If you take away one thing from this chapter on tougher cuts, remember this: low and slow. Tougher cuts need lower temperatures and slower (longer) cook times than tender cuts do. This combination of time and temperature helps to break down all the tendons, cartilage, and intermuscular fats, which results in tender meat with lots of flavor. As you’ll see in the recipes that follow, the slow cooker is my tool of choice for preparing tougher cuts of meats. However, thanks to electric pressure cookers, some of these recipes can also be made quickly because pressure cooking mimics low-and-slow cooking for great flavor in a fraction of the time.
CHAPTER 3 