Mystery meat? N4? | Imamother

seeker

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 5:38 pm

An organization I work with gave all the volunteers a hunk of beef for yom tov. It's rather large and frozen solid. The label says "N4 carnaza paleta" (it's from Argentina.) Google translate doesn't recognize carnaza but tells me that carne paleta would mean shoulder meat in Portugese, which sounds reasonable.

Now, what do I do with it?!

nicole81

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 6:32 pm

https://www.elmirasol.com.ar/e.....aleta

Looks like it contains brisket, maybe some chuck, shank (kolichel)... If making it whole, I would cook in liquid, covered, either low and slow or a higher temp for 3-4 hours depending on the weight. Just use any go to saucy roast recipe.

seeker

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 9:04 pm

Thanks. I'm not sure how to defrost or cook such a large hunk of meat. I have no idea how much it weighs, will see if I can find info on label or just get to a scale...

ra_mom

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 9:14 pm

You're probably best off
1. Putting it in the fridge for 48 to thaw.
2. Baking it at 225 overnight, 8-10 hours.

nicole81

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 9:20 pm

So thaw it first like ramom said. You don't need to know the weight, you just want to cook it until it is fully cooked and soft. I'd check it with a fork and it feels tough, let it go for at least another hour, and check again. I wouldn't check it after at least 4 hours at 300 or 7 hours at 225.

ra_mom

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 9:24 pm

Rub the roast all around with olive oil, probably 2 tbsp salt if it's at least 6 lbs, pepper and all other seasoning you like.
Lay it over a bed of sliced rings of onion or halved garlic cloves in an extra deep 9x13 pan. All 1 cup water around the sides of the pan (don't wash off seasoning). Cover tightly.

seeker

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 9:26 pm

Thank you! Hope it comes out good, I've never handled such a random piece of meat but y'all have never led me astray yet.

nicole81

Sun, Apr 10 2022, 9:31 pm

seeker wrote:

Detailed baking instructions please? Heart

Do you have a recipe that you like for saucy roasts? Just use that and baked tightly covered at the temperature that suits your schedule (225 ideally if you have the time, and if not, 300-350) Depending on the temp used, check softness with a fork at the times recommended and continue cooking until it reaches the desire texture.

yo'ma

Mon, Apr 11 2022, 1:52 pm

Usually when we get paleta, it’s sliced very thin and I use it for pepper steak, which I cut or milanesa which is egged and breaded. As a roast. I can ask my dh when he comes home. Or roll it up with some sort of stuffing. Like I said though, I usually get it sliced very finely.

lkwdlady

Mon, Apr 11 2022, 2:02 pm

ra_mom wrote:

Can I do this for any type or meat? I also have a few unidentified roasts. Frozen with no labels..

yo'ma

Mon, Apr 11 2022, 5:16 pm

yo'ma wrote:

It’s a shoulder roast, FYI. I asked my dh because that’s his business.

lkwdlady

Mon, Apr 11 2022, 6:14 pm

yo'ma wrote:

It’s a shoulder roast, FYI. I asked my dh because that’s his business.

Is a shoulder roast also known as kalachel?

nicole81

Mon, Apr 11 2022, 7:53 pm

lkwdlady wrote:

Is a shoulder roast also known as kalachel?

No it's not. Kalichel usually comes from the shank or the foot and it's part of the forequarter, which is what Google said this cut was. That said, argentinian cuts are usually inclusive of a few different American cuts and I'm sure some butchers or companies only use part of the larger general cut.

It's hard without seeing what the meat looks like, but if it's just shoulder, then I'd recommend a high heat dry cook, or a sous vide. Shoulder roast is pretty much the same as silver tip.

ra_mom

Mon, Apr 11 2022, 8:33 pm

lkwdlady wrote:

Can I do this for any type or meat? I also have a few unidentified roasts. Frozen with no labels..

Sure. Use 1 tsp salt per pound. Cooking time depends on how many pounds. So just check it with a fork after a couple of hours.