Beef Bourginon advice

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This one looks nice too & it says 'braising steak'...£8.60 a kilo...and it looks less fatty...so I wonder if it's better?

The braising steak would make a great pot roast with veggies. Pot roast is similiar to your beef stew. stew. You could also cut it into bite size pieces for a stew. :angel:
 
The first picture could be chuck. More marbling.

The second picture looks like round steak to me. You can use that too but it's generally not as flavorful.
 
CHUCK STEAK

Chuck-Steak.gif
 
Never heard of round steak in my life- so many cuts...! :huh:

Thanks again everyone...am going to be on the look out for chuck (together with it's marbling). ;)
 
Chuck is cut from the front shoulder. Round from the back end of the steer. If a butcher doesn't recognize the name 'chuck' you can describe where it comes from.
 
Just read online that braising is more tender and for quicker cooking, whereas stewing steak is for slow cooking. Pretty much all supermarket meat sold in packs here (other than grilling steaks) are either labelled stewing or braising so at least now I know I need to pick stewing...and look for marbling effect which indicates chuck.

I can also use an independent butcher but over here there aren't many.....you do have to go out of your way...most people buy their meat at the supermarket in pre packs..
 
Just read online that braising is more tender and for quicker cooking, whereas stewing steak is for slow cooking. Pretty much all supermarket meat sold in packs here (other than grilling steaks) are either labelled stewing or braising so at least now I know I need to pick stewing...and look for marbling effect which indicates chuck.

"Braising" means to cook something for a very long time at a relatively low temperature in some liquid in a covered pot. Low and Slow.

Stewing essentially means the same thing. A stew is cooked using the technique called braising. So is pot roast.

And from the look of the cut of meat you posted as "braising," it looks tough and lean.
 
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The difference between stewing and braising is that braising describes slow-cooking a fairly large piece of meat (generally at least 2-3 lbs.) and sometimes vegetables, while stewing is slow-cooking meat and vegetables cut into bite-size or slightly larger pieces. Tough cuts from the shoulder or rear end are suitable for this; they're tough because they are used by the animal more than tender cuts, such as those along the back.
 
In your original post you said:

It was my first attempt & even though the sauce flavour was tasty the meat had shrunk a lot into small pieces and seem fatty in places (soft jelly type fat) which i didn't like. :ermm:

Just so you know for the future, shin meat is full of connective tissue and what you thought was fat was actually that "jelly like substance" of connective tissue. I don't like it either but apparently it's used much more often in the UK for stew.
That being said, it sounds like the young butcher was not off the mark with her recommendation.
 
The difference between stewing and braising is that braising describes slow-cooking a fairly large piece of meat (generally at least 2-3 lbs.) and sometimes vegetables, while stewing is slow-cooking meat and vegetables cut into bite-size or slightly larger pieces. Tough cuts from the shoulder or rear end are suitable for this; they're tough because they are used by the animal more than tender cuts, such as those along the back.

Whole chickens are commonly stewed. Sometimes with no veggies. :chef:
 
I've heard a few descriptions of the difference between stewing and braising.

The large piece of meat vs. bite-sized pieces is one. The other is that stewing involves meat (and veggies) being fully submerged in a liquid where braising involves the meat to be only partially submerged.

We've run into the imprecise nature of cooking terms before. After all, it's called a pot roast but it isn't roasted, it's braised. A whole chicken is roasted but a cut up chicken is baked even though they're but cooked with dry heat.
 
As Andy said, it can be imprecise. This is one thing I learned in the short time I was in cooking school; not that that means it's the definitive definition, but it works for me :)
 
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Shoulder chuck is what I use. Of the two ends of the cut tell your butcher you want the end with the most fat. 'Low and slow' at 200 F is perfect. Any higher than 212 F and the protein strands in any meat will turn into rubber bands. Shoulder chuck has the perfect ratio of connective tissue to fat. Juicy delicious large two inch plus chunks and whole mushrooms the same size. Good for you making sure you added a good wine and not cheap 'plonk'.
 
For the OP in the UK . For this type of dish use stewing steak or braising steak and cook it on a slow heat for a good 2 hours in the oven . I seal it first by frying it in batches and then put it in your pot , no need to soak overnight in wine first . I use Julia Childs Boeuf Bourgignon recipe . You should be left with a dark rich stew and the meat should be very very tender .
 
Shoulder chuck is what I use. Of the two ends of the cut tell your butcher you want the end with the most fat. 'Low and slow' at 200 F is perfect. Any higher than 212 F and the protein strands in any meat will turn into rubber bands. Shoulder chuck has the perfect ratio of connective tissue to fat. Juicy delicious large two inch plus chunks and whole mushrooms the same size. Good for you making sure you added a good wine and not cheap 'plonk'.

Since all chuck comes from the shoulder of the cow, it's unnecessary and potentially confusing to call it "shoulder chuck.". That would be akin to a "leg shank."

Also you may potentially confuse people by saying "Low and slow' at 200 F is perfect. Any higher than 212 F and the protein strands in any meat will turn into rubber bands.". That suggests that actually cooking meat at a temp above 212 will ruin meat, which is absolutely false. A final internal temperature of 212 no matter what temp you cook at may be undesirable but its fine to cook meat at much higher temperatures.

I agree that a stew like BB is best made with a flavorful cut like chuck that benefits from a nice long braise. I do mine at 275.
 
Since all chuck comes from the shoulder of the cow, it's unnecessary and potentially confusing to call it "shoulder chuck.". That would be akin to a "leg shank."

Also you may potentially confuse people by saying "Low and slow' at 200 F is perfect. Any higher than 212 F and the protein strands in any meat will turn into rubber bands.". That suggests that actually cooking meat at a temp above 212 will ruin meat, which is absolutely false. A final internal temperature of 212 no matter what temp you cook at may be undesirable but its fine to cook meat at much higher temperatures.

I agree that a stew like BB is best made with a flavorful cut like chuck that benefits from a nice long braise. I do mine at 275.
I ought to have put a '/' between shoulder and chuck. It may confuse people to use the word "cow" which implies all beef comes from a "cow". When properly used the word 'cow' is used to describe a female bovine creature. Beef 'cattle' is more accurate IMO.
I think 'sous vide' demonstrates there is no need to roast/cook/stew/braise any meat/protein at any higher heat than the desired finished temperature. A quick sear after the sous vide process adds to the appearance and flavor.
'Low and slow' IMO is the future of cooking meat especially. The science/logic behind the method can not be disputed. With the cost of protein going up more people or making an extra effort to roast that $40 piece of protein to perfection.
350-450 F oven settings turn the exterior to leather and ironically more often than not leave the meat that is actually in contact with bones deep inside a bird/haunch/roast etc. at unsafe temperatures. This isn't a 'theory' or an 'opinion', it's a cold hard scientific fact. Hence 'sous vide'.
 
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I think 'sous vide' demonstrates there is no need to roast/cook/stew/braise any meat/protein at any higher heat than the desired finished temperature. A quick sear after the sous vide process adds to the appearance and flavor.

I've never cooked sous vide, but I assume the cooking and searing need to be done in different pans?

350-450 F oven settings turn the exterior to leather and ironically more often than not leave the meat that is actually in contact with bones deep inside a bird/haunch/roast etc. at unsafe temperatures. This isn't a 'theory' or an 'opinion', it's a cold hard scientific fact. Hence 'sous vide'.

Interesting. I've been roasting poultry, beef and pork at 350+ degrees F for years and as long as it isn't overcooked, it doesn't end up with a leathery exterior or unsafe interior.
 
350-450 F oven settings turn the exterior to leather and ironically more often than not leave the meat that is actually in contact with bones deep inside a bird/haunch/roast etc. at unsafe temperatures. This isn't a 'theory' or an 'opinion', it's a cold hard scientific fact. Hence 'sous vide'.


It's certainly not a "fact"

If your protein is leathery on the outside and raw on the inside from roasting at 350, you can only blame your cooking skills, not the temperature of the oven.
 
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