When you have an idea or theory it is better to test it than wait to get around to it. All to often, I wait to get around to it. One idea was about the flat iron steak and its availablity from other animals beside the known steer. It turns out veal flat iron steaks are becoming readily available at local grocery stores; question answered. The second connected theory (pun is not intentional) was about the sinew or connective tissue in hangar steaks and flat irons. The ideas grew from work with pressure cooking the fat and silver skin from a sirloin and remembering a conversation with Wylie about his work with venison silver skin. The theory was that we could tenderize these connective tissues, generating a delicious gelatinous treat from the connective tissue and extracting gelatin into the cooking medium. Yesterday, the store had veal flat iron steaks un-butchered which allowed us to work with a new version of a cut of meat we enjoy while testing the idea about connective tissue. It turns out both ideas work. The connective tissue is better than bone marrow once we pressure cooked it for an hour. The flat iron is juicy, meaty and easily bonded to itself to create a thick veal steak.
As Aki likes to say, you are never going to know unless you try.
