Any beef stew makers out there?

fastfoodietofitcutie

I am new to cooking and usually make only ground turkey and chicken so I thought I would venture into the world of red meat (only on rare occasion) but am not sure how to cook meat. I found this recipe which looks good.

http://www.fromcalculustocupcakes.com/the-best-beef-stew/

My question is, it says to brown the meat on all sides. I'm assuming the inside is still raw and it will cook through when it simmers for an hour a half. Is that correct, or do you have to make sure the meat is fully cooked before adding the other ingredients.

Sorry, I know it's a basic question but I've survived thus far on fast food and microwave meals so I'm really trying to learn. Thanks!

sPaRkLiNgLYFE

it doesnt have to cook through when you brown the meat, it will cook through when you stew it

CoachReddy

it doesnt have to cook through when you brown the meat, it will cook through when you stew it

yup. what are you cooking it in? stove? crock pot? I just made a big batch a couple days ago. got 6 servings out of it! saves tons of time and money.

lintino

You brown the meat - sear the outside to keep the juices in as it cooks for a long time in the liquid.

judydelo1

Yay for home cooking from scratch! :flowerforyou:

jadedone

Don't forget to scrape up the brown bits at the bottom of the pan. These are tasty. Once the meet browns, add the liquid and clean up the pan with your spoon/spatula/whatever.

rosebarnalice

Ah, stew. It's a beautiful thing.

But contrary to popular myth, the purpose of searing meat is not to "lock in the juices"-- it's to carmelize the surface and produce the Maillard reaction-- which is a chemical reaction between amino acids (found in proteins like meat) and heat that turns stuff brown and adds a symphony of wonderfully complex flavors (think crust on bread, sear marks on meat, and the crusty nummy bits on a french fry).

Meat that is seared actually loses more moisture than meat that does not (see Alton Brown's "Good Eats" Episode EA1H22 http://www.foodnetwork.com/good-eats/myth-smashers/index.html) . What makes stew meat taste juicy and moist isn't that the juices have been "locked in" but rather that it has cooked long enough to break down the fibers of the meat--which makes it tender, and allows the cooking liquid to infiltrate the meat fibers.

You can, in fact, make stew without browning the meat, but it's likely to have a color more grey than brown, and it will definitely be lack some flavors that can only be achieved in the Maillard reaction.

HeidiCooksSupper

Rosebarnalice is exactly right about the maillard reaction and flavor. An alternative to browning the meat by searing it in oil is to roast it. In fact, if you roast it in the stew pot, then your "brown good stuff" (as my father called it) will automatically be in the stew. To roast it, cut it into cubes and spread out so the pieces are not touching. Then bake 1/2 an hour or so at 400F until it looks brown on the outside. Don't worry about the inside. Stew meat is nowhere near cooked at this point and is likely to be tough as shoe-leather. It is through the stewing process that you should eventually melt the collagen in the meat and tenderize it.

I start my stews with homemade stock made in a similar way. I first get stew bones from the butcher. They probably won't have these out and you will need to ask for them. Since they don't always have them, I ask the butcher to save them for me in the freezer in the back and I will pick them up the next week. This is at a regular supermarket so don't be afraid to knock on the door to the meat cutting area. The beef bones will probably cost between $2 and $3 a pound but it still ends up being cheaper and better than boxed or canned broth.

I set the oven to 400 and scatter the beef bones and various cut up veggies in a roaster. Most often our veggies are carrots, celery, and mushrooms. Onions are great, too, but they keep us up at night so we've had to give up them and garlic! We suffer greatly from this injustice but both hubby and I sleep through the night without hunting for antacids. ;-)

After I roast the beef bones and veggies, I move them to a big stew pot. I heat the "dirty" pan on the top of the stove and add wine and/or water to deglaze it (melting the brown stuff off the bottom of the pan). I add this slurry to the stew pot, fill it with water, add spices like bay leaves and peppercorns and put it, covered, in a slow oven (250F or so) for several hours until it tastes more like beef broth than like water. I then strain it, throwing away the solids, and use it or freeze it. If I want it to be close to fat free, I let the strained broth sit in the fridge overnight so I can lift the fat off it before I use it or freeze it.

In fact, now that you mention it, I have beef stock and meal-sized pieces of London broil in the freezer -- and just enough time to turn them into a small stew for tonight. Thanks for mentioning beef stew!

Mommy4812

Beef stew is in the crock pot as we speak. I don't brown the meat and it cooks fine and it tender and yummy!!!

bcattoes

My question is, it says to brown the meat on all sides. I'm assuming the inside is still raw and it will cook through when it simmers for an hour a half. Is that correct, or do you have to make sure the meat is fully cooked before adding the other ingredients.

Your initial assumption is correct. You brown the meat just to carmelize it. This should be done at a fairly high temperature to prevent the meat from cooking through. The real cooking is done slowly while it stews.

dewsmom78

I LOVE making beef stew! I coat the stew meat in flour and brown in olive oil. Then add it to a pot of low sodium beef broth. Add veggies and simmer for an hour. Or throw it in the crockpot for a few hours.

Lib_B

i brown my stew meat - only doing about 1/2 lb at a time - so they are in a single layer and not crowded so they actually brown. i recommend using a cast iron skillet or stainless steel. get them good and brown on each side. set first batch aside and move on to the second batch, etc. once all are browned & have a nice crust on them, with the meat removed from the pan, add about 1/2 cup of red wine to deglaze the pan and pour that into your stew pot/slow cooker/dutch oven, etc. with the meat. SO good this way. also, lil' tip, if you want a more gravy type sauce versus liquid - i recommend using about 1-2 T of tapioca pearls. works like a charm and it's not flour.

melinda200208

It doesn't have to be fully cooked. Actually, I usually get a big roast and throw it in the crock pot with some onions and let it cook all day on low/medium heat with a little bit of water poured on it. I throw everything else in when there is about two hours left of cooking.

fiferize

Yes that is true it will continue to cook while simmering. Also having it raw inside will allow the juices to flow into your stew broth making it taste wonderful. Lean stew meat is okay if only browned. No worries.