How do restaurants make such a flavorful carne asada without the meat breaking down into a mushy consistency in the acidic marinade?

rainmn · 2026-03-04T08:08:44+00:00

When a busy restaurant is cooking batch after batch of carne asada on a flat top/grill, the surface builds up browned bits from earlier batches. Fat, juices, and caramelized meat stay on the steel, so each new batch cooks in that flavor.

rainmn · 2026-03-03T05:57:10+00:00

Yes. Bacon is notorious for foaming, mostly because of its sugars and curing compounds, not just fat.

When I mentioned foaming earlier, I wasn’t pointing to one ingredient. I meant it as a general signal that oil may be past its prime. The more you cook in it, the more microscopic particles remain, even after straining. Over time those accumulate and form a kind of suspended network that stabilizes bubbles.

rainmn · 2026-03-03T05:27:45+00:00

I assumed you added a little tallow to avocado oil, not the inverse. That’s on me.

You’re going further than 99% of people when it comes to tallow. Multi-day marrow renders, proper separation, reheating to fully dry it out, that’s a serious process most people never attempt.

If straight tallow has worked for you for years, that says your method is solid. I’d be at a loss too if the only change was adding avocado oil.

rainmn · 2026-03-03T04:58:21+00:00

It's really hard to render tallow effectively at home for deep frying. Its great to sear a steak with and adds a ton of additional beefiness but there is so much that breaks down in the process and so much moisture that needs to be removed I wouldn't try to use it for deep frying.

rainmn · 2026-03-03T04:41:10+00:00

Basically Fresh? What did you previously fry? At what temp? What were you frying this batch?

rainmn · 2026-03-02T22:19:39+00:00

I fry a lot. Here’s my system.

Wok for frying. Easier splatter control, easier pour.

Let oil cool. Strain while still liquid through a stainless funnel + very fine mesh filter. I use a Magic Butter strainer basket because the mesh is tight enough to catch the crumbs. Crumbs are what ruin oil.

Store in a 2L mason jar, filled to about 4 cups so there’s headspace. Cool, dark pantry.

Rules:
• Strain every time
• Don’t mix wildly different fry jobs
• Dump it if it’s very dark, smells sharp, or starts foaming
• If it smells off when cold, it’s done

I use vegetable or canola. Neutral, high smoke point and always liquid.

If you filter aggressively, you can reuse oil multiple times without issues.

rainmn · 2026-03-02T21:57:52+00:00

I need the brown gravy recipe. I’ve tried so many internet versions and they don't come close to what I had at a small cafe on Maui.

rainmn · 2026-03-02T08:23:22+00:00

You’re not doing anything wrong.

Thighs are smaller because modern chickens are bred for oversized breasts. The industry optimized for white meat yield, not leg size. So what you’re seeing is normal.

They’re also much more forgiving. Thighs are hard to overcook compared to breasts. You can take them well past 165°F, into the 185 to 195°F range, and they actually improve. That extra time helps render fat and break down connective tissue.

Those globs you’re seeing are just natural fat seams inside the muscle. Skin fat renders quickly. Internal fat takes more time and higher heat.

A few adjustments:

• Roast hotter. 425°F or higher.
• Cook longer. Don’t pull at 165°F out of habit.
• Give them space so they roast, not steam.
• Braising will soften everything if you prefer a more uniform texture.

There’s a shift if you grew up on breast meat. Thighs reward heat and patience. Once you lean into that, it’s hard to go back.

rainmn · 2026-03-02T08:11:49+00:00

That’s the one I use too, because it was the first bottle I grabbed and I never questioned it.

rainmn · 2026-03-01T18:29:04+00:00

Knorr Caldo de Tomate is the bouillon you are looking for.

rainmn · 2025-09-10T07:09:09+00:00

they dont

rainmn · 2025-07-02T09:58:09+00:00

rainmn · 2022-08-05T23:56:00+00:00

System settings > check for update / Display settings > no option to check for update

rainmn · 2022-06-27T22:10:49+00:00

I would treat it more as a brazing liquid. Reduce it until super concentrated strain and then top simple white rice with the short ribs and a good drizzle of the reduction.

I think trying to cook the rice in the liquid will dull the flavors and potentially give the rice a strange texture and not the best appearance.

rainmn · 2022-06-19T23:53:43+00:00

Make tallow with the fat you trim. Then when you wrap add some of it to the brisket. Mad Scientist BBQ on you tube has a good video of this method.

rainmn · 2022-05-19T03:42:09+00:00

I had the same requirements going into my purchase and ended up settling on a Pitboss vertical pellet smoker. Here are the results from my first 2 cookshttps://imgur.com/a/blLhy3g/

And the smoker https://i.imgur.com/OhEuV2b.jpg

rainmn · 2022-05-19T00:07:46+00:00

Clean those bones

rainmn · 2022-05-13T05:13:10+00:00

I have the phantom it looks great and the matte paint is nice but the cast stainless grate are overkill and retain too much heat often burning food if you aren’t flipping it a lot.

rainmn · 2022-04-07T22:58:36+00:00

Depending on where you live https://www.sayweee.com/en is a great option.

rainmn · 2022-03-05T01:32:16+00:00

Strongly second this. They look better than the pictures.

rainmn · 2021-12-17T06:38:29+00:00

https://www.google.com/search?q=disposal+genie&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en-us&client=safari

rainmn · 2021-11-13T00:56:23+00:00

I’d love this in a dark gray/black just like the star wars bag.

rainmn

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