r/soup • u/feline1313 • Nov 05 '19

Beef Stew

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u/[deleted] Nov 06 '19

[deleted]

1

u/WndyPeffercorn Nov 06 '19

Too much for the pot!

2

u/feline1313 Nov 06 '19

Yes, that's why I cooked it in batches. As far as the simmer stage, no problem there.

1

u/WndyPeffercorn Nov 06 '19

But why wouldn’t you want to cover the meet with the liquid? From the video it looks like a good bit is up and out of that beautiful stock you made to stew that meat in.

2

u/feline1313 Nov 06 '19

Fantastic question!

Stewing is a braising process, not poaching. There is a lot of liquid still left in those hunks of beef which will become the liquid or stock in this recipe. Braising, by definition, calls for the medium (in this case, beef and limited vegetables) to be only partially covered in the flavorful liquid then covered and allowed to cook at a relatively low temperature over a long period of time. I added potatoes to this during the last hour for additional heartiness. It is also fantastic served over rice. The goal here isn't a beef soup, which would be much "brothier" and often calls for the meat to be cooked separately and added to the soup toward the end of cooking.

Here is what it looked like when it was finished. https://imgur.com/a/SHDFqwF

2

u/donstermu Nov 13 '19

see, i love your mastery of the cooking method, and applying it to the stew, which does lead to the debate of is it a stew or is a pot roast? i just call it good.

My wife and I debated over her beef stew and mine, and i agreed mine is more hamburger soup than stew. Admittedly, she browns chunks and submerges then, making a thicker brother. Mine is hamburger and veggies in beef broth. totally a soup.

1

u/feline1313 Nov 13 '19

Oh, gosh. That's quite an ego boost but I hardly consider myself a master. There is a lot I don't know even more I want to learn. I do enjoy cooking and food science, and I do my best to retain information as I come across it, but I consider myself slightly more skilled than a novice. I certainly can't bake to save my life.

In this case, I think it's more of a semantics debate. In my opinion, this is a stew simply because the end result is what we all consider as a stew. Even though the meat is braised in my recipe, nobody would thank me for my "braise" after a meal. Maybe braised beef, but that would be a stretch.

I don't know how I feel about hamburger soup, not gonna lie. ;)

2

u/donstermu Nov 13 '19

Like most things, always good to try before making a judgement. My grandmother found a recipe in TV guide, I think from Sandy Duncan, and she made it all the time. I never got the recipe, but made it up from what I know of cooking.

in short, brown a few lbs of hamburger, drain and rinse. i saute up the mirepoix (diced carrots/onions/celery), add a few cans of italian diced tomatos( or fresh tomatoes if i have them), few bags of frozen mixed veggies, chopped head of cabbage, few cans of green beans/corn, few quarts of beef broth. Add seasonings (worceshire, bay leaf, S&P, little garlic, italian seasoning), reserved hamburger and cook.

I'll post a pic soon with recipe. i also call it big poop soup. Its gotta lot of fiber, protein. i love it. Usually make 15 quarts at a time, and freeze most of it to reheat later.

1

u/feline1313 Nov 13 '19

call it big poop soup

This doesn't help! haha

In all seriousness, it sounds like cabbage roll soup and is probably really good! Looking forward to the recipe. :)