Need Beef stew help

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flour your meat,brown it well
add guiness(maybe the irishman speaking) it adds colour and dept of flavour.
also dont be afraid to trow in spices and finsh with herbs just to liven it up.
 
Och Lad, ya dunee ken what`s gud fer ye < /Scottish accent>


Having Russian friends you should know better. The barley served in Russian/Soviet army every day. At least for one of the meals. 2 years X 365 days that's 730 helpings of barley. Try that my friend, then come back and tell me if you still want to have some barley. ;)
 
One thing I noticed is that not many people talk about how to brown the beef properly, so I will put my two-cents' worth in at this point (and with the Canadian dollar up recently, that's a bit more than it used to be ;)).

First, start with dry beef. Water will spatter, but worse, it will lower the cooking temperature because of evaporation. Boiling and browning are NOT the same cooking process. Adding a bit of salt to the meat will also help remove some of the moisture.

Next, use oil, not butter, as it will reach a higher temp than butter. Also, use a basic cooking oil instead of olive oil for the same reason. Get the pot nice and hot (medium-high), then add the oil and let it come up to temperature. Then add just a few beef cubes at a time. This is important, as you do not want to reduce the temperature of the pot or the oil. relatively high heat is what we need for good browning.

When you put the meat in at first it will stick to the bottom of the pot. This is fine, and it it is exactly what we want. Do NOT try to move the beef at this time, as you will only rip off the browned portion, and you don't want that. Just nudge the beef every few moments to see if it has released yet. Once it does, the browning is done for that side, and you can flip it over to do another side. When all sides are done, you can take those cubes out and replace with new ones.

When all the beef is browned and drying on some paper towel, drain the pot of the excess oil and put it back on the heat. Once it is back up to temperature, add a splash of wine or stock, and scrape up the little brown bits at the bottom of the pot. These are full of flavor and should not be wasted. If you are using a different pot for the stew, then pour this liquid into the stew pot.

Happy stewing!
 
ok, call me crazy, but where the he!! did all of you come up with tomato in beef stew, im from deep New England and iv'e never ever heard of, never mind tried beef stew with any tomato in it.....i can't even imagine what it might taste like
 
ok, call me crazy, but where the he!! did all of you come up with tomato in beef stew, im from deep New England and iv'e never ever heard of, never mind tried beef stew with any tomato in it.....i can't even imagine what it might taste like


I can't say how deep in New England I am but, when I use tomato in a stew or braise, it's a background flavor. It's not intended to be the major flavor you taste. So if you're making a big pot of stew, you may want to add a couple of tablespoons of paste or a cup of tomato sauce or one fresh tomato.

Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.
 
I can't say how deep in New England I am but, when I use tomato in a stew or braise, it's a background flavor. It's not intended to be the major flavor you taste. So if you're making a big pot of stew, you may want to add a couple of tablespoons of paste or a cup of tomato sauce or one fresh tomato.

Don't knock it if you haven't tried it.

Yep, I do a bit of tomato paste myself! Though elaine has long ago made her stew I find that caramelizing some onions then dredging the beef in flour, browning well, and simply adding a couple bottles of porter in makes a GREAT stew. If more liquid is needed just add water. The flour from dredging thickens everything nicely.
 
ok, call me crazy, but where the he!! did all of you come up with tomato in beef stew, im from deep New England and iv'e never ever heard of, never mind tried beef stew with any tomato in it.....i can't even imagine what it might taste like

LOL ... I don't put tomatoes into my beef stew either - although it is apparently common in some regions. I also don't use corn, or lima beans, etc. I just have beef, potatoes, onions and carrots.

If I have leftovers and want to turn it into a vegetable/beef soup - in go the tomatoes, corn, lima beans, okra, etc.

But, that is just the way I grew up doing it.
 
ok, call me crazy, but where the he!! did all of you come up with tomato in beef stew, im from deep New England and iv'e never ever heard of, never mind tried beef stew with any tomato in it.....i can't even imagine what it might taste like

I'm with you. I like my beef stew "beefy".
I've had tomato and tomato paste suggested to me a few times to deepen a dish's flavor, and I tried it a few times. I found it took away from the beef flavor and added a tomato flavor. That's just the way my taste is. I don't like tomato based dishes unless it's spaghetti and meatballs.
 
lol ... I don't put tomatoes into my beef stew either - although it is apparently common in some regions. I also don't use corn, or lima beans, etc. I just have beef, potatoes, onions and carrots.

If i have leftovers and want to turn it into a vegetable/beef soup - in go the tomatoes, corn, lima beans, okra, etc.

But, that is just the way i grew up doing it.


+ 1
 
I like after meat is done take it out and add rice. Then when rise is done add meat back in heat it up and serve, yum.
 
im glad im not the only one to leave out the tomato, i my beef dredge in a smoke rub and flour dredge then brown, caramelize some onions and use beef stock and nice dark beer, thicken with a roux, add carrots potatos celery, but i have to admit that i will try some of the other idea's from here
 
For all you tomato haters close your eyes.

I did make a very tasty stew. Browned the beef then the onions added a can of tomatoes, beef broth, hoisin sauce, red wine and simmered away. Cooked the carrots separate and added at the end. Served it over horseradish mashed potatoes. Not traditional beef stew but definitely something good.
 
Well I'm glad to see I'm not the only one that doesn't put tomatoes in their stew. I had never heard of that until I saw all the recipes on here that mentioned it. I'm like Michael in FtW and pacanis. I only add tomatoes if I'm turning the stew into soup. My stew only has potatoes, carrots, onions and sometimes green beans. that was my moms' add-in.
Maybe I'll have to try it sometime just to see what the difference is.

Barb
 
Everyone is right, and nobody is wrong when it comes to what goes in THEIR beef stew. The more I read this thread, the closer I think you guys are to starting a fist fight...all over the lowly tomato.:LOL:
 
I heat my iron skillet...add a tiny amount of olive oil. Brown the meat quickly. Add onions...carrots, celery BROWN.

Place in all in my crock pot. ADD red wine, beef broth, pepper,potatoes cut in quarters..cover and cook on high 5 hours. You can add spices you like. I may add
parsley, basil, oregano. (herbs I raise). Aria
 
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