I suddenly remembered a good dish using thin pork. It is a Japanese dish called Katsu. You don't need to be Japanese to like it. I'm sure it will be liked by the fussiest eater. The pork must be thin get done in the short cooking time, so pound it if necessary. Katsu is served with a dipping sauce. Here is a simple one: * 1/2 cup catsup * 1-1/2 to 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce * 1/2 teaspoon dry mustard mixed with a little water There are countless variations on this sauce. The proportions of ingredients and the number of ingredients varies wildly from one recipe to another, so please yourself. Some recipes call for cooking the sauce but most don't. The video linked below explains the simple cooking process, which you likely already know. Don't mind the clowning at the start. The instructions are for real. One important omission in the video is that, prior to plating, each cutlet is cut in one inch strips suitable for eating with chopsticks. The strips are then arranged on the plate in a reassembled fashion. They can be placed on a bed of hot rice, which is attractive and keeps them warm. The cook in the video suggests using prepared sauce, even simpler if it is available. BTW, he is saying "tonkatsu", a variation on "katsu". Also, it may not be clear that he is saying "panko" or Japanese breadcrumbs. This can be made with chicken too. Jim Here is a link that might be useful: How to Make Japanese Katsu Pork Cutlet

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 reversed the chart you mentioned ... I listed the cuts of meat and then the ways to cook it rather than the other way (cooking methods first & then the cuts)as I usually buy the meat on sale first... and then woonder how to cook it! I made my chart this way & have it taped to the inside of a cupboard door for easy reference now. Thanks again, terri!

For Christmas Eve I made a 12 lb loin of beef. I have so much stuff going on that I bought a digital therm with a probe and program it to the proper temp, it beeps when it's done so I don't forget about the beef. I cut the beef in half to make it a little easier to handle and used Ina Gartens recipe. 1 (4 to 5 pound) fillet of beef, trimmed and tied 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature 1 tablespoon kosher salt 1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper Preheat the oven to 500 degrees F. Place the beef on a sheet pan and pat the outside dry with a paper towel. Spread the butter on with your hands. Sprinkle evenly with the salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for exactly 22 minutes for rare and 25 minutes for medium-rare. Remove the beef from the oven, cover it tightly with aluminum foil, and allow it to rest at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove the strings and slice the fillet thickly. Note: Be sure your oven is very clean or the high temperature will cause it to smoke.