Browning beef--problems

[Chefguy]

@Grrr

Also, if you want the veggie flavor to be more infused with the stew. Braise half the veggies and the meat (after browning) for the first half of the process. Remove the the meat then puree the veggies (I use an immersion blender). Then add back the beef. When you should all the other half of the veggies all depends on just how crisp you like your veggies to be.

If memory serves correctly, I usually throw them in about an hour before the stew is done.

This is a good method. Either that, or use large vegetable pieces for the simmering phase and then just discard them, adding fresh vegetable pieces near the end of the cooking cycle.

[quimper]

@Left_Hand_of_Dorkness

I have a magnificent cast iron dutch oven, and this is what I use for the stew I make about once a year. Every time I use it I wonder whether browning the meat in it is a bad idea, since the escaping water is bound to be somewhat contained within the pot even with the lid off. Is this a real thing to worry about?

Water expands 1700x when it turns to steam, so as long as the lid is off and the pan isn’t crowded the dimensions of the cooking vessel don’t matter too much (obviously the composition matters; heavier pans are less prone to hotspots and will brown more evenly)

The high sides of the dutch oven should help tame some of the splatter and keep your rangetop tidier too.

[quimper]

@TSBG

Thanks again for the feedback. I do use a Dutch oven for stew and love it; I feel quite certain that I’m overcrowding when I’m browning, as this is one of the classic cooking mistakes I can’t help making. In fact it is especially useful to have reinforced in this case because the results are so tangibly different. If I throw too many chicken chunks in a pan, they stick together and take longer to brown. With beef, it stops the browning process. A good lesson to learn, finally, after a lifetime as a decent cook.

Cook in batches if you’re cooking more than 2 lb of meat: A 10 inch pan can hold around 2 lb of meat cut in 2 inch cubes without overcrowding

Here’s a recipe for ATK’s “Best Beef Stew” (it really is!)

[TriPolar]

So you need a hotter pan as mentioned, something with a good heavy bottom to it. You can also dredge the meat in flour before browning. Just sprinkle flour on the meat and work it in all around with your fingers. You can also put a little oil on the meat first just a teaspoon or two, work it all around to coat the meat and then start it in a hot dry pan or dredge with flour to continue. I usually start by browning onions in some oil. When they begin to brown it usually means the water has been driven off and the pan is hot enough to brown the meat but you may still need to turn up the temp at that point because adding the meat will rapidly cool the pan.

Also, let the meat come up to room temp before starting, and make sure it’s dry to get good browning.

[Chefguy]

@quimper

Cook in batches if you’re cooking more than 2 lb of meat: A 10 inch pan can hold around 2 lb of meat cut in 2 inch cubes without overcrowding

Here’s a recipe for ATK’s “Best Beef Stew” (it really is!)

That looks like a good one. About the only thing I’d add is a shot of Worcestershire. I’d also substitute fish sauce for the anchovies to simplify things.

[D_Odds]

@Chefguy

That looks like a good one. About the only thing I’d add is a shot of Worcestershire. I’d also substitute fish sauce for the anchovies to simplify things.

It is a good recipe. Hell, I use it all the time (anchovy paste is a wonderful thing, I prefer it over fish sauce). That said, it is (usually) behind ATK’s paywall and other’s shouldn’t be reproducing their exact recipe on a personal, public website.

[teela_brown]

Here’s something that experience and America’s Test Kitchen have taught me:

Beef in a dutch oven will brown itself if, after you pop the pot roast or stew in the oven, you permit the beef to be above the level of the liquid for at least part of the time. When I do beef stew, I don’t bother with searing it ahead of time in fat. I just combine my ingredients in a shallow amount of liquid, let the beef sit propped up in the dry air, cover the pot and roast for awhile. The beef gets browned all over. Knock it back down into the liquid, top it off a bit if it’s getting low, and continue with your recipe. The brownness of the beef dissolves into the liquid to give the gravy the good brown color you want.

There’s a nice variation on this that I like to do with pot roast. After the pot roast is completely cooked, I like to scoop it out and put it onto an oven tray and put it back in the hot oven to roast some more while I deal with the vegies and gravy. The exterior of the roast will get a bit crispy in the heat and when you finally pull it apart to serve it, it’s almost like carnitas: juicy and soft in the middle and crispy on the outside.

[quimper]

@D_Odds

It is a good recipe. Hell, I use it all the time (anchovy paste is a wonderful thing, I prefer it over fish sauce). That said, it is (usually) behind ATK’s paywall and other’s shouldn’t be reproducing their exact recipe on a personal, public website.

You are, of course, correct to point that out. That’s why I didn’t copypasta it. It was the first hit on google and I have no affiliation with the site. I’m way past the edit window but Mods can remove the link if they wish.

[TexCat]

@pulykamell

Both of these. Get the pan nice and hot (I usually heat up a cast iron pan for about 5-7 minutes at 8/10 on my burner, but this will vary depending on your burner–you may have to do it full blast) and do it in batches. Do not crowd the pan and they should not be touching.

Be careful of this if you are using enameled cast iron. I once poured cold oil into a blazing hot pan and had the enamel crack and explode.

[Ignotus]

@Arkcon

I sometimes flour my meat cubes before browning. That also absorbs water, and adds something to the soup. Well, a little more stew-like with the added thickening power.

This is a sine qua non when making liver stew.