when it comes to beef stew there are
actually a lot of little details you
need to pay attention to if you want
your dish to be a hit not a
disappointment these are some of the
common mistakes you're probably making
with your beef stew and what to do
instead for the perfect dish
when looking for stew meat skip the
fancy steak and look for a heartier
tougher cut of beef you want meat that
has a lot of collagen rich connective
tissue which will break down over the
low and slow cooking period leading to
chunks of beef that are tender and
flavorful not dry and tough turn to cuts
like a chuck roast or round roast both
of these meats are tough and chewy if
you cook them up quickly but cook them
slowly and the collagen and fat within
melts and tenderizes the protein while
also adding lots of flavour and body to
the broth of your stew these cuts are
also usually much cheaper per pound than
the fancier steaks on the market which
only adds to their appeal as stew meat
it's definitely tempting to throw all of
your beef stew ingredients into the pot
all at once and to start cooking right
away and many recipes tell you to do
just that but if you simply set and
forget your stew you're missing out on a
lot of flavor to add a depth of savory
meaty flavour to your beef stew you
should always sear your meat before you
start the braising process you can brown
your beef right in the same pot you're
going to make the stew in add the cubed
seasoned meat in batches to a pot over
medium-high heat letting it caramelize
on the outside but not cooking it
through remove the seared beef and
repeat until all of it is finished make
sure you don't overcrowd the pan the
caramelization process adds extra depth
of flavor to your stew and the brown
bits at the bottom of the pan can be
scraped up with a wooden spoon when you
add the broth which will infuse the
liquid with even more rich flavor if
you're using a slow cooker it's still
worth it to sear your meat before adding
it to the pot and don't forget to
deglaze the pan you use to sear the beef
adding the prize liquid to the slow
cooker too before continuing on
a little extra time and effort can take
your beef stew from tasting like
something that could have come out of a
can to something you could imagine
serving company alongside a nice bottle
of red wine and some crusty bread the
secret you need to cook with plenty of
aromatics like onion garlic fresh herbs
and spices sear your beef first then
saute onions garlic carrots and celery
in the beef fat scraping the brown bits
up from the bottom as you go when the
veggies are somewhat softened add your
spices this way their flavors will
infuse the oil you can go in several
directions with the spices you use
garlic powder onion powder black pepper
smoked paprika and dried bay leaf all
work very well or you could take things
in another direction and add cumin
coriander star anise and cinnamon for a
more moroccan flair
unlike with a roast or a steak where the
flavour of your dish is concentrated on
the surface of the meat in a beef stew
you need to focus on the liquid that all
of the ingredients are being cooked in
if you want to make sure it's infused
with flavor that being said there are
some things to look out for store-bought
stock can be overly salty if you're
already salting the rest of the
ingredients as you prepare them adding a
store-bought stock might make the dish a
little too salty this is especially true
if you plan on reducing your stew to
thicken the broth as the water
evaporates out of the stew the salty
flavour will become concentrated if you
want to use a store-bought stock look
for low sodium or unsalted varieties so
you can adjust the seasoning to taste
instead of having to rely on whatever's
in the can or carton you also shouldn't
use plain water to make your beef stew
yes the meat and veggies will be able to
impart some flavor in the liquid but it
still won't reach its flavor potential
if you need a substitute for beef stock
even swapping it for chicken veggie or
mushroom stock is better than nothing
you can also use plain water with
bouillon cubes paste or powder added
though again you need to watch out for
the salt level when we think of a
perfect beef stew we imagine succulent
bites of meat slightly sweet tender
vegetables and a rich silky broth
holding everything together you want a
velvety slightly thickened broth that
has a lip smacking viscosity not one
that turns into a thick paste once it
starts to get cold
it's so thick
some recipes advise using flour a
cornstarch slurry or a roux to give your
stews broth some heft but those starchy
solutions can lead to trouble your beef
stew shouldn't be thick and gloppy like
a can of dog food when it's done cooking
and using a heavy hand with those
shortcut thickening methods can do just
that they can also dull the flavor of
your broth obscuring the rich meaty
tastes you worked so hard to develop
with blandness your stew broth should
naturally thicken while cooking thanks
to the release of starch from the
potatoes in your stew and also from the
collagen that cooks out of the meat
adding body to your liquid
choosing a well-marbled cut of meat
means that your stew will have a
luxurious rich texture thanks to the
collagen gelatin and beef fat that
renders out as your stew cooks at a low
and slow temperature but it can also
mean that when your stew is done cooking
there's a thick sheen of fat floating on
top which is not exactly appetizing
that's why once your stew is cooked you
should use a spoon to skim off the fat
that's floating on the top of the broth
you can also trim off any large pieces
of fat that are on your stew beef before
you sear and cook it so that it never
ends up swamping your stew in the first
place if you want to make the process
even easier you can pop your stew in the
refrigerator the fat will rise to the
top and congeal then you can scrape the
firm layer of fat from the top of your
pot when you reheat the stew the extra
fat will be gone letting the meaty
richness of the broth shine through
you might not think it but adding a
little something tangy to your beef stew
will give a subtle brightness to a heavy
dish there are a few different ways you
can add acid to your beef stew you can
add diced tomatoes tomato paste or some
red wine into the pot at the beginning
of cooking as the stew simmers the harsh
acidity will be toned down until you're
left with just a kick at the end of
cooking which will liven up the flavor
and add some brightness to the dish you
can also add a splash of vinegar at the
end of cooking if you taste your stew
and realize it still needs that little
extra something get some raw veggies
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