Recipes Using Stew Beef Cubes (2024)

FAQs

How to make beef stew cubes tender? ›

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.

Versatility makes these cuts ideal ingredients for dishes such as burgers, tacos and meat sauce. Perfect for breakfast, dinner and everything in-between.

Stew meat is made from cuts of beef with lots of tough connective tissue, namely chuck and/or round. When you simmer it in a liquid, the connective tissue breaks down and becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender. That's why it's traditionally braised in stock and turned into beef stew.

Cutting the cube steak into thin slices against the grain (perpendicular to the muscle fibers) can help to break down the tough fibers and make the meat easier to chew. This is particularly useful when using cube steak in dishes like stir-fries or fajitas.

We suggest using chuck steak as it is well marbled and stays tender through long cooking. You could also use brisket, bone-in ribs or beef osso bucco.

Two pounds of stew beef was diced, dressed in olive oil, and simply seasoned, seared hard to tender, rare perfection, then pushed to the exterior walls of the wok, and the veggies were loaded in, frying in the rendering beef fat.

Baking soda. Here's where it gets science-y: The baking soda raises the pH on the outside of the meat as it marinates, in a process known as velveting (which can also be done with a cornstarch slurry). This makes it so the proteins have a harder time bonding to each other when it's time to cook the meat.

Is stew meat just cut up chuck roast? ›

Next time you're shopping for stew beef, look at your options and see what cuts of meat will work best for your recipe. For example, chuck is a lean and tender cut of beef that works well in stew. However, if you would prefer a thicker and more flavorful stew, short ribs or oxtail may be better choices for you.

Don't Stew the Stew Too Long Either

It might seem that cooking your beef stew on low for 8 hours will make it even better, but that is not true at all. Your beef will be tough if you don't cook it enough and it will be tough if you cook it too much. It's just science, take it from us!

How long should I cook stew meat when frying? The cooking time for frying stew meat depends on the size and thickness of the meat pieces. In general, it is best to cook the meat over medium-high heat for about 4-6 minutes per side.

You can pound the beef chunks with a meat mallet to tenderize them. Making beef chunks tender requires using low heat in a slow cooker or searing the meat in a heavy skillet in liquid. You can also use a meat tenderizer to create a less chewy meat.

To achieve tender beef stew meat, it is recommended to boil it for approximately 1 to 1.5 hours. This will allow the collagen in the meat to break down, resulting in a more tender and succulent texture. What are some recommended spices or seasonings to add to the boiling water?

In a pan, put the beef, some oil (I use peanut oil, as it tolerates high heat), salt, onion, perhaps some pepper, and any other spices you might like. Over medium heat, brown the beef. Once browned, add water and cook the beef over low heat until it is tender.

The collagen, a connective tissue, is in high supply in these tougher cuts of meat. When cooked in moisture, the collagen dissolves into a gelatin and the meat fibers separate more easily. The higher the cooking temperature, the tougher the meat fibers become; a boil produces rubbery, chewy stewing beef.