Chief Longwind Of The North
Certified/Certifiable
Now I know what you're all thinking. This is an old standby. Goodweed should have this one in his sleep.
Alas, though I've made all kinds of meat dishes, and am well versed in what meat does, how it reacts to temperature, etc. I'm looking for perfect technique using a cast-iron dutch oven in the oven. I'm thinking chuck steak, with a flavorful coating of seasoned flour, quickly fried to golden brown, and then placed in a slow oven for an extended time with aromatics and mushrooms.
My first attempt with this technique (last night) turned out pretty bad. I erroneously reasoned that steam from the raw onions and meat would drip back to the pan surface, causing the dish to braise in its own juices. The flour coating was supposed to turn into a self-made gravy.
What I got was very tender meat whoes bottom side was coated with a hard and crispy crust that adhered to the meat like epoxy on cardboard. And it was about as chewy. The flavor was pretty much gone as well.
Now I suspect that a bit of beef broth added to the mix, say 1/2 cup or so, would have helped tremendously. But I didn't want to alter the natural flavor of the meat, and not having any natural broth or stock handy, didn't want to use a beef soup base.
So I know I have to maybe reduce the oven temp. from 300 to possibly 200' F. I suspect that a half inhc of liquid is necessary to make this work as well.
So all of you Southerners, or cast-iron, dutch oven experts out there (alright, where's a Texan when you need one?), help me out with this one.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North
Alas, though I've made all kinds of meat dishes, and am well versed in what meat does, how it reacts to temperature, etc. I'm looking for perfect technique using a cast-iron dutch oven in the oven. I'm thinking chuck steak, with a flavorful coating of seasoned flour, quickly fried to golden brown, and then placed in a slow oven for an extended time with aromatics and mushrooms.
My first attempt with this technique (last night) turned out pretty bad. I erroneously reasoned that steam from the raw onions and meat would drip back to the pan surface, causing the dish to braise in its own juices. The flour coating was supposed to turn into a self-made gravy.
What I got was very tender meat whoes bottom side was coated with a hard and crispy crust that adhered to the meat like epoxy on cardboard. And it was about as chewy. The flavor was pretty much gone as well.
Now I suspect that a bit of beef broth added to the mix, say 1/2 cup or so, would have helped tremendously. But I didn't want to alter the natural flavor of the meat, and not having any natural broth or stock handy, didn't want to use a beef soup base.
So I know I have to maybe reduce the oven temp. from 300 to possibly 200' F. I suspect that a half inhc of liquid is necessary to make this work as well.
So all of you Southerners, or cast-iron, dutch oven experts out there (alright, where's a Texan when you need one?), help me out with this one.
Seeeeeeya; Goodweed of the North