Anonymous
Post 11/06/2013 19:48     Subject: Re:What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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.
Anonymous
Post 11/06/2013 19:36     Subject: Re:What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/06/2013 15:48     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/06/2013 15:35     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/06/2013 14:43     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/05/2013 19:06     Subject: Re:What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/05/2013 18:45     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
Try the beef stew recipe from onceuponachef.com - it's delicious and foolproof!
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2013 17:54     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
Are you searing it first w flour, etc?
Anonymous
Post 11/05/2013 16:48     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/05/2013 15:02     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/04/2013 10:14     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/04/2013 09:58     Subject: Re:What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/04/2013 09:47     Subject: Re:What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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
Post 11/04/2013 09:46     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
Agree with all of the above. I add red wine and/or a bottle of dark beer.
Anonymous
Post 11/04/2013 09:41     Subject: What am I doing wrong with my beef stews?
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.