Browning Beef in Beef Stew?
So im going to be making beef stew again, and most recipes call for it to be browned. (This is going in a cast iron OLD dutch oven, so maximum season!)
That being said the Dutch oven itself is....narrowish on the inside. So browning a bunch of meat is tedious.
So I guess my main concern is obviously safety. I believe it's brought to a boil them simmered for 2 hours, or somewhere along those lines. Is it still safe for the beef if I don't brown it?
I know the Myth if browning sealing in the juices, but would I be able to maybe....half-brown it, as in not brown every-side but just kinda put it in and let it brown for a little bit and stir it around to make it still taste ok? Because Browning every single cube of beef is kinda a PITA.
Thanks!
Best Answer
Making a stew without browning is relatively safe since the prolonged cooking should kill off most pathogens. This is especially true if you are careful about your kitchen cleanliness and cut the meat down from a larger piece yourself instead of buying pre-cut "stew meat" or ground meat. Whole cuts of meat such as steaks or roasts usually only have E. coli on the surface, which makes the E. coli easier to kill by cooking. When the meat is ground or mechanically tenderized, E. coli on the surface can be transferred to the inside of the meat. This is why ground meat and mechanically tenderized meat are more likely to cause illness than whole cuts of meat. Like ground meats, prepackaged "stew meat" can contain tissues from multiple individual animals, thereby increasing the chance that there is E. coli present in the package. Each additional surface is another place for E. coli to grow while that package is sitting at the store or in your fridge.
Browning, however contributes a significant amount of flavor to the stew, which will be lost. The good news is that you don't have to brown every single piece... One alternative that I use is to buy the quantity of meat I plan to use as a whole roast (instead of pre-cut "stew meat") then sear the entire roast before cutting it down to stew-size chunks. You get the flavor benefit of the Maillard browning with less time spent browning little pieces and less overcooked meat. If you use a lidless, oven braise technique, as suggested in Harold McGee's On Food and Cooking, you will get further browning on any pieces that aren't totally submerged as well as flavor concentration from evaporation.
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Should you brown beef before stew?
If you are making a slow cooked recipe that calls for ground beef, like chili, beef stew, or meat sauce, browning the meat beforehand makes a huge difference. Ground meat should always be browned in a skillet and drained before it is added to the slow cooker with the other ingredients.Why do you brown meat before making stew?
The purpose is to caramelize some of the meat's natural sugars. This adds tremendous flavor to the meat and sauce. Care is required to brown meat properly. Ideally, the meat should be browned in a skillet or saute pan, which allows more evaporation than does a deep stew pot.How long does it take to brown beef stew meat?
Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; add more oil as needed between batches. Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves.Does browning meat make a difference?
During cooking, beef undergoes many chemical changes, affecting its appearance, taste and texture. Browning or searing the lean outer surface of your beef produces the rich, deep meaty colours, flavours and aromas we love. This browning process is known as the Maillard reaction.How to Brown Stew Meat in a Skillet : Cooking Meat
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Answer 2
Brown the meat in small batches. You will lose flavor if you do not sear your meat. It's not so much about "locking in flavor" as it is developing flavor you wouldn't otherwise get. Not to mention the texture.
Properly sear a portion of the meat on all sides, remove it from the pot, repeat until you have seared all the meat and finally return it all to the pot.
It may seem tedious, but it should not take long at all in a hot vessel.
Oh. And as far as safety goes, it's a non-issue. The searing isn't meant to cook the meat through in the first place. The meat cooks in the stew. The searing is for building flavor and texture.
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