Some culinary masterpieces take hours, days or even weeks to prepare. However, this does not stop true gourmets - they are ready for a long anticipation, leading to an indescribable gastronomic sensation. For such patient chefs, we have prepared a selection of five “long-cooking” dishes that will live up to expectations.
Torn pork
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Torn pork is especially popular among the inhabitants of the American South, however, the dish has many fans outside of it. Its essence lies in the fact that after a long - from 5 to 12 hours - simmering in the oven in its own juice, the meat becomes so soft that it is easy to "break" into fibers with two forks. Traditionally, it is customary to use pulled pork as the main ingredient for burgers, which are then served with coleslaw cabbage and carrot salad.
There are many variations of spices and seasonings to add to pork - it all depends on your imagination. However, traditionally, the recipe includes tomato puree, black ground pepper, salt, coriander or basil, onions and garlic, and the pork itself can be taken from the neck or shoulder blade. All the ingredients except the onion and garlic are mixed, then the meat is coated with the resulting sauce, the onion and garlic are spread on top and everything is sent to the oven, where it is kept for at least five hours.
Smoked brisket
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Smoked brisket is made from different types of meat, but pork is preferred as it is juicy and tender in texture. The brisket can be eaten both naturally and by roasting it in the oven or in a dry frying pan. In the first case, it will make excellent snacks, for example, canapes with olives and herbs, and in the second, it will be an excellent addition to first courses and vegetable salads, giving them a special aroma.
It is not difficult to cook smoked brisket at home, but this process takes a long time (about two weeks), and therefore requires patience. If you are ready to get down to business, you will need, first of all, meat, as well as salt, pepper, bay leaves, water for the brine and wood chips for smoking. However, these are just basic ingredients that can be diversified with unusual ingredients. For example, Shannon Ambrosio in the "Grill Fight" program gets acquainted with a recipe that includes espresso (you can find out how to make meat taste truly unforgettable on the Food Network TV channel on Fridays at 21:20 Moscow time). In any case, the cooking algorithm is universal: first, the brisket is marinated in brine for 10-14 days, and it must be turned over every two days. Then the meat is washed, dried and finally sent to the smokehouse for 3-4 hours.
Bigos
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There is a legend that bigos came from Lithuania, but today it is considered to be an original Polish dish. Indeed, bigos occupies a huge place in the life and culture of Poles. An excerpt of the famous poem "Pan Tadeusz" by Adam Mitskevich is even dedicated to him: "It is difficult to convey in words the bigos a delightful taste, wonderful color and smell." When freezing, bigos does not lose its taste at all - it even seems to some that it becomes tastier with each heating - therefore, it is usually prepared for future use in a large container, most often in winter, when it can be stored outside.
Bigos is based on a mixture of fresh and sauerkraut, meat, sausages and bacon with the addition of mushrooms and spices to taste. First, until soft - about 2 hours - cabbage with spices and mushrooms is stewed. Then meat is added to it and the dish is stewed for several more hours - the total cooking time can reach 6 hours. Bigos is served with bread.
Basturma
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The history of the origin of basturma is still shrouded in mystery: some consider it the Caucasus homeland, some consider it to be Turkey, and some consider Central Asia. One way or another, this oriental dish is highly regarded by lovers of good cuisine and is widely used in cooking. It goes well with herbs and acts as an independent dish or an ingredient for salads. Also, a fragrant barbecue is prepared from basturma and added as a filling to pork medallions.
Making basturma at home is not an easy task, but the result will definitely be worth the effort. To begin with, you need to take a beef tenderloin, cut it into 3 cm thick plates and soak it under a press in a saline solution for about a week - after 2-3 days, the meat will begin to juice and marinate in it. Then the basturma is dried and coated with a mixture of spices - traditionally "chaman", which includes fenugreek, ground red pepper, garlic and black pepper - with the addition of water. After that, the meat is dried in a well-ventilated place for a few more days, until the chaman hardens and the meat inside darkens.
Dried fish
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In the process of drying, moisture is removed from the fish, therefore sometimes fish prepared in this way is mistakenly called dried. In fact, the difference is quite noticeable - the drying takes place under the influence of the sun's heat, due to which there is an even distribution of fat and the compaction of muscle fibers. The result is a nutritious and very useful product - dried fish contains many amino acids necessary for the body, while it is low in calories and easily absorbed.
Fatty to moderately fatty fish are best suited for drying, regardless of their size. First of all, the fish must be washed and, if it is more than 20 centimeters in length, gutted. Then the carcass, inside and outside, is abundantly coated with salt and laid out in a bowl, where it is also surrounded by salt on all sides. There she should lie under pressure for 2 to 6 days. After that, the fish is hung out in the fresh air for 2-4 weeks.
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