Cars, Food and the Ladies of Hong Kong & Macau: Slow Cooking at Home, with Secret Ingredients HK

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Slow Cooking at Home, with Secret Ingredients HK - (Hong Kong)

Secret Ingredients might as well be the ideal answer to your every day’s cooking needs. Basically they prepare the ingredients, sauces and other condiments as required so that you or your maid can quickly whip up a meal at home in less than 20 minutes. It is designed for comfort and to me also about economy of scale and sharing.. because we all know how dreadful it is to buy herbs and ingredients to make 1-2 small portions, which always makes eating outside more of an attraction. I received a Secret Ingredients package of Canadian Pork Racks and decided to slightly adjust the recipe to my own liking. The world is at your imagination.

Secret Ingredients -
They make their Recipes for you in advance, although it is all micro-tunable. However the base recipe was really thoughtful already, this particular package was designed by Anthony Fletcher from SHORE for Secret Ingredients.

Vacuum Packed Canadian Pork Racks, Instructions Page,
Potatoes, Caramelized Apples plus More -
This will get me started in no time.

Cinnamon Spiced Apples -
Ready to be re-heated and caramelized.. It’s part of the prepared Package.

I am Sous-Viding the poor man’s way -
As long as you can keep the Temperature constant and the meat is packed in a Vacuum package like those supplied by Secret Ingredients, I honestly think Sous Vide can be easily done at home. I simply used a thick pan and a thermometer, which can maintain heat within 1-2C. This pork was cooked at 62C for 48 Minutes. 65C is probably safer, but I like my pork still slightly pink and my temperature and cooking time is well within the US FDA Cooking Guidelines for safety.

Maintaining Constant Temperature -
62C is just south of Pink for pork after 40 minutes plus, right below Medium-Well done. The key for Slow-Cooking isn’t really about cooking to rare, it is about pasteurizing and making sure everything is cooked thoroughly to precision. It is a fact a lot of people neglect. The gauge and timing never lies..

The Gingery Sauce, Thyme Herbs, Butter, Pickled Onions -
All part of the overall package and ever so thoughtful with sea salt. Also the pearl onions, spiced apples, cream. I am starting to warm up to the idea! It is like sharing your meal with someone else far away.

48 Minutes Sous-vided Bone-in Pork Rib eye in Ice Bath -
The meat actually needs to be Ice-Bathed for roughly 10 minutes, to maintain Food Safety on the surface. It also helps to bring back down the temperature before you grill it again, retrieve it from overly greying in the vacuum bag and nearer the surface when you re-heat.

Caramelizing the Apples and Pearl Onions -

Flame Grilling the Pork,
after Sous-Viding and Ice Bathing -
I don’t really believe in frying in a pan. Direct flame grilling always gives you that extra flavor and look for me. Even when it makes a mess at home.

In the Mean Time -
Wilt some veggies such as Spinach.
It is good for your body. They say anyway..!

My home Flame-grilled sous vide Bone-in Pork Rack, with Fried Pork Skin and Espelette, Spinach, Caramelized Apples and Pearl Onions with Thyme -
The slow cooking was not as tedious as one might expect, it can simply be done in a pan which can maintain temperature and cooked to safety limits by the chart and thoroughly. I then flame-grill finish my pork just because I want it this way!

62C for 48 Minutes -
Actually cooking at precise temperatures are arbitrary. Here is why – there are discrepancies with different measuring equipment and for some reason, you can cook beef at 55C or at 65C or even 67C, but it can still appear too red. To me it is all about finding your own comfort zone, and this particular day with this particular cut I was happy enough with 62C for under an hour. Plus I make sure I flame-grill it afterwards and create a good enough aromatic crust externall!