Friends, I welcome you to today's article!
I love jellied meat, but I always cooked it at random, until I found out how to do it right. And I learned a few simple secrets from my aunt, who came to visit us from Siberia on New Year's Eve. She works in a large factory canteen, and they hold jellied meat in high esteem.
Jellied meat can be made from 1 type of meat or made an assortment by mixing pork, beef and chicken, this will not make it worse.
For a good solidification of the jellied meat, broth is cooked from pork or beef legs, rolls, ears and lips. They are very high in collagen, which makes the broth sticky. And in addition, meat pulp, tongue and legs are added.
The best meat for jellied meat is not frozen, but fresh or, even better, steamed.
1. It is most convenient to cook the jellied meat in a large saucepan, in which the meat should be completely covered with water.
2. In order for the jellied meat to turn out transparent and solid after hardening, you should not add water during cooking. You should immediately calculate the amount of water so that it is enough for the entire cooking period. The fire, after boiling, is made minimal so that the broth does not boil away strongly.
Boiling time for jellied meat is 4-7 hours, over very low heat, depending on the amount of meat and water.
3. It is categorically impossible to salt jellied meat at the very beginning or in the middle of cooking. The broth will stop gelling from the salt. You need to salt only at the end of cooking and a little more than ordinary soups are salted.
For beauty, you can add carrot circles and coarsely chopped greens, for example, percussion, to the broth.
4. To give the broth a beautiful golden hue, during cooking, you can add 1-2 whole, not peeled onions, which have been previously washed. After cooking, the onions can be thrown away.
As for spices, you should not add a lot of them to the jellied meat, so as not to interrupt the taste of the meat. Bay leaf and black peppercorns are enough. The bay leaf is dipped in a boiling broth for 7-10 minutes and pulled out, and the pepper can be boiled a little longer and removed too.
5. If you need to cook jellied meat very quickly, you can use a pressure cooker. Fold the meat into it, add the required amount of water, carrots, peeled onions, just a little black pepper and bay leaf. When the water boils, cook for 45-60 minutes.
6. If a lot of fat is formed during cooking, then it should be removed with a regular tablespoon. Otherwise, after hardening, there will be a not very pleasant fatty crust, which will ruin the appearance of the jelly and its taste.
When pouring jellied meat into molds or regular cups, you can add fresh garlic, cut into slices or strips for flavor.
7. When the molds are filled with jellied meat, they are first cooled to room temperature, and then placed in the refrigerator for further solidification.
Do not put jellied meat in the freezer under any circumstances!