/ck/ - Food & Cooking

[Anonymous No.7488777]

how the fuck do I make a stew that isn't shit.

every time I try and make stew it comes out extremely watery, and the meat chewy and hard to chew. and then I throw the whole pot out in a fit of rage

how do i get a nice thick strew with tender meat

can you please share your best stew recipe, i want to learn

[Anonymous No.7488781]

>>7488777
I'd like to know too.

[Anonymous No.7488788]

What cut of meat are you using? It needs connective-tissue. How high is your heat on? It should be low.

[Anonymous No.7488790]

>>7488777
Don't let it boil and have it cook for a long time.

[Anonymous No.7488794]

>>7488777
>comes out extremely watery
Cook it for longer to reduce down and increase in flavour.

>meat chewy and hard to chew
Cook it longer (and maybe lower) so the meat has chance to tenderize.

Basically cook it for longer and on a lower heat.

[Anonymous No.7488796]

>>7488788
Last time I used stew meat but then I found out from /ck/ that stew meat is a meme. So I don't know what to use.


I also don't know how to cook the meat. Do I cook it completely in a pan? Or halfway then let it cook in the water?

i don't know how to cook meat that's cut into cubes, I can cook a whole steak though

[Anonymous No.7488800]

Invest in a thermometer, poach the meat at a temperature that is known to optimize tenderness (depends on the animal and cut). But typically that means never to boil that shit. If your stew is watery, you have to tell us what your current process is. What do you start with? Obviously the more water you have in relation to food the blander the water is going to be. So you can try to reduce, you also should optimize your stew geometry such that you don't have any large pieces which require inordinate amounts of water to cover without contributing sufficient flavor in return.

[Anonymous No.7488801]

>>7488796
It's best to buy something big, brown it, and then cook it in water/stock, and then cut it up afterwards.

[Anonymous No.7488804]

>>7488796
>stew meat is a meme
Stopped reading right there, dipshit.

[Anonymous No.7488805]

>>7488801
Doesn't "browning" imply that you fully cook it?

[Anonymous No.7488807]

>>7488805
No. It means to just cook the outside, with high heat, and quickly, so that the inside doesn't cook.

[Anonymous No.7488808]

>>7488804
stew meat is typically the garbage tier cuts of meat that are extremely lean with no fat content

aka hard to chew poverty tier meat cubes

[Anonymous No.7488813]

>>7488796
Use chicken thighs, pork shoulder, or beef chuck roast or "pot roast".

[Anonymous No.7488814]

>>7488807
well i mixed it up from when people say to brown ground beef then

anyways what cut of meat do you recommend for stew

[Anonymous No.7488826]

>>7488808
>stew meat is typically the garbage tier cuts of meat that are extremely lean with no fat content
Idiot.

[Anonymous No.7488828]

>>7488826
>He buys what the grocery stores label "stew meat"

mup da doo didda po mo gub ebt bixx nood my nigga

[Anonymous No.7488829]

>>7488814
Honestly, I don't cook stews. Chuck is meant to be the ideal.

[Anonymous No.7489082]

>>7488777
Get meat with fat and gristle - the white stuff. Cut it into one inch chunks and shake them about in a handful of flour. Heat oil in a pot, then try the meat chunks until you get some brown on them, this is mainly just because brown tastes good. Pour in a bottle of beer, or half a bottle of wine, add some stock or a stock cube, then add enough water that it's all submerged.

Leave it uncovered on the lowest heat you can get for three hours. Check it occasionally, and stir in a splash more water if anything starts to stick.

[Anonymous No.7489088]

>>7488814
Beef chuck
Pork shoulder

[Anonymous No.7489091]

Simmer it slowly for well over an hour. Also, use cheap, strong red wine.

[Anonymous No.7489103]

>>7488777
This is easy to fix, OP:

>comes out extremely watery
Stop making your stew with water. Use stock. The gelatin in the stock is what gives the stew thickness and body.

>>and the meat chewy and hard to chew.
If the meat is chewy it's undercooked. Just keep simmering it until the meat is tender. For a Beef stew this can take anywhere from 2 to 4 hours depending on the cut of meat you're using.

[Anonymous No.7489106]

>>7488814
>well i mixed it up from when people say to brown ground beef then

No, not really. In both cases the point of "Browning" is that you want to generate the malliard reaction on the meat which makes it taste good. Ground beef just happens to cook all the way through during this process because it's in small pieces. Large pieces of meat for stew don't cook through because of their thickness.

I know this is off-topic here but when someone says "brown ground beef" they don't mean simply to cook it. Cooked ground beef is gray, not brown. Browning it means to cook it sufficiently that the surface is brown, not gray. Browning = mailliard reactions = tastes good.

[Anonymous No.7489107]

I make beef stew with left over sirloin steak.

Cut up your meat, dredge in a little seasoned flour, brown all sides in about 2-3 Tbs oil. Add minced onion, carrot, garlic, celery if you want and cook for a few more minutes. Add in a good amount of chopped potato... then add about 8 cups beef broth, 2 cans of tomato sauce, splash of worcestershire sauce, splash hot sauce and bring that to a boil, reduce to a simmer. If your adding frozen mixed vegetables use these at the end so they don't over cook. Salt pepper any other seasonings to taste. If you still
Find your soup to be too thin use a bit of instant potatoes to help thicken it up.

[Anonymous No.7489135]

>>7489107
This is a good recipe. I make mine almost exactly like this except I use celery salt instead of celery. Can't stand the stuff. I use a bag of peas and carrots at the end as well. Good.

[Anonymous No.7489213]

>>7488796
Stew beef is often just chopped up scraps from whatever got cut that day. It's not worth getting IMO. Go with a full cit of something with s lot of connective tissue but not excessive fat- a pot roast or chuck (or say pork shoulder or chicken thighs if you're not doing beef)- and cube it up yourself. Important to do that first- the flavor in a good stew is all from the first stage where you brown your ingredients. More surface area on your meat=more browning=more flavor.

Now, brown your meat IN THE POT YOU'RE MAKING THE STEW IN. Do it in batches so it actually browns. Get it nice and dark on all sides but don't burn the fond in the pot. Remove each batch to a bowl.

Next add onions- more than you'd probably think, and diced fairly fine- and brown those too. Get these really deeply caramelized, and don't rush it. Once that's done, the vast majority if the flavor of your stew is in there. Make your roux, add stock, cook a few minutes, add your beef, and cook until almost fully tender. Add your veg- classic beef stew root veg is always my favorite: carrot, potato (go for very small potatoes and just half or quarter them- the skin helps keep them intact), parsnip, rutabaga. Cook until veg are tender, taste and adjust seasonings, and toss some peas or whatever in if you want. Boom, stew.

This is a dish with very few ingredients- meat, onions, flour, stock, and a few root veg- so you need to make sure you get maximum flavor out of what's in there.

[Anonymous No.7489235]

>>7489213
reddit: the post

[Anonymous No.7489253]

>>7489235
I've honestly never been to Redditch. What about that post is so disagreeable to you?

[Anonymous No.7489256]

>>7489253
you write recipes like this guy

[Anonymous No.7489259]

>>7488796
>I also don't know how to cook the meat. Do I cook it completely in a pan? Or halfway then let it cook in the water?

Jesus christ, don't tell me you've just been searing shit and randomly throwing stuff I'm water.

Just find a fucking recipe and follow it for your first time. My god.

[Anonymous No.7489268]

>>7489256
Except anon used zero mannerisms that are similar to that image.

You're complaining about someone writing a quick recipe on the internet.

Get some fresh air.

[Anonymous No.7489284]

>>7489268
Here is how to write those instructions in a non-redditcancer way. As you can see a few small changes make all the difference:

>Stew beef is often just chopped up scraps from whatever got cut that day. It's not worth getting. Go with a full cut of something with a lot of connective tissue but not excessive fat- a pot roast or chuck (or pork shoulder or chicken thighs if you're not doing beef)- and cube it up yourself. Important to do that first- the flavor in a good stew is all from the first stage where you brown your ingredients. More surface area on your meat gives more room for browning and therefore flavor.

>Now, brown your meat in the same pot used for the stew. Do it in small batches. Don't burn the fond. Remove each batch to a bowl.

>Next add a lot of finely diced onions and brown those. Once that's done, the vast majority if the flavor of your stew is in there. Make your roux, add stock, cook a few minutes, add your beef, and cook until almost fully tender. Add your veg- beef stew root veg is always my favorite: carrot, potato (use very small potatoes and just half or quarter them- the skin helps keep them intact), parsnip, rutabaga. Cook until veg are tender, taste and adjust seasonings, and add some peas if you want. This concludes the recipe.

>This is a dish with very few ingredients- meat, onions, flour, stock, and a few root veg- so you need to make sure you get maximum flavor out of what's in there.

[Anonymous No.7489286]

>>7488777
never cook it, it should not boil ever it should simmer instead. If it boils it is fucked. So low fire long time, 5-6 hours is the best if you do it longer it falls apart too much and becomes like pulled pork etc. Use meat that is very heavy on fat and a bit marbled if possible. I like to make stews with beef, beouf bourgeon, goulash, hachee etc. Take your time use relative large pieces let it simmer and do something else whole it's doing it's thing, don't touch it maybe add a little bit of moisture every now and then, water, red wine, beer etc.

[Anonymous No.7489292]

>>7489259
>don't tell me you've just been searing shit and randomly throwing stuff I'm water.

pretty much what ive been doing desu senpai i dont know how to cook the meat

[Anonymous No.7489302]

>>7488777
Your stew will come out better if you stop frogposting.

[Anonymous No.7489318]

>>7489292
1. completely cook and season the meat in a pan
2. stew beef is not a meme dont listen to these retards
3. when you put your beef in your stew put throw some flour on top, it will help thicken up your stew
4. after bringing to a very brief boil, bring it down to a low simmer and let simmer for hours. You need to give the ingredients time to really mix.

its really that easy. but i would find a recipe online for your first time and just follow

[Anonymous No.7489323]

>>7489318
>stew pot*

always put the meat in first, followed by veggies, then the broth.

[Anonymous No.7489327]

>>7489318
>completely cook your meat

well i'm getting contradicting statements because some people are saying to only brown the outsides and let it cook in the water or whatever

[Anonymous No.7489338]

>>7489327
browning multiple batches of meat without any burning is a delicate balance

if you can manage to cook all of the meat all the way through without any kind of burning, I would be surprised

[Anonymous No.7489349]

>>7489256
He/she does not write recipes with any resemblance to that.

What is in that comment to even make such a correlation?

[Anonymous No.7489353]

>>7489327
definitely cook it all the way through. If you have a decently big pan and arnt using to much meat you should be able to do it all in one batch.