Page 26 - August 2021 Barbecue News Magazine

Meathead, AmazingRibs.com
Lots of grilled steaks will be rested this summer – for no good reason. Resting does not magically increase the juici- ness of cooked meat. In fact, the total amount of liquid in meat is only one of many factors making it seem juicy. In a 2011 article in the journal Meat Science, Kelly Pearce and other scientists surveyed the literature to present a sum- mary of what we know about water and juiciness in meat. Their conclusion? “Total water content of the meat and cooking loss cannot explain juiciness of the cooked meat product.”
Meat contains about 70 to 75% water, but what we perceive as juiciness also includes:
• Melted and softened fats
• Gelatinized connective tissue • Saliva
The role of saliva is never included in the discussions of juiciness but it is crucial. Saliva is activated by the sight, smell, and taste of food, as well as by seasonings, especially salt.
Juiciness is a human perception not an objective measure- ment. The AmazingRibs.com science advisor Professor Greg Blonder explains “In a steak, going from 65 to 60% water might be unnoticeable, but 45 to 40% might take you from edible to a cardboard. Beef jerky is still 25% water by weight, but most people would say it was juiceless.”
Some juiciness has nothing to do with water. Some meats like pork ribs, pork butt, and beef brisket are often smoked
low and slow up to about 203°F, waaaaaay past well done, well into the zone where water is supposed to disappear, and much of it does, especially on the surface as the “bark” is formed. Bark is essen- tially jerky. But these cuts get their juiciness from rendered fat, melted connective tissue, and salty rubs that force you to salivate (see my article on meat science).
Let's take a look at the liquid in raw meat and see where it goes during prep and cooking. When you cut into raw meat there is practically zero loss of liquid. Even if you grind meat for burgers there
is no significant liquid loss. That’s because the liquids are bound by proteins and held by capillary action in the thin spaces in the muscle. Raw meat in the grocery display case
BarbecueNews.com - 26
AUGUST 2021
THE SCIENCE OF
JUICINESS
And The Difference Between Resting And Holding Meat