I try to cook leaner cuts of meat on my cast iron skillet, I use olive oil, but I don't want to make a lean cut of meat unhealthy so I don't use a lot. My problem is, if I cook it at too high of a heat, it smokes too much, and too low of a heat and you don't get a sear.

How do I win?

use a different oil with a higher smoke point like soy or safflower.

also, dont oil the pan, oil the meat.

This post was edited by ReturnFormer on Oct 8 2015 01:44pm

I am sure that is true, but I never make a TON of jerky and when I do make jerky, it doesn't last long haha
There is a substance called pemmican that uses ground jerky and fat to make a calorie-packed survival-type bar, the natives used to make them for their hunting parties and dried berries and nuts were often added as well as herbs, I think fat has a much lower chance of going rancid when it has been smoked and/or rendered (which is what happens in this instance)




If your cast iron pan is well-seasoned it should be fairly non-stick just by itself, you should be cleaning it with kosher or sea salt and something abrasive like bamboo or chain mail, then giving it a wipe down with a high-heat oil such as canola, rapeseed, etc

You will get less smoke using less oil, but to get a good sear in a pan just about any oil will start to smoke. this is why I generally only like to do flat irons in a pan, they are perfectly marbled for it and thin enough to cook properly in a cast iron pan

Fat is not going to kill you in small amounts, fat is not inherently unhealthy, in moderation it is fine and your body even wants and needs fat. Instead of simply buying lean cuts, try getting grass fed cuts, as the fats in grass fed beef are naturally higher in good omega fatty acids

Lol you eat meat but you're afraid of a little oil? Huh... also don't use olive oil to sear meat it burns too fast.

This post was edited by hofx2 on Oct 8 2015 08:38pm

Working the smoker the last few days, been doing wings as they are fast enough to finish in a couple hours

Using applewood for now, hoping to pick up some Hickory, Mesquite, Alder, and Cherry soon enough

Have to smoke some jerky tomorrow and then get going on some ribs

nice. ive got mesquite, apple, maple, pecan, peach, cherry, and i think one more.

how is the really lean ground beef made? the 96/4 stuff. is it healthier to make at home, and if so, is it easy enough to do?

i've heard in general that ground beef is made from "less desireable" cuts of beef. but i'm not aware of any cut that lean

This post was edited by carteblanche on Oct 15 2015 07:04pm

That is going to depend on where you are buying your ground beef

At my shop we grind trim, we only do 90/10 and 85/15

90/10 is mostly shoulder, top/bottom round, tenderloin, and sirloin trim. "Less desirable" (meaning those cuts you cannot make into steaks or roasts) is often the best ground meat because shoulder has a ton of flavor to it

85/15 is usually a heavy base of chuck, with trim from short ribs, ribeye, new York, skirt, flank, etc

We also sometimes do a pure ground chuck or sirloin


You can make it at home, to get good results you will need a good grinder, usually Cabelas offers the most cost effective options but even so you are looking at $100-300










On another note, pork spare ribs dry rubbed and put in the smoker, 3 rounds of applewood smoke, going to check them in another hour (for 3 total) And see where its at :-D

Bought a nice pork shoulder, going to season it up and smoke it, then cube it up and make a new twist on my Posole recipe, see what depth the smoking offers

Last time I did a Posole it was using a whole pigs head....2 large pots

First pot had dried chiles and fresh tomatoes
2nd pot just the pigs head
simmered both for a couple hours, pureed the chile/tomato mix and thinned it out with the pig head stock
diced up the cheek, snout, ears, tongue, etc into the newly created broth, added hominy

Dished it up and garnished with chiffonade of cabbage, radish, cilantro, jalapeno, lime, and tajin seasoning to taste. Amazing soup that was

been doing a play on seafood and charcuterie called seacuterie. this week we are serving a salmon (cured in beets and dill) swordfish (cured in lemon and peppercorn) and a house made octopus carpacchio (not sure how its cured but its topped with a shaved tomato mixture, pretty weird.)

anyways my questions would be what are your favorite ways/flavors/recipes for curing fish?