Help - Stewing Steak!

moozikgal

a tip that i use when making a stroganoff is to soak the beef first in 100ml of warm water and a tea spoon of baking soda for 15 mins then wash well before adding to the pot and browning off and adding other ingredents. It always makes a very nice tender beef and i have always used very cheap cuts and been complimented (once by a farmer) and asked what beef i used as it was the best they had had!

Jayar

*flutterby* wrote: »

I want it to go really soft though and at the moment it's tough as boots... If I leave it in the oven on low all day will it get tougher or softer???

Leave it on a slow oven and it will just get more tender and more tasty. When I'm doing steak pie, I always cook the pastry separately. That way you don't get any soggy pastry.

freyasmum

Hiya.

I use rump for braising and I do it in the slow cooker, that's (as others were saying) basically just the same as a low oven. I left it in for about six hours (Freya was having it so it had to be soft ). Just leave it and let it cook and check it every so often. You will have a lovely dinner Hope you enjoy it!

Lx

Clive_Woody

When I cook braising steak I do it for a very long time on a low temperature (gas mark 2 or 3). You just need to add a little water and I sometime add a splash of soy sauce or Worcester sauce. Cover the dish and leave to cook until tender. The same goes for a casserole, just leave it for a long time on a low temp, occasionally give it a stir. Both should give you melt in the mouth meat.

MRSMCAWBER

Hi there
I find that when doing stewing/shin/braising steak etc...drop it in a pan/casserole with a really tight fitting lid or foil, and put it in the oven at about gas 6 for about 1/2 hr to give itsome colour and then drop to as low as you can for a few hours..or as long as you want....i dont add any water/stock or veg for the first hour or so... that way the meat is browned and it creates its own juices and doesnt go grey..eugh!
I have just done a reduced price 1/2 shoulder of lamb in the exact same way...after about 2 hours the meat just dropped off.
I usually make my own pastry, but draw the line at making puff/flaky (so buy it when its on bogof...cut each block into 4 and freeze that way i can just use what i need..1/4 rolls for miles :-)..and i cut it into the number of pieces i want to serve before baking...it saves me throwing crumbs everywhere when im serving up LOL
I also use porridge oats to thicken instead of flour or instant gravy...but thats a whole seperate ramble....

HelzBelz

What I do, is start cooking the meat either in the morning, or night before, then when the beef gets to the cooked but still tough stage I turn the oven off and leave it to keep cooking (you'd be surprised how long it actually takes an oven to cool if you don't open the door), then when you're ready to make it into the pie it's been cooked slowly to make it tender but without the worry of it boiling dry.

Plus because you're using the residual heat of the oven instead of gas/electricity:T

lil_me

Slow cooker for me too, always part bake the pastry without filling in first aswell, don't like soggy bottoms :rotfl: on my pies.

GIRLPOWER_2

So what else goes inside these pies then?

I can make shortcrust pastry and have a slow cooker.. .. so the question is..... how do you make yours?

freyasmum

Hiya,

My mum puts pork sausages (my uncle uses beef) into her steak pies. She just cuts them up a bit and adds them after the steak. It's delicious.

Lx

Jayar

So how was the pie flutterby?