Brown First or Drop In? Best way to get ground lamb to "integrate" into a stew?

[WordMan]

The OP title pretty much sums it up. I am making a stew tomorrow. If I have some ground lamb, and would love for it to “melt into/integrate with”** the stew base, should I brown it along with the stew beef and pork I will start with in the bottom of the pot, or add the ground lamb into the further-along stew, when stock has been added and the lamb would cook into the liquid?

Thanks! Love the first stew of the season. My kids both have outdoor tourny’s tomorrow and will get back in the afternoon. Stew and football.

**is there a cooking word for this effect in a stew? Good potatoes just melt into the overall texture, some meats, etc.

[WordMan]

No cooking Dopers on line to help? I plan to start in a few hours, so will give this a bump…

[janis_and_c0]

I would save the Lamb & use it by itself, Seems the other meats would overwhelm the delicate flavor of the lamb… YMMV.

[WordMan]

@janis_and_c0

I would save the Lamb & use it by itself, Seems the other meats would overwhelm the delicate flavor of the lamb… YMMV.

Cool. If this is a common sentiment, that would be interesting to hear. I like the extra richness that comes from a mix of meats, but I tend to throw a lot of stuff into my stews…

[kayaker]

Personally, I’d brown the meat first. The current Cook’s Illustrated has a discussion on browning ground beef, I’ll see if I can find it.

[TriPolar]

@janis_and_c0

I would save the Lamb & use it by itself, Seems the other meats would overwhelm the delicate flavor of the lamb… YMMV.

I’d go with this also. But if you are going to add the lamb to the stew you’ll want to brown it first to bring the flavor out.

[pulykamell]

@TriPolar

I’d go with this also. But if you are going to add the lamb to the stew you’ll want to brown it first to bring the flavor out.

I really can go either way on this. When I want the meat to be tender and fall apart into a stew or sauce, I don’t brown. (See, for example, Cincinnati chili.) When I want the tasty meatiness that browning brings, well, then I brown. But browning does toughen up the texture a little bit.

[Acsenray]

I would brown first.

Also I don’t necessarily consider lamb too subtle to combine with other meats.

[WordMan]

@pulykamell

I really can go either way on this. When I want the meat to be tender and fall apart into a stew or sauce, I don’t brown. (See, for example, Cincinnati chili.) When I want the tasty meatiness that browning brings, well, then I brown. But browning does toughen up the texture a little bit.

All of this is helpful. As I mention above, I am looking for a bit of “lamb-y-ness” in the flavor, so i think I will brown it first. Just not too much!

Stew!!!

[pulykamell]

@Acsenray

I would brown first.

Also I don’t necessarily consider lamb too subtle to combine with other meats.

Yeah, if anything, it’s the other way around for me. I add lamb when I want to add a flavor punch.

[kayaker]

@kayaker

Personally, I’d brown the meat first. The current Cook’s Illustrated has a discussion on browning ground beef, I’ll see if I can find it.

OK, what they did was toss the ground beef with some baking soda to raise the pH, and lock moisture in, allowing true browning and minimizing “steaming”. They thereby got a nicer Maillard reaction, better taste and appearance.

[TriPolar]

I don’t think you can go wrong here.

[Johnny_L.A]

Chefguy’s lamb balls

@Chefguy

1 pound ground lamb
4 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBSP minced onion
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1 TBSP ground coriander
1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground allspice
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/4 tsp ground mustard
1/4 tsp pepper
salt

And ya mix 'em all tagedda. We ended up having couscous instead of avocado.

<snip>

I usually just form them into turd-sized lumps by squeezing them in my fist. Then fry them up in a bit of oil and serve with saffron rice sprinkled with toasted almonds. Skewered would be good, also.

[WordMan]

@kayaker

OK, what they did was toss the ground beef with some baking soda to raise the pH, and lock moisture in, allowing true browning and minimizing “steaming”. They thereby got a nicer Maillard reaction, better taste and appearance.

I know nothing about pH - but should I try this? Or maybe put a little corn starch on it so when it browns the starch keeps a bit of moisture in and then adds a bit of thickening?

I am just spit-ballin’ here…

puly and Ascenray - yes, that is how I feel. The lamb “colors” the taste in a rich way…

ETA: Tripolar, for sure. Yeah, I look at a stew as “jazz cooking” - I am looking around at what I’ve got and what sounds good and going from there…

[TriPolar]

@Johnny_L.A

Chefguy’s lamb balls

Didn’t Andy Farmer break the record for eating those?

[WordMan]

Minor update: made the stew. Browned the lamb with the rest of the meat before adding other stuff. Turned out wonderful!!

[Chefguy]

@TriPolar

Didn’t Andy Farmer break the record for eating those?

Har. They’re actually called ‘kofta’ or a version of that word. Recipes abound.

[Annie-Xmas]

I’ve just pulled out “A Little Irish Diary 1996” which has been in my tote bag for a couple of weeks for no reason whatsoever. On November 15- 19, there is a recipe for Irish Stew:

2 lb/ 1 kg. boned mutton
4 large potatoes
2 large onions
3 or 4 medium carrots
Spring of Parsley
1 pt/500 ml/2 cups water
Salt and pepper

Cut the meat into good-sized chunks. Peel the vegetables and slice thickly. Chop the parsley. Choose a pot with a well-fitting lid and put in the ingredients in layers, staring and finishing with potatoes. Pour in the water and season to taste. Cover and put on a very low heat for about 2 1/2 hours until the meat is tender and the potatoes have thickened the liquid. The dish may also be made with lamb, in which case it requires only 1 1/2 hours’ cooking time.