Posted by arkansas_girl "Wouldn't a piece of meat cooked for two days at such low temps(129F) be spoiled? I don't get those super low temps? The meat certainly looks like it would taste good but doesn't seem hot enough to even kill the bacteria etc." That is a very important question. Very important. Fortunately today with internet, you can check out all kinds of information, and you do need to go to multiple sources to confirm your information. I am not going to be very specific, just some general ideas here. The general guideline given by the authorities are safe to the extreme, they need to account for all those young, old and the immunological challenged. Furthermore, to make things simple, the guidelines do not take into account the time factor. In other words, when they say (again, I am not giving any specific information here, just talking about concepts) 160F is safe for chickens, they are not telling you that is also safe for 150F if you cook at that temperature for 30 minutes, and 140F for 60 minutes. For beef, (for me, may not be for you) it is generally very safe that you can eat raw beef, if the beef is handled properly. Since you can not be sure of if the outside of the beef is handled properly, you can sear/torch using quick high heat to sanitize the outside before you cook the meat in very low temperature. It is entirely not recommended to eat raw ground beef because you cannot sanitize ground beef. There are charts available showing safe temperatures for all kinds of meat based on time and temperature. dcarch

Thanks islay, i will soon make that. A rustic easy prep is my game indeed. I don't have muffin tins of any kind, never have for some reason but will improvise with ramekins? Also late to the party having just spent the weekend harvesting yet again. I just made a wonderful vegetable soup using a smoked chicken stock from the freezer, creating during the drive home 'think tank'.. A nice pureed veg soup of roasted fresh harvest. Tomato. leek, shallot, celery, corn, green beans...had some left-over caramelized onions and half a baby white pumpkin i had roasted. All in the small 2 qrt soup pot when the stock came to heat...Un-packed the truck and it was ready...immersion blender and done. Nice that it did not have oil or any butter or fat at all but so rich with flavor. -I drove and husband snored the entire way home. He was shocked at the speedy outcome but cooking in my head while driving made the trip zippy fast. All the roasted veggies were from last nights dinner and a fresh tomato corn salsa. I don't consider it leftovers as i like to roast and prep soups a day ahead anyway.

Posted by Johnliu: "-----Another way of cooking a roast, definitely fun, is buried in rock salt. No, it doesn't get salty. The salt absorbs heat and transfers it to the meat more effectively than air does, and reduces evaporation of the meat's juices. Just buy 2 lb rock salt, put the roast in a Dutch oven with salt under, over, and all around. ----" That is a very good way to make an extraordinary roast. Basically, the salt layer insulates the heat, allowing the "slow & low" method to take place easier. ---------------------------------------------------- Simple facts "Slow & Low" method addresses: 1. Water boils at 212 F. As long as there is water, you can never go above 212 F, regardless how high you set the temperature. (normal pressure) 2. Meat is a poor conductor of heat. 3. Meat shrinks under high heat and toughens (well-done). 4. Heat can only migrate from high to low and it is not reversible. 5. Meat gets tenderized (collagen denaturing) even at low temperature if cooked long enough. 6. Resting means cold meat. The picture shows a typical roast prepared the typical normal way. No matter how you slice it (PUN?), you generally end up in some degree the following (Which, BTW, to many people that's the way it should be for a perfect ribeye) Zone one - Brown layer (Maillard reaction), Many chefs advise not to char the meat. Browning gives the flavor. Charcoal is not tasty. Also, at higher temperatures, more carcinogenic compounds can be produced. Zone two - well done layer (meat is tough and dry). This is the 212 F to 165 F layer. Zone three - Medium. The 212 F layer of heat travels inward to warn up the colder layer to 145 F. Zone four - Medium rare. The layer is about 135 F. Zone five - Rare. The 212 F finally reaches this layer and warms it to 125 F after a long rest. Meanwhile the 212 F layer is get cold to room temperature from losing heat to the air and to heat the inside of the meat. Zone six - raw, uncooked meat. One problem with "Slow & Low". You produce very little juice, because the meat shrinks very little. The reason for "Low" is ridiculously simple. If the final desired temperature is 125 F, why not just cook at that temperature? The reasons for "slow", well I will let the author Nathan Myhrvold of the $500.00 cook book Modernist Cuisine: The Art and Science of Cooking explain to you why 24 hours is recommended for ribeye. If you just Google his name. And I will also let the famous chef Heston Blumenthal show you in this video how he too cooks low and slow: Here is a link that might be useful: Low & Slow

I just cooked one Sunday and it was delicious! I use to do the marinade and barbecue sauce and all that junk.I prefer serving my homemade barbecue sauce on the side.Liquid smoke is very strong so if you have never used it be careful.My DS used a whole bottle of it once for marinading one and it was so strong I couldn't eat it. For the past couple of years the only seasoning I use is salt,pepper and garlic powder.Sprinkle all three liberally over both sides of the brisket.Cut a large onion in quarters and place on top.Wrap tightly in a double layer of heavy duty aluminum foil,(or if you have a big enough slow cooker or electric roaster,use that on low heat),fat side down and place in a large baking pan.The pan should be deep enough to catch any juices that might "accidentally" seep out.Trust me,I know this from experience.LOL Briskets produce a lot of juice. Preheat oven to 400* and place the pan in the middle rack.Let it cook for about 30 minutes then turn the oven down to 300* and cook for about 6 hours for a 7-8 lb. brisket.I usually put it in the oven before I go to bed around midnight.After the 400* temp bake,I turn the oven to 200* and let it cook all night and turn off the oven around 7-8 AM.After it is done you can pour off the juice and add barbecue sauce or anything else you like or make gravy from the liquid.Let it stand for at least 30 minutes before slicing.Slice against the grain. Lately I have been buying the trimmed briskets.They are a little more expensive per pound but in the long run it is a bargain because you aren't paying for 3 pounds of fat.The ones I buy have just enough fat on the bottom to keep them tender and juicy.I cook them the same way as the whole ones. Briskets are one of the easiest cuts to cook in my opinion.Very little preparation and no watching! Leftovers,if you have any,can be made into sandwiches. Enjoy your brisket! Here is a link that might be useful: Cooking times for Brisket