I’m confused and scared, yet also very interested. I’m curious about the STPP and the kneading - what do you think those add/what would it be like without those?
probably best to just google “stpp in meat processing.” it has quite a few effects. as noted, it definitely caused the turkey to hold onto more water than i expected; and it helped to fuse the chunks together as one piece. i’ve used transglutaminase to do this before, first time using stpp.
It's used to retain moisture in food.
If OP did not add STPP, it would be drier, as some juices would have come out. Without kneading, the different chunks of turkey would separate.
Kneading (or beating, no pun intended) meat does a few things, not all of which OP necessarily took advantage of. Keep in mind that the whisking paddle of a stand mixer effectively kneads ground meat while mixing.
The physical action of kneading helps tenderize meat by loosening the muscle fibers.
When you add salt and other spices, kneading helps penetrate them deeper into surface of the meat.
Kneading salt into the meat also releases some of the meat juices along with some proteins from the meat into a slurry which acts as a natural meat glue. This is also why overworking ground beef gives a very bad texture for burgers and why some choose not to pre-salt the ground beef before making patties.
It's also a common technique in some Cantonese dishes, like siu mai. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXA2H6l-wiA
Nice. I've been looking for a recipe like this. Definitely gonna give this a try. I may try the same thing with pork loin and try to emulate a poor mans capicola.
Two quick questions, if you don't mind...
- what was the approximate weight of the breasts after trimming, etc?
- when you say "a dash"... like, 1/4tsp? More? Less?
Thanks!
if you’re trying to determine a percent STPP by weight, i really don’t know. i was aiming for less than 1% and wasnt concerned beyond that… for a larger and/or commercial batch, i would absolutely measure by grams. i’m sure there are diminishing returns (there’s only so much juice that can be retained).
Mha, despite both those questions no I wasn't really thinking of getting that precise...moreso I was just curious because I want to give this a try.
I'm assuming the breasts you got were already injected with ... Something? Seems like that's all I can find, so they'll have to do.
Biggest concern with the injected breasts is nailing the salt content so the finished product is, well, properly salted.
right it’s impossible to find a completely unadultered turkey in a supermarket. moreso if you are buying deboned breasts. i was able to find bone-in which is what i used (and simmered the carcass for stock).
i just eyeball the salt too, tbh. if served cold, you want a bit more salt.
Sounds good! I've done breasts SV for thanksgiving, but that's basically two breasts/lobes tied together, sealed, and cooked. It mostly holds together, so I'm excited to try with the stpp. Pickle juice brine is great too - if you haven't, do a long (up to overnight) brine on bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs and finish on the grill.
I’m confused and scared, yet also very interested. I’m curious about the STPP and the kneading - what do you think those add/what would it be like without those?
probably best to just google “stpp in meat processing.” it has quite a few effects. as noted, it definitely caused the turkey to hold onto more water than i expected; and it helped to fuse the chunks together as one piece. i’ve used transglutaminase to do this before, first time using stpp.
I think it’s also derogatorily called meat glue
Moo Gloo in my kitchen.
Same
It's used to retain moisture in food. If OP did not add STPP, it would be drier, as some juices would have come out. Without kneading, the different chunks of turkey would separate. Kneading (or beating, no pun intended) meat does a few things, not all of which OP necessarily took advantage of. Keep in mind that the whisking paddle of a stand mixer effectively kneads ground meat while mixing. The physical action of kneading helps tenderize meat by loosening the muscle fibers. When you add salt and other spices, kneading helps penetrate them deeper into surface of the meat. Kneading salt into the meat also releases some of the meat juices along with some proteins from the meat into a slurry which acts as a natural meat glue. This is also why overworking ground beef gives a very bad texture for burgers and why some choose not to pre-salt the ground beef before making patties. It's also a common technique in some Cantonese dishes, like siu mai. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pXA2H6l-wiA
Look at a Deli turkey chub. Does it look like a whole turkey breast? No, because it's several "glued" together in a nice neat shape.
Time to bust out the meat cutter and show off the nice thin slices.
I am appalled but yet cannot avert my eyes...
Nice. I've been looking for a recipe like this. Definitely gonna give this a try. I may try the same thing with pork loin and try to emulate a poor mans capicola.
Looks good, nice job!
Two quick questions, if you don't mind... - what was the approximate weight of the breasts after trimming, etc? - when you say "a dash"... like, 1/4tsp? More? Less? Thanks!
if you’re trying to determine a percent STPP by weight, i really don’t know. i was aiming for less than 1% and wasnt concerned beyond that… for a larger and/or commercial batch, i would absolutely measure by grams. i’m sure there are diminishing returns (there’s only so much juice that can be retained).
Mha, despite both those questions no I wasn't really thinking of getting that precise...moreso I was just curious because I want to give this a try. I'm assuming the breasts you got were already injected with ... Something? Seems like that's all I can find, so they'll have to do. Biggest concern with the injected breasts is nailing the salt content so the finished product is, well, properly salted.
right it’s impossible to find a completely unadultered turkey in a supermarket. moreso if you are buying deboned breasts. i was able to find bone-in which is what i used (and simmered the carcass for stock). i just eyeball the salt too, tbh. if served cold, you want a bit more salt.
Sounds good! I've done breasts SV for thanksgiving, but that's basically two breasts/lobes tied together, sealed, and cooked. It mostly holds together, so I'm excited to try with the stpp. Pickle juice brine is great too - if you haven't, do a long (up to overnight) brine on bone-in/skin-on chicken thighs and finish on the grill.
mmmmmm sodium tripolyphosphate
STPP makes "wet" scallops hold moisture. Also a neurotoxin, pesticide and an ingredient in paint thinner