Stewing beef

Kewreeuss

Every few months I make a stew and I leave it in a low oven for a few hours.
Its always full of flavour, gorgeous, except for the meat, beef, which is never soft.
I think it is because the quality of meat is too good and also because there is little fat on the stewing steak available.
If I go to a butcher who works on carcasses directly, what part of the cow should I ask for, that can take long cooking and stay soft and moist.
I've done oxtail a couple of times, and I love the way the meat splits and is soft and juicy.
Would I ever get the same texture in the meat in a stew/casserole?

foodaholic

You need to get shin of beef - game changer

LJ3103

Shin Beef is what your after, it makes a wonderful stew that is rich in flavour. Treat it like the oxtail, low and slow

Kewreeuss

Great!
Thank you very much.
I'll try that next time.

looksee

How low is your low oven? While a stew should never boil, it does need to get a bit of a blast of heat to get it going, then turn it down.

Mystery Egg

I actually don't like shin of beef. It's always recommended for stew but I've made it several times and I've decided not to anymore.

If you find you don't like it, consider using rib of beef. More expensive but a beautiful and marbled and flavoursome cut.

Seamai

I've used beef cheek a few times recently for goulash and chili with great results, low and slow but make sure to remove the sinews/membrane first.

odyssey06

Rib steak or beef chuck.
http://www.fxbuckleybutchers.ie/meat/beef/rib-steak.html

cowboyjoe

Just made a hearty beef stew, with standard supermarket stewing beef, earlier today. I use a decent casserole dish, and cooked at 160 for 2.5 hours then 140C for 30 mins. Meat lovely, soft and tender. This meat gives way more flavour than standard beef pieces from steak.

Kewreeuss

I'd bring everything up to the boil on the hob, then into the oven for 20 mins at 190 and then about 3 hours at 160.
Maybe bringing it up to the boil is what ruins the meat? Which I browned first.

L'prof

Sirloin works very well too �� I use a slow cooker, never liked stewing beef

Seamai

Seamai wrote: »

I've used beef cheek a few times recently for goulash and chili with great results, low and slow but make sure to remove the sinews/membrane first.

^ this

and i always brown it first, its always a matter of opinion but for me it makes a difference

Seamai

[Deleted User] wrote: »

^ this

and i always brown it first, its always a matter of opinion but for me it makes a difference

Same here, I always brown first, it's worth the extra bit of work.

Kewreeuss

Thanks everyone for the advice:)

looksee

Brown, add liquid (or deglaze the pan depending on how you do it), bring to a simmer then into the oven. Don't boil and you don't need the 190.

Of course if the meat was not properly stored/prepared/hung before you got it then you are wasting your time. I find some stewing beef can be a bit stringy regardless of how it is cooked.

46 Long

Kewreeuss wrote: »

Every few months I make a stew and I leave it in a low oven for a few hours.
Its always full of flavour, gorgeous, except for the meat, beef, which is never soft.
I think it is because the quality of meat is too good and also because there is little fat on the stewing steak available.
If I go to a butcher who works on carcasses directly, what part of the cow should I ask for, that can take long cooking and stay soft and moist.
I've done oxtail a couple of times, and I love the way the meat splits and is soft and juicy.
Would I ever get the same texture in the meat in a stew/casserole?

You're not cooking it long enough, or the temperature is too high.

I regularly use very lean cubes of beef from the supermarket (most likely eye of round) and it gets very soft and tender. It's not an ideal stewing cut. I just use it because I'm trying to keep an eye on calories and I don't always have time to get brisket or shin from the butcher.

Toulouse

46 Long wrote: »

You're not cooking it long enough, or the temperature is too high.

I regularly use very lean cubes of beef from the supermarket (most likely eye of round) and it gets very soft and tender. It's not an ideal stewing cut. I just use it because I'm trying to keep an eye on calories and I don't always have time to get brisket or shin from the butcher.

Same! I use round roast, which I then cut up myself and it always turns out perfectly. It takes 4 hours at gas 5/6 for the meat to be meltingly tender. It’s never dry.

Is your meat covered by liquid?

the beer revolu

OP, you'll get the results you are looking for from shin, cheek, short rib, ribsteak or tail. There's probably plenty other cuts suitable but those are the ones I've enjoyed.
No offence to anyone, but I would definitely not recommend round steak/roast/eye for stewing.

Don't confuse ribeye with ribsteak.

Mervyn Skidmore

Shin is delicious, especially if you can get it with the bone and marrow.

Kewreeuss

Thanks everyone, I reckon l should cook at lower heat and not too high quality meant.

Kewreeuss

Kewreeuss wrote: »

Thanks everyone, I reckon l should cook at lower heat and not too high quality meant.

I use a slow cooker but brown the meat and fry off the veg first. I put it on high for about an hour and low for about 4 hours. Returning to high if I’m doing dumplings.

Feisar

Only saying what people have already said, shin in the bone is where it is at.

chefy

Kewreeuss wrote: »

Every few months I make a stew and I leave it in a low oven for a few hours.
Its always full of flavour, gorgeous, except for the meat, beef, which is never soft.
I think it is because the quality of meat is too good and also because there is little fat on the stewing steak available.
If I go to a butcher who works on carcasses directly, what part of the cow should I ask for, that can take long cooking and stay soft and moist.
I've done oxtail a couple of times, and I love the way the meat splits and is soft and juicy.
Would I ever get the same texture in the meat in a stew/casserole?

Ask for shin or chuck beef. You can remove most of thr fat but it's the connective tissue (collagen) that gives the flavour and succulence. Get to know you butcher.