Now the other day I was talking to my son-in-law and he asked what I was having for Thanksgiving. Now when two curious teachers are talking the subject can quickly take different directions. So Robert asked if I'd ever had duck. Well yes , but I'm not that fussy about it. How about goose he asks. Well goose is pretty greasy. So we decided duck and goose was only so so. But I know the Micro Manager's favorite meal of all time is duck in orange sauce.
Now that shifted the topic again. I think meat should mostly stand on it's own as far as flavor is concerned. So the orange sauce completely overwhelms the taste of duck. The duck might as well not be there and you would enjoy a nice orange sauce. Some steak is marinated to death. All you can taste is marinade and there's no meat taste.
Now what I'm trying to say, with my limited knowledge, is that I don't like meat cooked so that the meat taste is lost or overpowered by sauces. Now I'm sure people who have much more knowledge and experience will beg to differ with my biased opinion.
I have two meals that I won't ever forget. When we butchered on the farm we always had liver for lunch. The butchering started in the morning so by noon the liver was ready to cook. There was a little salt and pepper and it was rolled in flour. The liver was absolutely delicious.
When I was in the north, the Eskimo kids would bring seal liver to the house. I would always take the liver and give the kids money. The seal had been killed a few hours ago and the liver was delicious. I hate old liver that you buy in the store.
My Mom made great jellied tongue. However, I had one meal of tongue that beat Mom's. I was hunting with an aboriginal when we killed a caribou. We started butchering right away. He took the tongue out and cut it into thin strips. He used sticks to hold the meat beside the fire and we continued butchering. When the tongue was ready, we stopped and ate it.. Was it delicious! No salt or pepper. Just meat.
The next thing he put on the fire was strips of heart. The same thing happened. It was delicious.
These are two foods I will never forget. I will never forget the taste.
Oh I forgot about the frozen fish. The Eskimo eat fro
So my point is that we should enjoy the flavor of the meat rather than the flavor of the sauce. Can you taste the meat in chili? Sorry to all those people who have super chili recipes.
Okay, what's your preference in how meat is done? What things do you really like?
I came over from biebkriebels. I have to say I never ate seal of any shape of form. But I do like liver and one the best thing on venison is the liver. If you have time stop on over for some coffee
ReplyDeleteThanks for the invitation to drop in for coffee and thanks for visiting Hiawatha House.
DeleteI agree that meat should taste like meat. Salt and pepper please. I get so tired of so much restaurant food being overpowered with garlic.
ReplyDeleteSalt is a flavor enhancer. I'm not big on restaurant food, the older we get the more we eat out.
Deletei am a geek about meat. just reading this made my stomach turn. :)
ReplyDeleteWell, you have a very valid point. Not all people are comfortable with different eats. I hope you're still following my blog!!!
DeleteMy mother marinates all meat until it's practically embalmed. I think it's a waste, except for the marinated roasted pork she makes only at Christmas time. Yum!
ReplyDeleteGreat description ...embalmed. I like it.
DeleteHi Red, I like my meat flavoured but I also eat it without. In olden days I ate all my food prepared very simply and with little added seasonings as that is how I grew up. But the older I get the more I like different flavours added. I really think it has a lot to do with the bland meat they sell in stores these days and all the hormones they pump it up with. It just doesn't taste so good on it's own. I have tried the frozen fish the Inuit eat and many other Aboriginal foods over the years. All delicious too. I like that you have been adventurous to try these foods that others might not be open to.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very valid point about meat being tasteless these days. One example is that pork has been developed so that there is very little fat.
DeleteLiver is not something I like although I do remember my mom used to fry chicken livers and those were very good. We also had tongue but I don't remember much flavor. I do like heart though. I also like sauces on meat and marinades, but you are correct in that some people do too much.
ReplyDeleteYou're right , the key is moderation.
DeleteI like it almost any way. Haven't tried seal and a bit leary of organ meats anymore.I have tried sushi and found a real liking for it.My favorite is moo cow, slap me a steak with just salt and pepper.
ReplyDeleteYou have the right idea...just salt and pepper.
DeleteI like my food to taste as close to its original flavour as possible, so I'm not a big fan of sauces and such things. A little light seasoning usually does it for me.
ReplyDeleteYour key point is moderation.
DeleteOh, gross! You are definitely on the other end of the spectrum from me, Red, when I have trouble eating chicken or even fish sometimes. Liver, heart, tongue? I'll leave that for the adventurous carnivores like you! :-)
ReplyDeleteWhen I wrote this I wondered how vegetarians would react. Your reaction is very common from people who go off meat...gross.
DeleteI am with you 99% on meat Red. Keep it simple. A little salt and pepper perhaps and I also think that rosemary enhances the taste of roast lamb. The phrase that most grabbed my attention in this post was "When I was in the north..." You have probably blogged aboiut your experiences in "the north" before but I must have missed those posts. Intriguing.
ReplyDeleteMy northern posts are probably a while back. In 1963 I went to Inuvik in the western Arctic for three years and from 67-69 I was in a small isolated settlement in Northern Quebec. This experience changed my life forever.
DeleteI like meat medium done, and sometimes it depends on the meat- some things benefit from a bit extra in terms of a spice or a sauce.
ReplyDeleteYour key word is "bit" Just don't overdo it!
DeleteI'm with William!
DeleteYou have very adventurous and well-traveled tasted buds! I'm working up my courage to try alligator. I prefer meat that's hidden in a casserole as I'm not crazy about meat and was a vegetarian for many years.
ReplyDeleteYou have a very valid opinion and you're not alone.
DeleteSteak plain with salt and pepper...medium well but I do like some Heinz 57 steak sauce on the side! Next fav is Pork chops on the grill...I have a rub I use it has coffee, brown sugar and garlic salt. I recall chicken livers being great on butchering day and heart...gizzards not so much. One time I had some Elk that was to die for it was so delicious...it was plain. We don't do many sauces and if we try any I always serve them on the side:)
ReplyDeletePeople really miss something when they don't use just salt and pepper.
DeleteHi Red, I thought this was a timely post for me since I just found something new at the grocery and tried it last night. You know that company that makes worcestershire sauce ... Lee and Perrins? Well, at the grocery, they had this Lee and Perrins Marinade. It is like a big zip lock bag with the marinade inside. The one I tried was called Peppercorn Sauce for steaks. I bought a little sirloin steak and put it in the bag, and in the refrigerator for a couple of hours and then cooked the steak on the grill. I thought it was delicious. But then again, I am a meat lover! I enjoyed reading about all the foods you've tried so thanks for sharing this post.
ReplyDeleteI fully realize that there are many preferences and people have valid reasons for having them.
DeleteI like to Keep it Simple with most foods, definitely with meat. Most of the meat I eat is grown here on the farm and is of pretty high quality, so why mess with it? We don't waste much and fortunately my son and his family don't enjoy the heart, liver, tongue, etc - more for me!! I'm reminded of eating chicken cooked in its own blood in Brazil. Now THAT I don't recommend!!
ReplyDeleteMy mother used to cook tongue regularly.. and I've never opted to have it again after leaving home. Mind you, she also used to cook liver and I love it to this day. I do like seasoning and such.. but I'm eating less meat than ever before, now that I'm on my own. I wonder if I'll end up on the vegetarian side...
ReplyDeleteI'm certainly not as adventurous as you are when it comes to eating meat.
ReplyDelete