Huge Mistakes Everyone Makes When Cooking Beef Stew

when it comes to beef stew there are actually a lot of little details you need to pay attention to if you want your dish to be a hit not a disappointment these are some of the common mistakes you're probably making with your beef stew and what to do instead for the perfect dish when looking for stew meat skip the fancy steak and look for a heartier tougher cut of beef you want meat that has a lot of collagen rich connective tissue which will break down over the low and slow cooking period leading to chunks of beef that are tender and flavorful not dry and tough turn to cuts like a chuck roast or round roast both of these meats are tough and chewy if you cook them up quickly but cook them slowly and the collagen and fat within melts and tenderizes the protein while also adding lots of flavour and body to the broth of your stew these cuts are also usually much cheaper per pound than the fancier steaks on the market which only adds to their appeal as stew meat it's definitely tempting to throw all of your beef stew ingredients into the pot all at once and to start cooking right away and many recipes tell you to do just that but if you simply set and forget your stew you're missing out on a lot of flavor to add a depth of savory meaty flavour to your beef stew you should always sear your meat before you start the braising process you can brown your beef right in the same pot you're going to make the stew in add the cubed seasoned meat in batches to a pot over medium-high heat letting it caramelize on the outside but not cooking it through remove the seared beef and repeat until all of it is finished make sure you don't overcrowd the pan the caramelization process adds extra depth of flavor to your stew and the brown bits at the bottom of the pan can be scraped up with a wooden spoon when you add the broth which will infuse the liquid with even more rich flavor if you're using a slow cooker it's still worth it to sear your meat before adding it to the pot and don't forget to deglaze the pan you use to sear the beef adding the prize liquid to the slow cooker too before continuing on a little extra time and effort can take your beef stew from tasting like something that could have come out of a can to something you could imagine serving company alongside a nice bottle of red wine and some crusty bread the secret you need to cook with plenty of aromatics like onion garlic fresh herbs and spices sear your beef first then saute onions garlic carrots and celery in the beef fat scraping the brown bits up from the bottom as you go when the veggies are somewhat softened add your spices this way their flavors will infuse the oil you can go in several directions with the spices you use garlic powder onion powder black pepper smoked paprika and dried bay leaf all work very well or you could take things in another direction and add cumin coriander star anise and cinnamon for a more moroccan flair unlike with a roast or a steak where the flavour of your dish is concentrated on the surface of the meat in a beef stew you need to focus on the liquid that all of the ingredients are being cooked in if you want to make sure it's infused with flavor that being said there are some things to look out for store-bought stock can be overly salty if you're already salting the rest of the ingredients as you prepare them adding a store-bought stock might make the dish a little too salty this is especially true if you plan on reducing your stew to thicken the broth as the water evaporates out of the stew the salty flavour will become concentrated if you want to use a store-bought stock look for low sodium or unsalted varieties so you can adjust the seasoning to taste instead of having to rely on whatever's in the can or carton you also shouldn't use plain water to make your beef stew yes the meat and veggies will be able to impart some flavor in the liquid but it still won't reach its flavor potential if you need a substitute for beef stock even swapping it for chicken veggie or mushroom stock is better than nothing you can also use plain water with bouillon cubes paste or powder added though again you need to watch out for the salt level when we think of a perfect beef stew we imagine succulent bites of meat slightly sweet tender vegetables and a rich silky broth holding everything together you want a velvety slightly thickened broth that has a lip smacking viscosity not one that turns into a thick paste once it starts to get cold it's so thick some recipes advise using flour a cornstarch slurry or a roux to give your stews broth some heft but those starchy solutions can lead to trouble your beef stew shouldn't be thick and gloppy like a can of dog food when it's done cooking and using a heavy hand with those shortcut thickening methods can do just that they can also dull the flavor of your broth obscuring the rich meaty tastes you worked so hard to develop with blandness your stew broth should naturally thicken while cooking thanks to the release of starch from the potatoes in your stew and also from the collagen that cooks out of the meat adding body to your liquid choosing a well-marbled cut of meat means that your stew will have a luxurious rich texture thanks to the collagen gelatin and beef fat that renders out as your stew cooks at a low and slow temperature but it can also mean that when your stew is done cooking there's a thick sheen of fat floating on top which is not exactly appetizing that's why once your stew is cooked you should use a spoon to skim off the fat that's floating on the top of the broth you can also trim off any large pieces of fat that are on your stew beef before you sear and cook it so that it never ends up swamping your stew in the first place if you want to make the process even easier you can pop your stew in the refrigerator the fat will rise to the top and congeal then you can scrape the firm layer of fat from the top of your pot when you reheat the stew the extra fat will be gone letting the meaty richness of the broth shine through you might not think it but adding a little something tangy to your beef stew will give a subtle brightness to a heavy dish there are a few different ways you can add acid to your beef stew you can add diced tomatoes tomato paste or some red wine into the pot at the beginning of cooking as the stew simmers the harsh acidity will be toned down until you're left with just a kick at the end of cooking which will liven up the flavor and add some brightness to the dish you can also add a splash of vinegar at the end of cooking if you taste your stew and realize it still needs that little extra something get some raw veggies bacon cup of soup baby hair still going check out one of our newest videos right here plus even more mash videos about cooking are coming soon subscribe to our youtube channel and hit the bell so you don't miss a single one [Music]

Channel: Mashed

Views: 554,858

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Id: QCVGHKkTosk

Length: 6min 27sec (387 seconds)

Published: Tue Jul 14 2020