{"id":80415,"date":"2017-10-02T16:50:58","date_gmt":"2017-10-02T20:50:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gunsamerica.com\/blog\/?p=80415"},"modified":"2024-08-03T20:04:14","modified_gmt":"2024-08-04T01:04:14","slug":"field-table-venison-philly-cheesesteaks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunsamerica.com\/digest\/field-table-venison-philly-cheesesteaks\/","title":{"rendered":"Field to Table: Venison Philly Cheesesteaks"},"content":{"rendered":"

There\u2019s a lot of science behind creating the perfect venison cheese steak, from thinly sliced meat to slowly cooked onions.<\/em><\/p>\n

\"Field<\/a>Venison sandwiches can be a thing of beauty, but they can also be a nightmare. There\u2019s a fine line between the two when it comes to deer, and it\u2019s usually crossed when the lean meat goes from tender to leather.<\/p>\n

For venison cheesesteaks, the solution for creating a Philly that\u2019s as good as beef is simple: use thinly sliced meat. The thinly sliced meats help in two big ways. For one, it\u2019s easier to cook to medium rare when the meat is so thin that just a change in color to the outside signifies that it\u2019s done. Secondly, thin meat allows for better marinating.<\/p>\n

To better understand why thinly-sliced meat is superior for marinades, let’s consult science. Before we do that, imagine all the recipes you\u2019ve used in the past that call for marinades. You\u2019ve probably noticed that the roasts and bigger cuts of meat don\u2019t gain much flavor, even after soaking for days. This is because the surface area is the most important factor for getting a marinade to work.<\/p>\n

Some argue that marinades help with tenderizing, too, but this is another common misconception. The reality is that even the best marinades only penetrate about 1\/8 inch into a piece of meat. As noted by professional chef Russ Parsons, this often leaves marinated meat with meek results.<\/p>\n

Catherine Hu, a food science writer, agrees with Parsons, pointing out that the act of marinating is adsorption, not absorption. Adsorption is where liquid adheres to the surface of an object, while absorption is where a liquid penetrates the object. Since the liquid of a marinade is only making it surface deep, regardless of soak time, you\u2019re gaining little flavor or tenderizing.<\/p>\n\"Field\n

Because of this, meat that is very thin with a lot of surface area is about the only time it\u2019s practical to enlist a marinade. Even thin meat marinades aren\u2019t foolproof, though, as it\u2019s best to stick with salty, watery soaks, rather than oily or acidy ones. Oil marinades simply don\u2019t do anything because meat is already about 75-percent water, and oil and water just don\u2019t mix. Marinades that are heavy on acids will do some \u201ctenderizing\u201d, but it\u2019s really just cooking the surface of the meat while it\u2019s soaking and creating a mushy product.<\/p>\n

For slicing your meat, it\u2019s best to leave the roast or loin that you choose slightly frozen. This gives the meat some firmness that allows for cleaner knifework that thawed out cuts can\u2019t produce. To produce that perfect slicing temp, a night of sitting in the refrigerator after coming out of the freezer will work. The thickness you\u2019re looking for should resemble that of muscle jerky, being thin enough to make a marinade work, yet thick enough to give your sandwich some substance.<\/p>\n

As for the rest of the ingredients, there\u2019s more science wisdom to be known when it comes to creating the perfect caramelized onions. Most are familiar with this culinary term but don\u2019t realize what it actually means. Caramelizing is more than just saut\u00e9ing, it\u2019s the slow process of drawing out the best flavors of yellow and purple onions. When caramelizing onions, you want to cook them low and slow, with just enough oil to keep them from sticking to the pan.<\/p>\n

This allows the polysaccharides and disaccharides, or large sugar molecules, to break down and turn into monosaccharides, or smaller sugar molecules. This transformation from bitter, raw onions to sweet, soft ones is by the slow addition of heat, whereas going too fast will make them blander. It\u2019s a crucial step in creating the perfect Philly, and there\u2019s no arguing with that science.<\/p>\n

\"Field<\/a>Marinade:\"Field<\/a><\/h2>\n