosophy. For me, it is very important to taste the recipe the way it was intended first. You can not alway tell what something will taste like just by looking at a list of ingredients.  Once you make it then you can decide if you want to tweak it. That works for me, but I understand that not everyone will want to do it that way.



GB, that's an excellent point. This happens in the homebrewing community all the time. People who have never made a recipe will post questions saying that they want to brew recipe A, but want to change a couple of things first (Without ever having HAD recipe A as it was intended). If you didn't have the original first, how do you know what you're shooting for?

John


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