There are several different ways to build the flavours of different meats before cooking and one of the most important factors is your seasoning. A good seasoning is like a good orchestra: it should use a range of instruments (in this case ingredients) to play all the notes in perfect harmony.[1] But how can you know you’re using the best ingredients for your meat? Understanding how different flavours interact with each other is how you can elevate your meat to the next level.
Sugar
Sugar is a common addition to meat seasonings because it’s what’s known as a flavour enhancer: an additive that intensifies or improves the flavours of food. It helps browning, crust formation and balances bitterness and acidity that can be present in different meats. So how does it do this? The Maillard Reaction describes the transformation of proteins, amino acids and sugars into new compounds that are rich and loaded with flavour. The Maillard Reaction is the reason there can be more flavour in the crust of a beef roast than the meat in the centre.
Savoury
Savoury flavours come from a variety of different things: amino acids called glutamates, green herbs, some spices, garlic and various other flavourings. Finding the perfect balance of sweet and savoury flavours will bring out the best flavours in any meat.
Spices and Herbs
Not all of them work on all foods, but even the most basic spice rack holds a great many flavours. Utilising these flavours in just the right way is what brings together the perfect seasoning.
Smoke
Smoke is known as the soul of barbecue. The flavours found in a good piece of meat comprise of three recognisable key elements:
- Taste
We detect taste in receptors found in our taste buds. Different food molecules are detected through different taste buds, creating what we call an explosion of flavour.
SKU: LES1000233
- Physical Stimulation
This refers to texture, sound, appearance and pain – think spice.
- Smell
The sensation of smell occurs when substances in the air pass through the nose and stimulate the olfactory nerve. Between 75% and 95% of what we think of as taste actually result from the stimulation of the olfactory receptors in the nose.[2]
Spice blends and seasonings have the edge of incorporating the flavours that different cooking techniques can bring. For this reason you want to pick the right seasoning for your meat. Lesnie’s Double Smoke Seasoning is a blend of quality ingredients with strong, smoky and savoury notes, to be used as a tasty sprinkle for steak and other cuts of meats.
[1] https://amazingribs.com/tested-recipes/spice-rubs-and-pastes/science-rubs
[2] https://flavourjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s13411-015-0040-2
