The subject of resting meat causes controversy every year, especially before Eid al-Adha. While some advocate the resting of the meat, others say that it is not necessary and that the sacrificial meat can be consumed immediately. However, all experts agree on resting the meat and explain it scientifically.
Freshly cut meat cannot get rid of its hardness yet and contains many harmful enzymes. These enzymes are those produced during the slaughtering process of the animal. These enzymes affect the cooking, taste and tenderness of the meat while it is still on the meat. At the same time, these enzymes can harm our body. For this reason, it is necessary to rest the meat for a while and remove these enzymes.
How is Meat Rested?
Resting the meat increases its quality and taste. The most widely known meat aging method is the method by vacuuming. Meats can be rested for 4-5 days by vacuuming method. After the classical salting process, the meat oiled with olive oil can be vacuumed in this way and placed in the deep freezer.
The rested meat is then marinated, which has the effect of enhancing the flavor of the meat. Marinated meat gains flavor as it is blended with the ingredients in the marinade.
Since the meat is just cut, it is not rested to be purified from its harmful enzymes. It can also be seen that meats are rested to prepare for cooking before cooking. It all depends on what the meat will be used for.
On the other hand, there is also the issue of resting the meat after cooking. Here, too, there are two different views. One group argues that the meat can be served immediately, while the other group says that the meat should be rested after cooking. Many experts take the second view on this issue. After cooking, the meat should be rested for at least 10 minutes and kept in its own juice and steam during this time. In this way, meats reabsorb the proteins they leave in their water and vapors and thus become more nutritious.
In addition, resting the meat after cooking is an important step in terms of taste. The meat that is tried to be eaten immediately after being removed from the fire will only remain as a hot food. However, if the meat rests a little and comes to a normal temperature, it offers the taste of the meat more easily to the tasters.
