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Which cut of Lamb & Beef for a stew in a slow cooker
darkjedimaster
Posts: 18,621 Forum Member
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Hi all,
Now that the time of year has come for stews & casseroles, I am seriously considering whipping out my slow cooker again to make a decent stew / casserole. Now this year I am highly tempted to make a Lamb & Beef dish in my slow cooker, but am unsure as what cut of lamb and beef to use. Normally when I do a stew in a slow cooker I stick to the bog standard onion gravy as liquid but usually add some chilli seeds to give it a decent kick of heat.
Now due to the lack of vegetables that I like & that agree with me, I normally add in a fair amount of green beans, leaks, sweetcorn & bell peppers as they are my favourite vegetables.
Can anyone here advise what cuts are best for this type of cooking ?
Many thanks
Now that the time of year has come for stews & casseroles, I am seriously considering whipping out my slow cooker again to make a decent stew / casserole. Now this year I am highly tempted to make a Lamb & Beef dish in my slow cooker, but am unsure as what cut of lamb and beef to use. Normally when I do a stew in a slow cooker I stick to the bog standard onion gravy as liquid but usually add some chilli seeds to give it a decent kick of heat.
Now due to the lack of vegetables that I like & that agree with me, I normally add in a fair amount of green beans, leaks, sweetcorn & bell peppers as they are my favourite vegetables.
Can anyone here advise what cuts are best for this type of cooking ?
Many thanks
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Comments
The Butchers suggest The tougher meats such as Braising steak - Chuck Skirt Shin etc
You can use the dearer cuts but they do not have what it takes to make the stew very flavoursome with that fall apart tender tasty texture
I always make mine Adding whatever *** bargains I buy ***
Once I added a full bag of Okra as I like it and the bag was greatly reduced
I have also added bags of various mixed salads - to use them up - before they spoil
I like to add many many spices
including my faves
About 12 Cardamon pods and some Star Anise
I list them ALL in the
**** What did you eat today **** thread each time I make my meals and stews etc
When the food is cold I will put many portions into the freezer using Budget Sandwich bags - which I then fill & flatten out >> for the freezer
The best beef cuts for slow cooking & Tips in the Spoiler below
The best beef cuts for slow cooking
Here's a breakdown of which cuts are best, plus tips and recipes.
SHIN and LEG
Inexpensive cuts with bags of flavour, made up of very lean muscle.
CHUCK and BLADE
The best-known type of braising steak, and what most recipes mean when they call for this. A very tasty cut of beef that can be sliced or diced.
MIDDLE RIBS
When boned and rolled, this is a beautiful joint for pot-roasting. It can also be sliced or diced for use in casseroles.
BRISKET
Because this comes from the belly of the animal it can sometimes be fatty, but this is what adds to the flavour of the stock during cooking. A cylindrical joint that gives nice neat slices when carved.
SHORT RIBS
Traditionally an American cut that is often called ‘oven-busters’ over here, short ribs are becoming quite trendy. Slowly braised in wine or beer with vegetables and lots of aromatics, they become very tender and almost velvety in texture, with a fantastic flavour.
MINCED NECK and FLANK
Mince made from the tougher cuts of meat is best used in dishes requiring slow cooking. Mince from a prime cut, such as tail of the fillet, is usually reserved for serving raw in dishes such as steak tartare.
SKIRT
Usually reserved for slow cooking in either steak and kidney pudding or Cornish pasties.
SILVERSIDE
Neat, cylindrical joint, ideally suited to braising or pot-roasting.
OXTAIL
Tough off-cut of beef that requires long, slow cooking to become tender. Because it is a cut of meat still on the bone – and also comes with quite a lot of fat, cartilage and marrow – it contains a staggering amount of flavour. The cut to use for osso bucco.
TIPS FOR SLOW COOKING
Brown the beef first – in small batches, if necessary, to maintain a high heat in the pan. As this caramelises some of the juices in the pan – adding to the flavour – you should do it in the pot you will cook in, ideally a cast-iron flameproof casserole with a tight-fitting lid.
If you need to toss the beef in a little flour before browning, make sure it is not overly wet and only a light dusting clings to the outside. This will give your meat a good colour.
When seasoning slow-cooked dishes, do so lightly at the beginning. This method encourages reduction of the liquid, so the sauce can become much more concentrated and easily get too salty. Adjust the seasoning at the end of cooking.
Cook the beef at the correct temperature at the start of cooking. The liquid in the pan should not be allowed to bubble at all vigorously, but just tremble in the centre of the pot. This lets the meat become meltingly tender but not fall apart.
Covering the dish with a tight-fitting lid or foil is also very important, especially with some braised dishes in which the meat is cooked in relatively little liquid. It stops the sauce reducing too much.
Making a slow-cooked dish the day before will improve the flavour immensely. Chill it overnight, then reheat and simmer gently for the briefest time possible before serving.
Brisket.
General casserole meat.
One of the first meats I cooked in my S/C was just a lamb shank and an onion quartered.
I cooked it for 6 hours or more.
The meat just slid off the bone and was pull apart tender and the juices with the onion made a beautiful gravy.
Slow cookers will make any piece of meat tender.
Neck of lamb.
I use whole chickens and turkey legs.
Fresh thyme, rosemary and whole cloves of garlic. Can of haricot beans. Onions, root veg. Can of beer or half bottle of wine. Decent stock. Go away and try to ignore the cooking smells.
I use my slow cooker for Breast of Lamb and Braising Steak
I also use it for Gammon and Pork Shank. I usually cook them until the skin is soft enough to cut off then continue cooking them for another couple of hours.
Today it's shin beef. It's already smelling stupendous.
I never bother browning anything first, as I have tried both ways and found it makes no difference whatsoever. I know some people do that and say it does, though. Personal preference, I suppose.
Slow cookers also make splendid rice pudding.
Incidentally if you want the most delicious mince for lasagne. cottage pie or whatever, then ask the butcher to mince up some flank for you.... lush.
Oxtail is another very tasty cut, it needs to be cooked for ages though.
I don't use a slow cooker, I use a Dutch oven.
I would also say that if you enjoy these cheaper cuts, it may be worth looking at getting a pressure cooker as they cook them beautifully as well, although you obviously can't leave them all day while you're out at work
This is very annoying, isn't it.
The 'trendies' have discovered these cheap cuts, and they've been appearing on 'gastropub' menus for a few years now, so as you say, the price gets pushed up.
In a way it can start to get lesser cuts into the supermarket but they don't stay cheap for long.
For A while I was looking for lamb neck steaks/fillets and the supermarket butchers didn't even know it was a cut but a few months later Morrisons started to stock them.
Says it all about supermarkets and their "butchers"
He basically just supplies the top sellers.
Now you have to buy the component bits separately from the butcher and pay double.
Gonna make one Sunday and make it last 'til Wednesday. Gets better each day.
Meat
1 Lamb shank just over 1lb
2lb casserole beef
1lb Oxtail
Vegetables
Potatoes
Onion
Mixed bell peppers
Sweetcorn
Green Beans
Now once all my ingredients are in the slow cooker, am I best of getting up at say 6am & cook on low for 12hrs for what I am putting in to make the Oxtail really tender & be ready to eat that evening ?. Or would I be best to cook it the day before and then just reheat it the next day, or cook it for a lesser amount of time ?.
Many Thanks
I'd do it the day before. The flavour of most stews will improve if left to "mature" for a day or two.
Thanks for the fast reply
Well all the meat is now in my slow cooker & will add the veg a bit later on. No doubt the annoyance of the gorgeous smell during cooking will get my mouth watering, but that is the price I will have to pay until I serve it up tomorrow.