Preparing Meat for Stews

On Sun 17 Apr 2005 12:26:32a, Aussie wrote in rec.food.cooking:

Quoted message said:

G'day

I am an amatuer cook and do pretty well. My biggest problem is when I
cook 'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same, I have tried using
different cuts of meat recommended by my butcher.

What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours and not
dissappear.

Regards

Adrian "Aussie"

I don't seem to have that problem, yet I don't think I do anything
special. You might try marinating the meat by itself overnight, then drain
and wipe dry before using in the stew.

OTOH, do the other ingredients in your stew taste like themselves? My
potatoes taste like potatoes and carrots taste like carrots. I guess I
expect the meat to taste like meat.

--
Wayne Boatwright *¿*
____________________________________________

Give me a smart idiot over a stupid genius any day.
Sam Goldwyn, 1882-1974

Adrian,
For me I have half the problem you could say, with beef I find that it
is harder for me to get the flavoring to stick, but with pork roasts
and chops I don't seem to have a problem gettting the flavor to stick.
But I am doing most of my stews in a crock pot, which I have heard is
cheating on the stews, but for the little time I have it makes things
so much easier. I have also been softening up with the meat with some
rice wine vinegar, worchester, and A-1,( I am a nut for the flavor)

Aussie <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I am an amatuer cook and do pretty well. My biggest problem
is when I cook 'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same, I
have tried using different cuts of meat recommended by my butcher.

What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours
and not dissappear.

What are you expecting from the meats you're using in your stews? Are you
expecting strong flavors, such as that from mutton or boor? Do you brown the
stew meats prior to adding them to the mix? Do you use the "crusties" on the
bottom of the pan or some of the fat or is your stew lean? What ingredients
do you normally use? What are you using to coat the meat prior to cooking?
Are you using salt or have you removed it completely from your diet? Have
you had a cold lately (affecting tastes and smells)? How old are the herbs
and spices you're using?

There are multiple answers to the same questions. You need to provide a
little bit more information before you get a specific answer to your
request.

Here are two recipes. Browning the meat is key as well as fresh herbs and
spices -- if you can't smell them when the lid comes off, throw them away.

HACHE

INGREDIENTS:
2 lbs. stew meat or round steak cut into 1" cubes
2 Tbs. cooking oil/bacon grease, more if needed
4 white onions, medium-sized, chopped
2 Tbs. all-purpose flour
2 Tbs. vinegar
2 bay leaves
5 cloves, broken, or ½ tsp. powdered cloves
2 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
2 cups hot water, more if needed*
4 to 6 potatoes, peeled, boiled, and halved
¼ cup chopped fresh parsley

METHOD:
Sauté the onions in oil or grease until they are limp and golden. Remove
them to a 2½ qt. Dutch oven with a lid. In the same fat, brown the meat and
add to the onions. Sprinkle the meat/onion mixture with flour and stir it
in. Stir in vinegar, bay, cloves, salt, and Worcestershire. Add water just
to cover, put lid on and simmer 1½ to 2 hours or until meat is fork tender.
Skim off fat; check seasonings. Add potatoes. Pour into 9" X 12" baking dish
to serve. Sprinkle with parsley.
====
STRIPS OF BEEF IN WHISKY SAUCE

INGREDIENTS:
1-2 lb. sirloin steak
2 Tbs. butter
1 large onion; chopped
3 Tbs. whisky (or whisky liqueur, such as Drambuie)
½ cup double cream
salt and pepper

METHOD:
Cut the beef up into thin strips. Melt the butter in a medium frying pan.
Add the beef strips and onion and cook for 5-10 minutes, until the beef is
brown and cooked to taste. Stir in the liqueur and cream. Heat gently to
reduce slightly. Serve immediately with vegetables.

The Ranger
==
"Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving
safely, in an attractive and well-preserved body. Rather one should skid in
sideways, chocolate in one hand, martini in the other, body thoroughly used
up, totally worn out while screaming 'WOO HOO! What a ride!'"

Aussie said:

My biggest problem is when I cook
'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same,

[snip]

Quoted message said:

What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours and

not

Quoted message said:

dissappear.

Well, beef will taste like beef will taste like beef...? What flavor
do you want your meat to absorb exactly?

Try browning the meat first, then using a little broth to deglaze the
pan and get the fond (brown bits). Add spices like thyme or sage to
the stew, perhaps a bayleaf or some peppercorns will help? If you have
a recipe you've been using that you want someone to troubleshoot, feel
free to post it.

-j.

Aussie said:

G'day

I am an amatuer cook and do pretty well. My biggest problem is when I cook
'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same, I have tried using different
cuts of meat recommended by my butcher.

What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours and not
dissappear.

The meat always tastes the same or the sauces, or both?

You can do a lot of different things when braising, but there are a few steps
to follow. First of all, the meat should be browned. Remove the meat from the
pan and add diced vegetables and cook them long enough to soften them a bit,
then add broth or stock. Put the meat back in a *simmer* for a few hours. DO
NOT BOIL. Boiling will make the meat tough and impervious from any attempt to
improve flavour or texture. I prefer to use the oven.

If you need to thicken the sauce, remove the meat before adding thickeners that
have to be boiled.

We usually make stew the day before, then let it cool and put it in the fridge
overnight so it can be reheated the next day. It always tastes twice as good
the second day.

[email hidden] wrote on 17 Apr 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Aussie said:

My biggest problem is when I cook
'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same,

[snip]

Quoted message said:

What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours
and

not

Quoted message said:

dissappear.

Well, beef will taste like beef will taste like beef...? What
flavor do you want your meat to absorb exactly?

Try browning the meat first, then using a little broth to deglaze
the pan and get the fond (brown bits). Add spices like thyme or
sage to the stew, perhaps a bayleaf or some peppercorns will help?
If you have a recipe you've been using that you want someone to
troubleshoot, feel free to post it.

-j.

I'd cube the beef stew meat, shake in some seasoned flour, brown it in
a med hot fry pan and deglaze with beef broth or red wine and use that
as a base for the stew. Just brown the meat ...not cook it.

--
No Bread Crumbs were hurt in the making of this Meal.
Type 2 Diabetic Since Aug 2004
1AC- 7.2, 7.3, 5.5, 5.6 mmol
Weight from 265 down to 219 lbs. and dropping.
Continuing to be Manitoban

Monsur Fromage du Pollet said:

[email hidden] wrote on 17 Apr 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Aussie said:

My biggest problem is when I cook
'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same,

[snip]

Quoted message said:

What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours
and

not

Quoted message said:

dissappear.

Well, beef will taste like beef will taste like beef...? What
flavor do you want your meat to absorb exactly?

Try browning the meat first, then using a little broth to deglaze
the pan and get the fond (brown bits). Add spices like thyme or
sage to the stew, perhaps a bayleaf or some peppercorns will help?
If you have a recipe you've been using that you want someone to
troubleshoot, feel free to post it.

-j.

I'd cube the beef stew meat, shake in some seasoned flour, brown it in

a med hot fry pan and deglaze with beef broth or red wine and use that

as a base for the stew. Just brown the meat ...not cook it.

Browning the beef in grape seed oil is IMO about the best, though
sesame, peanut and walnut oil can be very good i still like the grape
seed oil for beef the best. I have used bacon grease to brown the beef
with but it is not as good in my opinion as grapeseed oil, nor is lard

While more of a "stir fry" than a stew i like to cook thinly sliced beef
in sesame oil then make a sauce of equal parts sesame oil, sake and soy
sauce to simmer the beef for about 15 minutes with then serve with rice,
some times people add a bit of thickening to the sauce but i leave it to
just reduce a bit.

When i make beef, onions & beer i use butter to brown the beef.
---
Joseph Littleshoes

"Joseph Littleshoes" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Monsur Fromage du Pollet said:

[email hidden] wrote on 17 Apr 2005 in rec.food.cooking

Quoted message said:

Aussie wrote:
> My biggest problem is when I cook
> 'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same,
[snip]
> What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours
> and
not
> dissappear.

Well, beef will taste like beef will taste like beef...? What
flavor do you want your meat to absorb exactly?

Try browning the meat first, then using a little broth to deglaze
the pan and get the fond (brown bits). Add spices like thyme or
sage to the stew, perhaps a bayleaf or some peppercorns will help?
If you have a recipe you've been using that you want someone to
troubleshoot, feel free to post it.

-j.

I'd cube the beef stew meat, shake in some seasoned flour, brown it in

a med hot fry pan and deglaze with beef broth or red wine and use that

as a base for the stew. Just brown the meat ...not cook it.

Browning the beef in grape seed oil is IMO about the best, though
sesame, peanut and walnut oil can be very good i still like the grape
seed oil for beef the best. I have used bacon grease to brown the beef
with but it is not as good in my opinion as grapeseed oil, nor is lard

I have gotten away from dusting with flour. It seems that some of the flour
always falls off the meat and if the pan is hot enough for proper browning
it either burns or comes close, adding an unpleasant taste. For the
thickening effeect yuoc an add the flour later (kneaded with butter).

--
Peter Aitken

Remove the [censored] from my email address before using.

In article <[email hidden]>,

Peter Aitken said:

I have gotten away from dusting with flour. It seems that some of the flour
always falls off the meat and if the pan is hot enough for proper browning
it either burns or comes close, adding an unpleasant taste. For the
thickening effeect yuoc an add the flour later (kneaded with butter).

Or just mix the flour with some red wine. With water it's difficult to
keep from clumping, but with wine, it mixes a smooth as, um, anything.

Isaac

Aussie said:

G'day

I am an amatuer cook and do pretty well. My biggest problem is when

I cook

Quoted message said:

'Stews' etc the meat always tastes the same, I have tried using

different

Quoted message said:

cuts of meat recommended by my butcher.

What am I doing wrong? I want the meat to absorb the flavours and

not

Quoted message said:

dissappear.

Regards

Adrian "Aussie"

Do you brown it before you add it to the stew? I season mine with
pepper garlic and onion powder, brown it in a little oil in a pan and
then add it last, to the slow-cooked stew.

-L.