What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?

[Anonymous]

I think it has to do with the quality of the meat. I bought some cut-up grass-fed beef stew meat at Trader Joe's a couple of weeks ago and it was so much more tender and flavorful than what I get at Safeway or Giant.

[Anonymous]

Agree with all of the above. I add red wine and/or a bottle of dark beer.

[Anonymous]

http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/classic-beef-stew-10000001122826/ Was this the recipe? If so, I think the problem is the cut. I'd substitute a chuck roast for bottom round -- cooks up much more tender.

[Anonymous]

I've used nice meat and less nice meat, and what I've found is that this works best:

1. cut meat into bite sized pieces
2. dredge in a mixture of flour and ground black pepper
3. brown meat on all sides
4. do whatever vegetable prep you need and then
5. add the browned meat and cook for 2+ hours, it is perfect

That's just in a pot, not a slowcooker. YMMV.

[Anonymous]

It's really simple. If you have a slow cooker or dutch oven, that's great but not necessary. You can use a tall caste iron pot. Buy the meat that says "stew beef". I season it with season all or a course beef seasoning. Flour the beef, then brown in olive oil. You can cut up onions and minced garlic and brown it with that. Pour water enough to cover the beef. Let it cook on low for 2 hours. Then, I add vegetables -- potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, whatever you like. Add some red wine after another hour or so. Once the meat is tender and vegetables are cooked, I thicken the liquid by taking some of the liquid in the pot and mixing it with corn starch. One final tip, you can add one of those beef enhancers which is a concentrated beef broth to add more flavor. Pour more red wine in if you like. The recipe is from Julie Childs beef ragout and is fail proof.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:1. Buy a cut of meat that does a lot of work. Shoulder, shank, etc.

2. Tenderize overnight in a marinade of acid and salt.

3. Cook low and slow. 10 hours in a slow cooker is just about perfect.

4. Realize that stew really isn't about the amazing meat. It's about the resulting thick, meaty, soup that results.

When do you add the vegetables? I am thinking carrots, potatoes, mushrooms and shallots fyi!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:It's really simple. If you have a slow cooker or dutch oven, that's great but not necessary. You can use a tall caste iron pot. Buy the meat that says "stew beef". I season it with season all or a course beef seasoning. Flour the beef, then brown in olive oil. You can cut up onions and minced garlic and brown it with that. Pour water enough to cover the beef. Let it cook on low for 2 hours. Then, I add vegetables -- potatoes, carrots, corn, peas, whatever you like. Add some red wine after another hour or so. Once the meat is tender and vegetables are cooked, I thicken the liquid by taking some of the liquid in the pot and mixing it with corn starch. One final tip, you can add one of those beef enhancers which is a concentrated beef broth to add more flavor. Pour more red wine in if you like. The recipe is from Julie Childs beef ragout and is fail proof.

I buy the "stew beef" and it always turns out stringy and chewy. I have not been browning it before putting it into the slow cooker (mostly because I eat gluten free and dredging it in cornstarch first doesn't brown as nicely as regular flour). Is my meat turning out this way because I am not browning it first?

[Anonymous]

Are you searing it first w flour, etc?

[Anonymous]

Try the beef stew recipe from onceuponachef.com - it's delicious and foolproof!

[Anonymous]

You don't have to use anything but good olive oil and a pinch of kosher salt to sear the meat. The flour just thickens the sauce for later. You can leave the flour off entirely and it will sear all the same.

[Anonymous]

With a chuck, like a bottom round, you also need to cut the meat right (against the grain). You basically don't want long stringy pieces of meat. This is one of the reasons not to buy "stew meat".

[Anonymous]

I make mine with a crockpot.
Cube them, brown both sides with salt/pepper/garlic/paprika and add to crock pot and cook with whatever other spices I want.
Tend to use london broil. Anything that is on sale.

[Anonymous]

Brown it without flour--make sure the meat is dry first (pay with paper towels), salt and pepper it, and don't crowd the pan. High heat.

[Anonymous]

There seems to be this magic window when it comes to stew or roast from when the meat goes from horribly tough to melt in your mouth tender. If its tough, you need to cook it longer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:There seems to be this magic window when it comes to stew or roast from when the meat goes from horribly tough to melt in your mouth tender. If its tough, you need to cook it longer.

This. Browning and dredging have nothing to do with it -- the only thing that affects how tender the meat gets is time.