Hot tubbing steaks - why not microwave 'em?

[gerard]

I'm too lazy and cheap to experiment with meat... so I'll pick y'all's brains:

Eariler this year, hot tubbing steaks was a very hot and occasionally contentious topic in the green room.

I've never tried it.

For those of you out of the loop... the concept is to raise the internal temp of the meat to about 100 degrees prior to grilling. Typically this is done by placing steaks in sealed bags and floating in warm water for about an hour. Supposedly dramatically cuts cooking times and results in a better flavor and texture as all that is needed is a sear to achieve appropriate internal temps. It was advocated by Cook's Illustrated. The greenies fell into two camps: 1) This will never replace t-rexing, and 2) This is superior and easier than t-rexing.

My question... besides the aesthetic faux pas of using a microwave and a ceramic cooker for the same item... why can't this be achieved with just a microwave?

I ask this as I have a leg of lamb on my cooker that I first partially heated up in the microwave.

[Firemonkey]

It sounds like we are fixin' to get the answer as soon as you take that meat off the grill

Honestly, I havent tried the technique, but I suspect that the hot water will give a milder, more uniform temperature to the meat. Now, since you are the Doc, you should be tellin' us what happens chemically when you microwave meat?

I would expect that you would run the risk of having tougher meat when microwaved, especially if the edges were to begin cooking.

[ThreeDJ16]

The problem I have with the concept is the grill imparts flavor, so pre-cooking the meat is taking away from the grill contact time, which I would think removes some of the grill flavor.

But I think it does have merit. What I have read and experimented with good results, was T-rexing the steak for 60 seconds per side, then placing them on a cold plate to drop the temperature so the muscle relaxes again (supposedly during the high temp cook the muscle meat knots up - hell mine would too -hehe). Then by the time the grill cools to dwell temps for the remaining cook, the steaks have relaxed and will be more tender. So this seems kinda a reverse of pre-heat method you describe.

-=Jasen=-

[twharton]

HOT TUBBING = BOILING

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: Hot tubbing steaks - why not microwave 'em?

I ask this as I have a leg of lamb on my cooker that I first partially heated up in the microwave.

How dare you! That is just plain wrong! I hate microwaves, unless I am at work and forced to use the damn things. At home, it is for popcorn and the occasional reheat of an already dead dinner. Even if I am forced to the levels of having to eat a frozen dinner, I will always avert and use the oven if at all possible.

-=Jasen=-

[twharton]

POPCORN!!!! MICROWAVE!!!!

That's like the McRib of popcorn.

Either use a deep pan w/ lid and shake/slide it over the burner (how I was taught growing up...Sunday night was popcorn & chocolate sundae's while watching Wild Kingdom, Disney, Ed Sullivan...) or now I use this....

http://www.popcornpopper.com/24000.html

I was given one as a wedding present. It lasted 15 years till my mother bought me a new one...still have the first one...not broken just old and beat up!

Uses minimal oil and yoy will have zero grannies. If you can spend $2K for a grill you gotta have this thing.

Just trying to help.

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: POPCORN!!!! MICROWAVE!!!!

That's like the McRib of popcorn.

Either use a deep pan w/ lid and shake/slide it over the burner (how I was taught growing up...Sunday night was popcorn & chocolate sundae's while watching Wild Kingdom, Disney, Ed Sullivan...) or now I use this....

http://www.popcornpopper.com/24000.html

I was given one as a wedding present. It lasted 15 years till my mother bought me a new one...still have the first one...not broken just old and beat up!

Uses minimal oil and yoy will have zero grannies. If you can spend $2K for a grill you gotta have this thing.

Just trying to help.

I actually have an airpopper somewhere around here. But I guess I am just not a popcorn connoisseur!

-=Jasen=-

[Curly]

Re: POPCORN!!!! MICROWAVE!!!!

That's like the McRib of popcorn.

Either use a deep pan w/ lid and shake/slide it over the burner (how I was taught growing up...Sunday night was popcorn & chocolate sundae's while watching Wild Kingdom, Disney, Ed Sullivan...) or now I use this....

http://www.popcornpopper.com/24000.html

I was given one as a wedding present. It lasted 15 years till my mother bought me a new one...still have the first one...not broken just old and beat up!

Uses minimal oil and yoy will have zero grannies. If you can spend $2K for a grill you gotta have this thing.

Just trying to help.

Maybe you should send DJ your old one.

We have one of those awesome popcorn machines at work that's just like being at the movies. They keep large supplies of the bags of popcorn and butter and salt that you just open and squeeze into the hopper. Man, that's some good stuff, I have it about every day.

[ThreeDJ16]

Re: POPCORN!!!! MICROWAVE!!!!

That's like the McRib of popcorn.

Either use a deep pan w/ lid and shake/slide it over the burner (how I was taught growing up...Sunday night was popcorn & chocolate sundae's while watching Wild Kingdom, Disney, Ed Sullivan...) or now I use this....

http://www.popcornpopper.com/24000.html

I was given one as a wedding present. It lasted 15 years till my mother bought me a new one...still have the first one...not broken just old and beat up!

Uses minimal oil and yoy will have zero grannies. If you can spend $2K for a grill you gotta have this thing.

Just trying to help.

Maybe you should send DJ your old one.

We have one of those awesome popcorn machines at work that's just like being at the movies. They keep large supplies of the bags of popcorn and butter and salt that you just open and squeeze into the hopper. Man, that's some good stuff, I have it about every day.

?? Just like?? I thought you 'were' that dude who tears your ticket in half at the gate?

Oh yeah, watch it twharton, Curly likes those McRibs!!

-=Jasen=-

[Firemonkey]

Re: POPCORN!!!! MICROWAVE!!!!

That's like the McRib of popcorn.

Either use a deep pan w/ lid and shake/slide it over the burner (how I was taught growing up...Sunday night was popcorn & chocolate sundae's while watching Wild Kingdom, Disney, Ed Sullivan...) or now I use this....

http://www.popcornpopper.com/24000.html

I was given one as a wedding present. It lasted 15 years till my mother bought me a new one...still have the first one...not broken just old and beat up!

Uses minimal oil and yoy will have zero grannies. If you can spend $2K for a grill you gotta have this thing.

Just trying to help.

Oh yeah, I have one of those...its at least 10 years old and still going stong. My problem is, i decided i like the flavor of all that unhealthy oil that they use in the microwave bags! So I rip the bags open, dump the brick of corn/oil into the popper, add a half handful of regular kernels to it, and cook it on the stove.

I keep saying i am going to get some coconut oil, which is what the theater uses, but the wife instantly enters nag mode when I say that, and diverts my attention.