Beef in my stew isn't tender

My son made a beef stew last night and brought it over to me today. The meat he used did not become tender. I am 79 years of age and the meat is just not easy for me to eat. I want to try putting it in my pressure cooker to make it more tender for me to eat. Will that work? Or is there another good way to make it more tender?

beef

Best Answer

There are two possible reasons why the meat might be tough.

The right meat, just cooked not long enough
If your son used "stewing meat", that is, rich in collagen layers and marbeled, you are on the right track. Simply cooking longer until the collagen breaks down will give you the desired results. And yes, a pressure cooker works perfectly for this. The higher pressure allows the liquid in the pot to boil at a higher temperature, thus reducing the cooking time compared to a regular pot. (A crock pot / slow cooker does the same in much longer time.)
The wrong meat, i.e. a lean cut
That is the material for a quick sear, often served medium or rare. Longer cooking results in the proteins in the meat toughening up (not unlike when you cook an egg), giving you a "dry" piece of meat. Unfortunately, longer cooking won't really help, you are missing the collagen layers that - when soft - cause the meat to fall apart into small juicy strands.

Conclusion:
I don't know what's in your stew. For stewing meat, by all means keep cooking. For other types, note that the consistency might go from "not easy to eat" to "almost uneatable".

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Quick Answer about "Beef in my stew isn't tender"

Not cooking the stew long enough. Chuck meat is your best bet for beef stew, but it's also a pretty tough cut so it needs time to break down and become tender. Rush the cooking process and the beef will be tough and chewy. Follow this tip: For really tender meat, cook the stew low and slow, for approximately two hours.

Why is my stew meat still tough?

The second way to overcook your meat is to cook it at too high of a temperature. 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.

How do you get stew meat to be tender?

The more you cook muscle, the more the proteins will firm up, toughen, and dry out. But the longer you cook connective tissue, the more it softens and becomes edible. To be specific, muscle tends to have the most tender texture between 120\xb0 and 160\xb0F.

Does beef get more tender the longer you stew it?

To recook a tough cut of beef to tenderize it, place the meat in a slow cooker or a heavy lidded pot. Add 2 to 3 cups of liquid -- enough to cover it halfway, but not submerge it. Place the lid on the slow cooker or pot and gently simmer the meat until it's fork tender.

The BEST Beef Stew Recipe - Hundreds of 5-Star Reviews!!

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