Chuck roasts -The best option. It is preferred over other cuts because of the connective tissue, which makes it more tender. (Bonus: It's also a less expensive cut than other types.)
The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.
Round roasts, rump roasts, and pot roasts are also all good choices for stews. Buy the whole roast and cut it into pieces yourself. This is another bonus over buying pre-cut stew meat — you can cut the pieces into uniform sizes and also trim any gristle you come across.
Gravy Beef (and stewing steak)
It is a cheaper cut that will cook well in a shorter period of time (1.5 hours).
Go for the chuck
The most common beef used for stew is chuck steak, also known as gravy beef or braising steak. Beef chuck comes from the forequarter of the animal consisting of parts of the neck, shoulder blade and upper arm.
Chuck Roast Substitutes:Sometimes, chuck roast is labeled as blade roast, 7-bone roast or arm roast. If you can't find any of options, try another uniformly-shaped, lean cut of beef like tri-tip roast, top round roast or bottom round roast (sometimes called rump roast).
Chuck roast comes from a cow's shoulder portion. The hindquarters and shoulder area are both well-used parts of the cow, so these two cuts of meat are naturally pretty tough. Most people agree that roasted rump is the more tender of the two.
"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."
Considered the most tender cut of all, a filet mignon is taken from the center of the beef tenderloin. It is lean yet delivers a melt-in-your mouth, buttery succulence. Perfect for grilling, pan-searing and broiling in the oven. Available in several weights, a filet is perfect for 1 person.
If it tastes off-balance, add some finishing flavors to bring it to the next level. Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.
The secret ingredient for richer beef stew
That's right, it's fruit chutney! Rosella's Fruit Chutney is thick and shiny, and balances out the flavours so that the rich and decadent sauce has you coming back for more, but it doesn't overpower the dish.
Add potatoes during the final 2-3 hours of cook time to prevent them from getting mushy. Stovetop or slow cooker, your family will thank you for this one. Stew up and enjoy.
It's because you haven't let the collagen break down. Extend the cook time, make sure there's enough liquid and keep an eye on the dish.
While slow cooker recipes are designed to cook for extended periods of time, they can still become overcooked if left on the wrong setting for too long. In general, it's best to stick to the indicated cook time on the recipe you're following.
But traditionally coating the beef with the flour is the way to go and there are several reasons for this: The flour helps brown the meat better, the browned flour enhances the flavor of the sauce, and it also enhances the surface texture of the meat.
Tips for a Perfect Beef Stew
We salt our stew meat 24 hours before cooking time, thanks to the advice of Samin Nosrat in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. This gives the meat time to absorb the salt, lending deeper flavor to the stew.
If you don't leave the beef simmering at a low and slow temperature, the proteins in the meat will seize up and become tough, and the collagen and fat won't have time to break down, leaving you with a rubbery, inedible product.
Top Round Roast
Because it doesn't have the fat content that other roasts do, it comes out its best when it's cooked for hours in the slow cooker to tenderize it. It's less expensive than other beef roasts, which is why it might be a better option for some cooks.
Sirloin Steak ? the Leanest and Healthiest Cut. Sirloin steak, on the other hand, tends to cost more than Rump steak and is taken from the middle back of the animal. Sirloin is well marbled with fat which gives it flavour and makes it nice and juicy.
Rump roast and rump steak is renowned for its flavour, but it may be on the tough side if not cooked properly. Rump steak tastes the nicest when it's grilled or barbequed, whereas a rump roast of meat is best suited to braising or oven roasting.
The bolar blade is cut from the shoulder clod portion of the Chuck. It does a lot of work during the steer's lifetime, and is thus tough & has a lot of connective tissue, but also excellent flavor. It's a great lower-cost cut for pot roasting (braising), cutting stew meat, or grinding into 90/10% Lean/Fat ground beef.
Choose the right cut: Chuck roasts, short ribs, pork shoulders and lamb shanks (think fatty and tougher meats) become meltingly tender with the moist, low heat of a slow cooker. Leaner cuts like pork tenderloin tend to dry out. Likewise, dark meat chicken — thighs, drumsticks, etc.
Beef Chuck Roast
Other cuts that are either the same (under a different name) or come from the same area are the chuck eye, blade roast, shoulder roast, shoulder steak, arm steak, arm roast, cross-rib roast, or seven-bone roast. Some butchers also sell the chuck generically labeled as “pot roast.”