This Is the Best Beef for Your Stew.
I’m tired of being cold. Unfortunately, given the fact that I live in the Pacific Northwest, I will probably be cold for at least another six weeks. Luckily, I don’t get tired of eating warm foods like soups, large piles of potatoes, and stews. Stews especially strengthen the body, especially beef stew.
Stewed beef fills the stomach and pleases the palate without emptying the wallet. While there are some exceptions, tender, lean meats (like filet mignon) tend to cost more than cuts with more connective tissue. The latter is usually quite cheap and can be cooked slowly and for a long time.
Everything goes back to collagen
Collagen is the substance that holds your body together. Its fibrous structure forms connective tissue, which, as the name suggests, connects the different types of tissues in your body. The same thing happens with animals, such as cows.
Collagen is a powerful thing. You will find a lot of it in ligaments and tendons, as well as in muscles, especially those that are used frequently during the animal’s life. It is very tough when raw, but with enough heat and time, the collagen will turn into silky, luxurious gelatin, giving your stew the desired body and richness while keeping the meat moist during long cooking times. Try speeding up the process so the collagen doesn’t have time to break down, leaving you with tough meat and watery broth.
How to choose meat
Stews are cooked on a relatively low heat for a long period of time, at least three hours. That is why they are called “stews”. they must be stewed . The key is to choose meats with more connective tissue and, to a lesser extent, fat. You want something that gets better with time. A tender cut, such as a rib eye or tenderloin, loses moisture and becomes dry and tough. Cuts with a lot of collagen will lose water in a similar fashion, but they will also be filled with gelatin as their connective tissue breaks down, preventing the meat chunks in your stew from appearing “dry” in your mouth.
This is why the cartridge is such a popular option. It is cheap, with a pronounced meaty taste, with a large amount of connective tissue. It’s a big incision – the primary incision – that includes the neck and shoulder, and the shoulder is what you want (high usage means high connective tissue).
If you want to move away from chicken, look for meat that has a lot of everything, with tendons and fat. The bones are also good, although they will have to be fished out before serving. Daniel Griezer of Serious Eats recommends boned short ribs, oxtail, fatty brisket (second cut) and cross-cut shank, while Ina Garten uses boneless short ribs (you may have to buy them bone-in and work a little ). do it yourself). MasterClass includes all of the above in their recommendations, but also offers a bottom circle that is taken from the cow’s hind legs. A round doesn’t have as much fat as a piece, so you might lose some of the flavor, but it’s cost effective.
Whichever meat you choose, brown it in batches so the meat has enough room. Overcrowded meat will steam and turn gray, completely defeating the point of the browning step. After the meat is browned, simmer the meat for a long time over low heat, at least three hours. It may seem endless, but it’s a passive three hours. If you start cooking the stew too late and get hungry while it cooks, eat a sandwich and save the stew for tomorrow. In any case, the stew is better on the second day .