Man vs. Meat Part Three

We've now covered cuts of meat and methods for cooking, and marinades and rubs. If you are ready to put it all together, let's get into some tricks of the trade.

If you are like me, you probably want to get the most bang for your buck at the store. When you shop inexpensive cuts of meat, keep in mind they tend to be tough, but now that you know you can use a marinade or a meat mallet to tenderize it, that won't be a deterrent. There's no reason you can't eat well from a cut of meat that is tough at the store.

So, what are you likely to pick up? Let's say you get a chuck roast or an arm roast. These are basically grandma's pot roast. Cooking these requires patience. If you have a crock pot, that is an ideal vessel for making a delicious, one pot meal with your roast.

To start, you want to sear your meat. That means, get a saute pan pretty darn hot on the stove, sprinkle your roast with salt and pepper, then put it in the pan until it is browned on all sides. This shouldn't take too long, but will work better with a stainless steel pan, although non-stick will work. If you are using stainless steel, you will notice that the meat will kind of stick to the pan when you first put it in. That's fine. Leave it there until it releases itself. At that point, you should have a lovely brown crust on that surface of the meat. What this does is change the taste, texture and flavor of the meat. Any bits of brown goodness that are in the pan, make sure you rescue those from obscurity by adding a little water, stock, or wine to the pan and scraping them up. They are the super goodness.

Now, this is something to remember for roasting as well as cooking your pot roast. In order to make sure heat can circulate, you want to either put a rack under your meat, or, the better option in my mind, chopped vegetables. Cut onions, carrots and celery into pieces anywhere from half an inch to an inch, depending on what size piece of meat you have, and then put them in the bottom of your crock pot or baking dish. Remember, veggies add flavor. Next, add whatever flavorings you'd like. I'm partial to a little water or red wine, and a packet of onion soup mix. Don't be afraid of experimenting with spices, herbs or sauces. Put the lid on and cook. In my experience, as long as you don't let it go, like I did one time, for 18 hours, you are probably going to be ok on time. But, again, experiment with your equipment.

What if you grabbed a steak? Grills are always preferable, but remember, you can use your broiler or a saute pan. There's no reason to deny yourself of a delicious steak because you don't have a grill. I love to use a generous amount of kosher salt, a sprinkle of pepper and sometimes, a salt-free steak seasoning. And, because I adore rare steaks, I toss my steak in a searing hot pan just long enough to make that lovely brown crust on the outside. You might want to cook it longer. Keep an eye out for "eye of round" steaks or other such things. They may look like steak, but are really a tougher cut of meat that is better served by braising.

Ok, there's a few things to get us started. I'll be adding cuts of meat and techniques as time goes on.