Beef, Barley, and onions.

[whm1974]

I made a dish out canned beef, pearl barley, and an onion. 28 oz of beef and and a pound bag of barley. I should have use another onion along with some salt, black pepper, more garlic powder, and maybe some red pepper flacks with it.

Come out a bit bland so I have to add some salt and pepper and garlic powder to the bowl...

Any ideas on how to improve this dish? And who else enjoys barely?

 

[Ken g6]

Sounds like Campbell's beef soup. Add water, vegetables, and maybe beef stock.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

I made a dish out canned beef, pearl barley, and an onion. 28 oz of beef and and a pound bag of barley. I should have use another onion along with some salt, black pepper, more garlic powder, and maybe some red pepper flacks with it.

Come out a bit bland so I have to add some salt and pepper and garlic powder to the bowl...

Any ideas on how to improve this dish? And who else enjoys barely?

I barely enjoy lots of things and others I downright hate. My idea on how to improve the dish is to use something other than "canned beef" whatever the hell that is.

 

[whm1974]

I barely enjoy lots of things and others I downright hate. My idea on how to improve the dish is to use something other than "canned beef" whatever the hell that is.

A can of pure beef and some sea salt. what elsecould it be?

 

[whm1974]

Sounds like Campbell's beef soup. Add water, vegetables, and maybe beef stock.

Well it didn't come out as soup or even a stew.

 

[ponyo]

Wtf

 

[whm1974]

Wtf

What do you mean?

 

[GagHalfrunt]

A can of pure beef and some sea salt. what elsecould it be?

For all I know it could be squirrel and kangaroo. Around here beef is not sold in a can and anything calling itself canned beef would be viewed with suspicion and disdain. Pure beef what? Flank? Heart? Liver? Tripe? Skin? Hooves?

If it's too bland, the solution is simple. Use some beef stock, chili powder, garlic, more onions, fried peppers, lots more salt, that combination would improve almost anything, even canned hooves. Or like Ken said, beef stock, veggies, make soup.

 

[whm1974]

For all I know it could be squirrel and kangaroo. Around here beef is not sold in a can and anything calling itself canned beef would be viewed with suspicion and disdain. Pure beef what? Flank? Heart? Liver? Tripe? Skin? Hooves?

If it's too bland, the solution is simple. Use some beef stock, chili powder, garlic, more onions, fried peppers, lots more salt, that combination would improve almost anything, even canned hooves. Or like Ken said, beef stock, veggies, make soup.

Well i am thinking of buying a beef roast and using my slow cooker and add more veggies.

 

[whm1974]

This is the can of beef:
https://keystonemeats.com/canned-meats/all-natural-beef. Basically I'm buying this so if I have a taste for beef I can have it when I want. Also I tend to a few extra cans of things to eat when I can't get to the store.

 

[Carson Dyle]

Here's a crazy idea: Use google to look up "beef and barley soup" recipes. You'll find dozens, if not hundreds, of recipes. Try it on YouTube and you can even watch someone make it. The internet is an amazing thing. Then you go out and buy the different ingredients, follow the directions, and before you know it, you have something that is more or less edible. Not "What can I add to a potato and a can of pinto beans to make it taste good?"

Maybe even buy yourself a cookbook or two. Try Joy of Cooking for a classic.

 

[Paladin3]

Buy a cheap cut of beef. Trim the fat, connective tissue and cube it up. Season with black pepper and/or red pepper flakes and saute in a bit of hot oil. You don't want to cook it all the way thru, just get it well browned on the outside. Toss in diced onion and celery and get those softened up some. Drain off any excess oil. Season well with what you like: black pepper, red pepper flake, oregano, basil, bay leaf (remove before serving), garlic, paprika and salt (add at the end.) Add diced carrot, parsnips and other root vegetables you like, cover with beef stock and simmer. A can of diced tomatoes or bottle of dark beer with the the stock adds nice flavor. Toss in potatoes or barley for the last 30-45 minutes so they are soft and are cooked about the same time the beef has cooked down well.

Note: add salt at the end, maybe the last 10 minutes of cooking. Salt tends to disappear as it cooks, and it always seems like I need more if I salt early.

Note 2: if you are lazy like me and like to make one pot stews, you just need to time things well, adding ingredients so they finish cooking at roughly the same time. If you find items like onion, carrot or celery cook down and completely disappear into the broth, and that's not necessarily a bad thing because it adds a ton of flavor, you can reserve some of them to add in the last 30 minutes so you still have bits to enjoy. Same thing goes for adding chopped cilantro or parsley for a splash of freshness, add it at the end so it doesn't completely cook down and disappear.

And you can do the same thing with pork, onion, hominy, diced tomatoes, chicken stock, a small can of red/green sauce, green chilies, oregano, lime juice...

 

[Iron Woode]

Here's a great idea:

buy an Instant Pot.

I bought the 6qt model DUO60V3 and love it for cooking chicken, beef roasts, stews, rice and just about anything my crock pot can cook but in a lot less time.

In fact I will be making an eye of round roast this week.

 

[DigDog]

Red wine.

 

[WelshBloke]

Red wine.

Stouts better with pearl barley.

 

[WelshBloke]

This is the can of beef:
https://keystonemeats.com/canned-meats/all-natural-beef. Basically I'm buying this so if I have a taste for beef I can have it when I want. Also I tend to a few extra cans of things to eat when I can't get to the store.

Does that say "With added marrowbone jelly for a glossy coat" on it anywhere?

 

[DigDog]

Hmmmmm .... you are right .. this time.

Stouts better with pearl barley.

 

[whm1974]

Does that say "With added marrowbone jelly for a glossy coat" on it anywhere?

Nope.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Note: add salt at the end, maybe the last 10 minutes of cooking. Salt tends to disappear as it cooks, and it always seems like I need more if I salt early.

Note: No. Salt does not freaking disappear as it cooks and if you think it does you really need to stop giving cooking advice. There's a reason why every chef on Earth salts during the entire cooking process and if you don't understand why you again need to stop giving cooking advice.

 

[whm1974]

Here's a great idea:

buy an Instant Pot.

I bought the 6qt model DUO60V3 and love it for cooking chicken, beef roasts, stews, rice and just about anything my crock pot can cook but in a lot less time.

In fact I will be making an eye of round roast this week.

I don't have room for an Instant Pot and I already have the slow cooker. Besides with the crockpot I can simply put food in and walk away doing something else while it cooks.

 

[GagHalfrunt]

Here's a great idea:

buy an Instant Pot.

I bought the 6qt model DUO60V3 and love it for cooking chicken, beef roasts, stews, rice and just about anything my crock pot can cook but in a lot less time.

In fact I will be making an eye of round roast this week.

You really don't need an Instant Pot. A pressure cooker is a nice tool to have when you're in a hurry, but it's hardly a necessity. You just plan a little and cook the things that require longer cooking times when you have more time.

 

[MagnusTheBrewer]

I love barley. It makes great pilaf and good for breakfast as gruel with brown sugar, dried fruits, nuts and, honey.

 

[Oyeve]

Add carrots, celery and potatoes. Yum.

 

[Mayne]

drink lots of beer then get stoned and add a can of beer

 

[Paladin3]

Note: No. Salt does not freaking disappear as it cooks and if you think it does you really need to stop giving cooking advice. There's a reason why every chef on Earth salts during the entire cooking process and if you don't understand why you again need to stop giving cooking advice.

No, it doesn't physically cease to exist in your food. In my experience, the salty taste mellows out some and disappears into the background while cooking, often requiring a bit more in what I thought was an already adequately salted dish. If you are trying to limit your salt you can get away with less for the same taste in your dish if you wait until you salt at the end. It's probably because I'm more directly tasting salt on top of my food and not cooked into my food.

If you need to salt the food early for a specific reason then go for it. Like salting a tomato and cucumber salad and letting it drive out the moisture.

My best friend is a Cordon Bleu trained chef who ran restaurant kitchens most of his career. He and I have discussed mistakes cooks make with salt many times. The biggest one is simply getting too addicted to the taste. But, as I said, if you need the salt for a specific reason then go for it. I personally find many stews too salty, but have watched others salt the exact same stew at the table after taking a taste. Whatever makes you happy.