How to Choose a Cut of Meat for Stews
Look for tough, lean cuts., Look for meat labeled "chuck" or "roast.", Do not rely on packages labelled "stew meat."
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Look for tough
In a stew, you’re going for tender bites of meat amidst a medley of earthy vegetables.
In order to soften everything up, of course, stew requires a substantial cooking time.
This means that you actually want to avoid the fancy cuts that are considered the best for steaks, because they will turn tough and chewy when cooked in a stew.It’s not the fat you’re looking for in a tough cut, it’s the collagen.
This is the connective tissue within the flesh itself that will break down over a long cooking period, leaving the meat tender and juicy.
In general, flesh from the front shoulder or rear end of an animal will be the toughest and leanest. -
Step 2: lean cuts.
If you’re getting meat from a butcher or a meat counter at the supermarket, they’ll be able to point you towards the cuts from the shoulder and rear end.
Even within these areas of an animal’s body, however, there are all sorts of specific cuts of meat.All of the following cuts will work great in a stew:
Chuck, Chuck Shoulder, Chuck Roast, Chuck-Eye Roast, Top Chuck, Bottom Round Roast, Bottom Eye Roast, Rump Roast, Eye Round Roast, Top Round, Round Tip Roast, English Roast, and Pot Roast. , Sometimes pre-packaged meat labelled in such a way are perfect for making stew.
However, in many cases it is instead an assemblage of the odds and ends from different cuts of meat.
The reasoning here is that those pieces of meat from different parts of the animal will cook at different rates.With pre-cut “stew meat” that feature different cuts of meat, you'll end up with some tender pieces of meat in your finished stew, but others that are tough and chewy.
Further, fat content will differ between pieces of meat, making it hard to tell how lean your meal will be.
If stew meat is the best option, choose the package that seems to have pieces that are generally the same size, and which contain visible white striping within the flesh. -
Step 3: Look for meat labeled "chuck" or "roast."
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Step 4: Do not rely on packages labelled "stew meat."
Detailed Guide
In a stew, you’re going for tender bites of meat amidst a medley of earthy vegetables.
In order to soften everything up, of course, stew requires a substantial cooking time.
This means that you actually want to avoid the fancy cuts that are considered the best for steaks, because they will turn tough and chewy when cooked in a stew.It’s not the fat you’re looking for in a tough cut, it’s the collagen.
This is the connective tissue within the flesh itself that will break down over a long cooking period, leaving the meat tender and juicy.
In general, flesh from the front shoulder or rear end of an animal will be the toughest and leanest.
If you’re getting meat from a butcher or a meat counter at the supermarket, they’ll be able to point you towards the cuts from the shoulder and rear end.
Even within these areas of an animal’s body, however, there are all sorts of specific cuts of meat.All of the following cuts will work great in a stew:
Chuck, Chuck Shoulder, Chuck Roast, Chuck-Eye Roast, Top Chuck, Bottom Round Roast, Bottom Eye Roast, Rump Roast, Eye Round Roast, Top Round, Round Tip Roast, English Roast, and Pot Roast. , Sometimes pre-packaged meat labelled in such a way are perfect for making stew.
However, in many cases it is instead an assemblage of the odds and ends from different cuts of meat.
The reasoning here is that those pieces of meat from different parts of the animal will cook at different rates.With pre-cut “stew meat” that feature different cuts of meat, you'll end up with some tender pieces of meat in your finished stew, but others that are tough and chewy.
Further, fat content will differ between pieces of meat, making it hard to tell how lean your meal will be.
If stew meat is the best option, choose the package that seems to have pieces that are generally the same size, and which contain visible white striping within the flesh.
About the Author
Alexander Campbell
Committed to making crafts accessible and understandable for everyone.
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