The most TENDER beef in stew

[Farmer]

I made some stew (beef burgundy) last night, from beef round and cheap cabernet sauvignon. The cooking oil was half olive oil half bacon fat, so it was pretty good. Next time I'll add less wine and more potatoes.

However, the meat itself was a bit on the dry side. I want that super tender, moist, falling apart kind of beef. Just tasty beef. TIPS?

After I seared the beef for browning oooh man it was brown and oily and oozing blood, but after stewing got dried out, dammit!

Also, anyone familiar with flambe? What proof alcohol do you use? I can't get it to work, not enough alcohol in the vapor, but I also don't want onions that taste like whiskey.

 

[Cerpin Taxt]

Use chuck instead of round.

I've flambed cognac when using it as a deglazing liquid. I don't think you'll have success trying to flambe with red wine. I don't see what's wrong with whiskey flavored onions, either. :9

 

[ahenkel]

Did you use top round? I'd go with chuck cut into one inch pieces. What I've found is what looks to be the toughest piece of meat makes the best stew. All the stuff breaks down and mingles with the meat and makes it like you expect stew to be.

 

[spidey07]

Did you use top round? I'd go with chuck cut into one inch pieces. What I've found is what looks to be the toughest piece of meat makes the best stew. All the stuff breaks down and mingles with the meat and makes it like you expect stew to be.

Yes. You want a lot of connective tissue and fat. Chuck roast or ribs.

 

[ElFenix]

how long and how high did you cook it? brisket is a tough piece of meat but cooked 225 until it hits 190 it becomes tender. stays juicy too.

round is going to be a bit drier than chuck regardless of what you do to it.

 

[Texashiker]

After I seared the beef for browning oooh man it was brown and oily and oozing blood, but after stewing got dried out, dammit!

How does the meat get dry in the stew? I have never seen dry meat in a stew before.

My wife browns the chunks of meat and puts everytihng into a slow cooking crock pot overnight. By the next morning the stew is ready to eat.

how long and how high did you cook it? brisket is a tough piece of meat but cooked 225 until it hits 190 it becomes tender. stays juicy too.

I smoked 3 briskets a couple of weeks ago - total cook time was a little over 10 hours at around 200 - 225 degrees.

 

[Farmer]

how long and how high did you cook it? brisket is a tough piece of meat but cooked 225 until it hits 190 it becomes tender. stays juicy too.

I put in a 250 oven for about an hour. It was not fork tender, so I simmered on stovetop for another two hours. It was slightly dry.

I don't know if I'm cooking too long or too short.

 

[spidey07]

That's because you used round. Not enough fat/tissue, it's too lean. It will get dry and tough. I normally slap mine in the oven covered 250-275 for about 2-3 hours. It will easily cut with a fork but still maintains the firmness of beef.

 

[Farmer]

That's because you used round. Not enough fat/tissue, it's too lean. It will get dry and tough. I normally slap mine in the oven covered 250-275 for about 2-3 hours. It will easily cut with a fork but still maintains the firmness of beef.

Yes thank you.

 

[OCGuy]

Love a good O-bone roast.

 

[ElFenix]

I smoked 3 briskets a couple of weeks ago - total cook time was a little over 10 hours at around 200 - 225 degrees.

a couple of the krogers over here had briskets for $0.99/lb last week. stuffed the freezer. choice grade but :shrug:

 

[Jaepheth]

Get a pressure cooker and then tenderness will depend on cook time rather than your cut of meat. (though good cuts still help)

 

[Farmer]

Get a pressure cooker and then tenderness will depend on cook time rather than your cut of meat. (though good cuts still help)

Maybe in time.

 

[Fritzo]

Use a more marbled beef, coat with flour, and use lard instead of oil (Crisco works well). Cut into small 1"x1" chunks and cook the stew 2-3 hours on low heat.

 

[sactoking]

Here's the key to preventing dry meat (and has no relation to tenderness): a "stew" is actually a type of poaching. Regardless of what meat you use to affect tenderness, the key to a proper poach (or stew) is temperature. If you raise the temperature of the stew above the desired cooked temperature of the meat you will dry it out. In other words, if you want your stew meat to be medium-well upon serving (~165*) you cannot cook the stew above 165*.

That's not to say that you have to keep your stove or oven at 165*, rather you cannot bring the liquid in the stew above 165* or the proteins in the meat will constrict, push out water, and the meat becomes dry. You can cook your stew at 300* or 350* if you want so long as you back down to 165* when the liquid reaches 165*.

Stewing (poaching) properly lends itself well to tenderness b/c the cheap cuts of meat used require long, low cook times. The key to be aware of is that even at a low temp like 225* or 250* (typically ideal for collagen formation) you can dry out your stew meat if you leave at those temps too long.

 

[Farmer]

Here's the key to preventing dry meat (and has no relation to tenderness): a "stew" is actually a type of poaching. Regardless of what meat you use to affect tenderness, the key to a proper poach (or stew) is temperature. If you raise the temperature of the stew above the desired cooked temperature of the meat you will dry it out. In other words, if you want your stew meat to be medium-well upon serving (~165*) you cannot cook the stew above 165*.

That's not to say that you have to keep your stove or oven at 165*, rather you cannot bring the liquid in the stew above 165* or the proteins in the meat will constrict, push out water, and the meat becomes dry. You can cook your stew at 300* or 350* if you want so long as you back down to 165* when the liquid reaches 165*.

Stewing (poaching) properly lends itself well to tenderness b/c the cheap cuts of meat used require long, low cook times. The key to be aware of is that even at a low temp like 225* or 250* (typically ideal for collagen formation) you can dry out your stew meat if you leave at those temps too long.

Thanks for the explanation.

No need to go into detail regarding heat transfer.

I will invest in a meat thermometer.

 

[KeithP]

Don't know much about this stuff myself, but would brining the meat first help?

-KeithP

 

[spidey07]

Here's the key to preventing dry meat (and has no relation to tenderness): a "stew" is actually a type of poaching. Regardless of what meat you use to affect tenderness, the key to a proper poach (or stew) is temperature. If you raise the temperature of the stew above the desired cooked temperature of the meat you will dry it out. In other words, if you want your stew meat to be medium-well upon serving (~165*) you cannot cook the stew above 165*.

That's not to say that you have to keep your stove or oven at 165*, rather you cannot bring the liquid in the stew above 165* or the proteins in the meat will constrict, push out water, and the meat becomes dry. You can cook your stew at 300* or 350* if you want so long as you back down to 165* when the liquid reaches 165*.

Stewing (poaching) properly lends itself well to tenderness b/c the cheap cuts of meat used require long, low cook times. The key to be aware of is that even at a low temp like 225* or 250* (typically ideal for collagen formation) you can dry out your stew meat if you leave at those temps too long.

That's very true. However you still need to break down the connective tissue and that doesn't happen until around 175+ I believe. That gives the stew it's yummyness.

Speaking of brisket, I slapped one in the slow cooker this morning and getting ready to munch. It is a little dry because I let it go too long, but the flavor is still incredible and because of the grain not a big deal. And making gravy out of the juice/fat/collegen.

 

[SolMiester]

I made some stew (beef burgundy) last night, from beef round and cheap cabernet sauvignon. The cooking oil was half olive oil half bacon fat, so it was pretty good. Next time I'll add less wine and more potatoes.

However, the meat itself was a bit on the dry side. I want that super tender, moist, falling apart kind of beef. Just tasty beef. TIPS?

After I seared the beef for browning oooh man it was brown and oily and oozing blood, but after stewing got dried out, dammit!

Also, anyone familiar with flambe? What proof alcohol do you use? I can't get it to work, not enough alcohol in the vapor, but I also don't want onions that taste like whiskey.

Got to make sure the meat is well covered during cooking and the slower the better!

 

[Brigandier]

I'm making beef stroganoff tomorrow, using some sirloin tips that were on sale for real cheap.

 

[rasczak]

next time use veal shank

 

[Gibsons]

Don't know much about this stuff myself, but would brining the meat first help?

-KeithP

Brining could help the meat, but then when you throw it in the pot with everything to make the stew, you could easily make the whole thing too salty. I'm not sure if that's a certainty though.. you can rinse the meat before you start browning it, cut the brine time down etc.

Maybe just a more traditional fat+acid marinade? Or just cook longer.

 

[waggy]

I just made stew too! had a hunk of chuck, with lots of onions, potatoes and carrots. i put them in the crock pot for 8 hours. yumm

 

[Fritzo]

Brining could help the meat, but then when you throw it in the pot with everything to make the stew, you could easily make the whole thing too salty. I'm not sure if that's a certainty though.. you can rinse the meat before you start browning it, cut the brine time down etc.

Maybe just a more traditional fat+acid marinade? Or just cook longer.

Brining is for roasting. It has no place in soup/stew making. Everything will taste like the brine.

 

[Gibsons]

Brining is for roasting. It has no place in soup/stew making. Everything will taste like the brine.

Thanks, that was my guess.

What do you think about a marinade for a to-be-stewed meat?