Searing Mince for ragu, chilli con carne etc...

[chicouk]

Hey All,

i was watching one of marco pieres white recipe videos the other day and i noticed that when he brown his mince beef, he cooks it for a long period until all the moisture is evaporated and the meat turns brown.

Normally i just fry the meat quickly in small batches until they turn brown but i am just intrigued why he would cook until all the juices come out of the meat and dissapear?

Heres the recipe video (i skipped it to 1 min)
Chilli Con Carne Recipe | Marco Pierre White - YouTube

 

[Rocklobster]

Without watching the video, I can tell you that browning meat renders more flavor to the finished dish. No matter what you are cooking. He is probably trying to get the most beef flavor he can from the meat.

 

[CraigC]

When I brown ground beef for a dish, I remove fat as I go. Generally I'll have about 2 Tbsp of fat left in the pan when I remove the meat to drain. This amount is perfect if I will be cooking off onions etc. for the dish. I have never cooked beef down until all liquid evaporates when browning. I would think it would be too dry.

 

[chicouk]

When I brown ground beef for a dish, I remove fat as I go. Generally I'll have about 2 Tbsp of fat left in the pan when I remove the meat to drain. This amount is perfect if I will be cooking off onions etc. for the dish. I have never cooked beef down until all liquid evaporates when browning. I would think it would be too dry.

Thank you 2 for your reply. Would the meat absorb some of the sauce whilsts cooking/simmering?

 

[CraigC]

Thank you 2 for your reply. Would the meat absorb some of the sauce whilsts cooking/simmering?

I think it is more if the meat becoming part of the sauce/gravy, adding its flavor. More like it being an ingredient. After all the dish is chili with neat and not meat with chili.

 

[GotGarlic]

He's letting the moisture evaporate so the meat can brown in the fat that remains - well-browned food has much more flavor because of the Maillard reaction. If he didn't, the meat would steam in the liquid and not develop as much flavor. The evaporation also leaves flavor compounds on the surface of the pan which are picked up by adding liquid - the water, beef base and tomato sauce - to the beef; this is known as deglazing. Hope this helps.

 

[Andy M.]

When you put mince in a pan to brown, it first turns grey. You have to cook it longer over fairly high heat to get it to the color of dark chocolate-that's properly browned.