National Culinary Review

cheese ($16, 15% food cost), and cooks the
neck sous vide rather than using a traditional
oven braise. “Traditional oven braises tend to
lose 35%-40% of total protein weight. Sous
vide allows a much lower temperature, which
yields more protein,” Rourke says. “The necks
are placed in a vacuum-sealed bag with red
wine, thyme, bay leaf, peppercorns and veal
stock, and simmered in a 180°F water bath
for 14 hours.”
the terrine and making a scratch jam and
granola,” he says.

Before placing the necks in the bag, he cures the meat by lightly sprinkling with kosher salt and allowing it to rest at room temperature for an hour. “The curing process denatures the protein and allows it to absorb the aromatics while braising,” he explains.

His preferred method to tenderize the meat is braising, which slowly extracts the gelatin and flavor from the bones, connective tissue and meat, then reduces the flavorful liquid to a gloss that coats the tender meat. Although Halliday doesn’t use a marinade, he would not dissuade others from doing so. “I think it would be a great way to inject more flavor. But if you braise after that, you might run the risk of the meat being dry or the liquid becoming too salty.”

CONSUMER ACCEPTANCE “When people go to a restaurant, they are looking to try something they won’t make at home,” Carro says. “So in the spirit of being adventurous and trying new things, people tend to be less shocked about seeing items such as beef neck (or pork cheek), and just enjoy the flavor it provides. However, that being said, beef neck is not included in the description of our dish.” Mitgang says many diners are informed customers who want to try and taste new foods. “When I opened Cascabel Taqueria

PAIRING ADDS VALUE Often, when purchasing a protein that is less costly, it is paired with other items that are more costly. “I find beef neck useful for its great texture and gelatin content (when served cold),” Halliday says. “The advantage of using beef neck is it’s reasonably priced at around $3 per pound. In these tough economic times, it can give your business a slight financial advantage. You should, however, accompany necks with something of value.”

The National Culinary Review | May 2011

In one of his three beef neck dishes, Halliday combines foie gras, beef neck and chicken pavé with mushroom jam, root vegetable granola and bacon/truffle vinaigrette ($16, 23% food cost). “There are several difficult components, steps and methods to the preparing of the dish, such as sous vide of the chicken, braising the neck, searing the foie, assembling