Beef Stew Recipes / Tips?

WindSock

Ima gonna cook up a big pot of stew this week, methinks. Anyone have any tips or recipes they would like to share?

joeKel73

I usually use this recipe and find it excellent! Tried with both stout and ale.

http://www.jamieoliver.com/recipes/beef-recipes/beef-ale-stew-1

I've followed that recipe and cooked in the oven with great results.

I generally do it in the slow cooker now. The slow cooker requires less liquid as it doesn't dry out, so instead I usually use about 750g of beef instead of 500g and an extra carrot, onion and stick of celery. I also brown the meat and fry up the veg a bit in a pan first too. Leave for 6 or 7 hours. If it's too liquidy, near the end I now ladle off a lot of the liquid and reduce down in a saucepan, then add back to the pot. Put a few half-potatoes in at the start too, delicious.

Gloomtastic!

Here's a thread from a few months ago.....

http://touch.boards.ie/thread/2056416040?page=1#post_74851958

giddyup

Make up a pot of oxtail soup. Add a beef or veg stock cube dissolved in hot water. Add an extra pint of water. That's your base. Whatever you throw in it will taste great after 4-5 hours. Parsnips always add to the flavor. Serve with a hunk of bread. Season with lots of worcestershire sauce.

When I do a stew I typically add (to the oxtail/stock base)
10-15 spuds
carrots
snips
whole onion
1lb mince (meatballed)
1lb of stewing steak cubes
salt/pepper

So simple. Can't go wrong. Tastes great.

reallyrose

I made this one: http://www.guardian.co.uk/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2011/feb/03/how-cook-perfect-beef-stew

And it was great!

The best tip is just to cook it on a low heat for a long time. Simmering will make any bit of meat taste good, with the right herbs and things.

prettygurrly

make it two days in advance of when you want to eat it....

Dizzyblonde

The cut of beef you use is very important. Don't use round steak - rib is much better, but best of all is shin beef. Cook it for 3 hours if you use shin. A good squirt of tomato puree is a vital ingredient for beef stew.
There are lots of recipes in previous threads if you search the forum.

Pixie001

I would second the Jamie Oliver recipe - I've made it a few times, and it really is delicious! It really is full of flavour

The Sweeper

Use the Jamie Oliver recipe, but omit swede or turnip (they tend to sour it in my opinion). Moderate the liquid so the final stew is quite dry - you should have beef on the verge of falling asunder and an extremely thick gravy.

Eat some of it, freeze some of it, and use the rest for pies! Get a muffin tin and buy frozen shortcrust and puff pastry. Use the shortcrust to line the muffin cups, ensuring the pastry circle is bigger than the muffin cup. Put a tablespoon of stew in each pie. Top with a slice of extra mature cheddar - the more aged and sharp the better. Use an egg wash to ensure a lid cut from puff pastry will stick to the shortcrust - you can either fold the shortcrust in over the cheese and glue the puff lid on, or fold it out and cut a larger puff lid so your pies have a 'lip'. Score the puff lids lightly, egg wash and put in the oven. They're bloody marvellous.

The Hill Billy

This search will give you food for thought...

reallyrose

The Hill Billy wrote: »

This search will give you food for thought...

I see what you did there!

Swampy

Make Dumplings. They rock. I only ever had them for the first time recently. Once again. Jamie oliver has a good reipe I used.

Lister1

Was all set to make myself a big pot of stew tonight but was unable to get my hands on stewing beef as the local shop has none and the butchers is closed. I was able to get myself some pork cutlets. Any problems with substituting these in? I am trying out the Jamie Oliver recipe.

WindSock

Great thanks for the tips, going to lash this on tonight. Yeah I had a look at the search function and this is the best thread that came up

Kimia

My stews are so simple, I don't know if they would even be called stew!

I sear the meat goodo making the pieces nice and brown - I second using beef shin. If you can't get beef shin, I find bone-in short ribs to be a heavenly second.

I then fire a large red onion, carrots, garlic and some bay leaves into a huge pot. Pour over a big glug of red wine. Let it reduce slightly (but I don't really worry about this).

When the meat is done, fire it into the big pot. Then pour over lots of beef stock to cover the meat. I then put on a lid tightly and put it into the oven for about 3 hours. Or you could simmer it on the hob too. Serve with mash and whatever extra veg you didn't want to put into the pot.

That makes me wonder - is there any difference between simmering a stew on the hob or putting a covered pot into an oven?

Dizzyblonde

Kimia wrote: »

That makes me wonder - is there any difference between simmering a stew on the hob or putting a covered pot into an oven?

I find they taste quite different. When I cook it on the hob I add more liquid, and barley, and call it stew. When I cook it in the oven it tends to taste a lot richer and I call it casserole, lol.
Probably all in my head :P

micropig

Lister1 wrote: »

Was all set to make myself a big pot of stew tonight but was unable to get my hands on stewing beef as the local shop has none and the butchers is closed. I was able to get myself some pork cutlets. Any problems with substituting these in? I am trying out the Jamie Oliver recipe.

I wouldn't if i was you, never tried it but it doesn't sound as if it would be nice but then again it could be delicious? Maybe add a little garlic too

i made a stew this morning to cure my hangover, had no meat but tasted great. I used an oxo cube for the base, lots of potatoes, carrots chpped in big chunks, an onion as thats all i had to hand, a few herbs , salt pepper -yum

i usually use beef,fry it off so its brown throw in a pot of oxtail soup, add potatoes, veg, etc-what ever is in the press. Bring to the boil, cover&let simmer at least an hour

+1stew always tastes better the next day
you can't really go wrong!

Lister1

micropig wrote: »

I wouldn't if i was you, never tried it but it doesn't sound as if it would be nice but then again it could be delicious? Maybe add a little garlic too

Its simmering on the hob at the moment. Looks fine so far altough the proof will be in the tasting!

micropig

Lister1 wrote: »

Its simmering on the hob at the moment. Looks fine so far altough the proof will be in the tasting!

Hope it worked out yummy!

micropig

Lister1 wrote: »

Its simmering on the hob at the moment. Looks fine so far altough the proof will be in the tasting!

Hope it worked out yummy!

WindSock

Stew currently stewing in the oven, smells good.

Just followed guidelines loosely but lashed a load of garlic cloves in, about 3.5 onions, red and white, 1.5 parsnips, 4 carrots, 2 celery sticks, a few sprigs of rosemary, Worcester sauce, chicken stock water, some flour, a good heap of cayenne pepper, small can of Guinness and a splash of red wine for the hell of it. Forgot about the tatties. Oh and 700g of beef. Dying to scoff it now.
Hope the beef is nice and tender or I will chuck it all out and start over :pac:


Those pie things seem like a good idea, must try that out in a few days.