Tenderness Improves with Time?

[Dave Pasma]

I am new to this forum and I have learned a great deal already. I have pretty much mastered Boston Butts (which I know are one of the easiest cuts). People always tell me my pulled pork is "to die for".

I am beginning to try brisket. I have done ribs before, but I have never had them turn out so well that my guests raved.

I read somewhere that Meathead says to cook ribs to 195 because they will be more tender.

Does most meat get more tender as the temp rises? Is this the trick - to cook longer, but not too long that the meat dries out?

Please give me some education, or post a link to an article that will tell me how it is.

Thanks.

 

[Dave Russell]

There's a "New Members" discussion forum dedicated to questions regarding fundamentals. Also, Chris A. provides a wealth of info in the non-discussion part of the site in the cooking topics. Check this out: http://www.virtualweberbullet.com/cookingtimes.html

 

[Russell Y]

"Does most meat get more tender as the temp rises?"
No.

"most meat" being the terms addressed.
Collagen is what makes meat tough.

Heavily used muscles have more collagen and requires time to break it down (ex. pork butt). A nice rib-eye has less collagen and bringing it to higher temps will dry it out make it less tender.

 

[Dave Pasma]

Thank-you for your response. I will check the new members section.

 

[Matt Sanders]

Dave,

Welcome!

Doneness is a function of time AND temp, not JUST temp. Overdone basicly means dry. The protein wrings the moisture out. That is why boiling a chicken breast (for instance) can make it dry as sand, even though it's submerged in water.

"Doneness" (as opposed to simply safe for consumption) is a matter of taste, and can vary wildly depending on the cut of meat. Tough meat that comes from active muscles (like the shoulder) usually get cooked longer and to higher temps to break down the extra collagen and fat. In such cases, higher temps and longer time does mean more tender (up to a point, as these meats will dry out too, if overcooked).

More tender cuts of meat like loin (used for pork chops and better cuts of grilling beef) and poultry are generally cooked to much lower temps, for less time, because there is not nearly as much collagen to break down. So taking a tender cut like a Porterhouse or a lean cut like chicken breast and cooking it to 195 for any amount of time is going to give you shoe leather.

But again, it's a function of time as well as temp. You can overcook a pork butt at 170 if you give it long enough. You can also undercook it at 205 if you didn't give it enough time.

 

[Dave Russell]

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content">Originally posted by Dave Pasma: I read somewhere that Meathead says to cook ribs to 195 because they will be more tender. Does most meat get more tender as the temp rises? Is this the trick - to cook longer, but not too long that the meat dries out? </div></BLOCKQUOTE>

Ok. You've already got the long answer. I've never measured the IT* of a slab of ribs in my life, but in the context to your question, the short answers are "yes" and "yes".

 

[Glenn W]

All large cuts of Q are done by tenderness not by a specific time at a specific temp nor a specific internal temp. Many different dynamics involved in ones "cook" can change what temp things are tender. Once you nail down "your" dynamics and can consistiantly repeat with the same amounts of meat, charcoal & smoke wood then you can pattern internal temps closer, thats what comp cooks do.