One of the most beloved dishes in Russia is jelly. Frozen broth with pieces of meat and vegetables to the liking of both adults and children. Not a single feast is complete without this dish. But alas, not every housewife knows how to cook jellied meat. Very often, the broth does not freeze, the jelly turns into an ordinary fat soup. That is why today we decided to tell how to cook the jelly properly. Sit back and write down the secrets that every housewife should know when cooking jelly.
Choose meat
How to cook jellied meat? If you still ask this question, then you don’t know all the subtleties of cooking a dish.
The key to success of a delicious jelly in the right choice of meat. The main ingredient is best bought fresh in the market. Be sure to pay attention to the color of the meat. It should be flat, without signs of greenery or black spots.
The smell is also important. Ideally, a sweet aroma should be present. If notes of ammonia are felt, it means that the meat is stale, it was soaked to give a normal look.
What types of meat are better for jelly
Jellied meat can be made from any kind of meat. Previously, the people used to call the dish “horns and hooves”, since offal was used for its preparation.
Now experienced hostesses are doing everything so that the jelly has an unusual rich taste.
What types of meat is better to use:
- Beef. Add so that the jelly freezes. If you use only beef in a dish, the jelly will turn out to be lean, without fat, lose its usual taste;
- Pork. With this type of meat, the jelly becomes sweeter, fuller, well solidifies. Hostesses often use pork knuckle (lower leg). It is imperative to soak it before cooking so that excess blood and blood flow come out. How to cook jelly from the shank is a fairly popular question. Chefs recommend cooking meat with the skin. This will give the broth a rich taste, and it will harden the dish much better.
- Chicken or rooster. The meat of this bird is non-greasy, tender, sweetish. Perfect in taste with pork and beef. Many people use chicken fillet or breast when cooking jelly. There is really a lot of meat in these parts, but there are more benefits in the legs and hips. They have a lot of collagen that strengthens our bones and hair.
- Goose or duck. This bird is rarely put in jelly. The broth comes out hateful, there is a specific smell and taste of grass.
Also, many use dietary meat (rabbit, quail). Such a jelly is preferred if a person has stomach problems or is on a diet. These types of meat have nothing to do with traditional jelly.
Pork head jelly
In the market you can often hear information that the jelly is better to cook from a pig’s head. Many housewives at the sight of one heel literally faint, not to mention cutting this part of the carcass on their own. They do it absolutely in vain.
How to cook aspic from pork head:
- First you need to properly cut it. It is better to ask this to make a butcher in the market, since at home the process is quite problematic.
- Cut off the ears. They contain a lot of gelling substances, so they are indispensable for jelly.
- Place all parts of the pig’s head in cold water, leave for a couple of hours.
- Change the fluid several times until it is completely clear.
The main stage of preparation has been completed, then you can safely proceed to cooking jelly.
Add gelatin
Many housewives worry that the jelly may not freeze. Indeed, such situations occur if the meat was incorrectly selected or the proportions of water were summed up. So that the dish does not turn into soup, you can add gelatin to the broth.
But you need to know how to do it right. The secrets are as follows:
- Gelatin should be added to the warm broth, in which case it will dissolve well.
- If the liquid has cooled down, dilute the right amount of gelatin in hot water and pour it into the jelly, stirring well.
- Be sure to observe the proportions. As a rule, 30-40 grams of gelatin is needed per liter of broth.
Now you know how to cook jellied meat with gelatin. Remember that if the jelly is not frozen immediately, it must be digested (at least an hour). Only then can gelatin be added.
If this is not done, the jelly will have an unpleasant aftertaste.
Will it freeze?
How to cook jellied meat so that it freezes, experienced cooks can tell:
- Choose cold cuts. Be sure to use pork shank, hooves, ponytails or ears to make the broth. In these parts of the carcass there are many gelling agents.
- Immediately calculate the proportions of water. The meat should be covered with a liquid a maximum of a few centimeters. Never add water during cooking.
- Jellied meat should be cooked for at least 6-8 hours.
- It is better to salt the jelly at the very end.
- To make the broth “stronger” add vegetables (onions, carrots).
If all the recommendations are followed, the jelly will surely harden.
Note the right time
How to cook jellied meat? Long enough. Hurry to turn off the fire, and the dish just does not freeze. Your goal is not only to cook meat, but also to extract gelling substances from it.
Tune in to the fact that the cooking process will last an average of 8 hours. Follow these guidelines:
- Use only cold water, but not tap. Otherwise, you risk getting a bleach flavor in the dish.
- Be sure to cover the aspic with a lid, wait until the liquid boils;
- Reduce heat (minimum to 90 degrees). Your jelly should languish, only in this case the dish will freeze.
- 2 hours before the end of the process add onions and carrots, spices (optional).
Now you know how much to cook the jellied meat to make the dish tasty and aromatic and well frozen. If you want to shorten the process, use a slow cooker or pressure cooker.
Thanks to these kitchen appliances, you can save time several times. Select the desired program, for example, "Stew" and send the meat for 3-4 hours.
Believe me, even after this time your jelly will freeze.
Secrets of a successful aspic
For the first time encountering jelly, inexperienced housewives make a lot of mistakes. As a result, the dish turns out to be tasteless, does not freeze well.
If you want to know how to cook the jelly, read the secrets of experienced chefs:
- Use a cast iron cauldron or a steel pan for cooking. But enameled utensils are better not to use.
- In addition to meat, be sure to use cartilage and bone for the broth.
- Cook the aspic for at least 6-8 hours.
- Salt is allowed only at the end, otherwise the jelly will not freeze.
- Remove the foam from the broth with a slotted spoon, in which case it will turn out transparent.
- Do not forget to add vegetables, spices, herbs for taste.
How to cook jellied meat was described in the article. Remember: a lot depends on the right choice of meat. Jelly is not an easy dish. Every housewife knows that it will take a lot of time to cook it.
But if you want to get a delicious jelly, you have to work hard.