Stewing | Combination Cooking

Did you add both mustard and horseradish to the sauce?

In the end we did not add the horseradish or Dijon. I find using them more as a garnish is almost better in this case (same with pot roasting) as the bold flavors stand out more. Also the flavor doesn't just blend in and give the sauce an all over horseradish/Dijon flavor...the flavors stay separate which makes for a nice contrast.

Would you not recommend using a Crock Pot instead of a pot after the browning step?

For sure you could use a crock pot at this point. We are basically doing the same thing in a 200°F oven.

I always thought that you had to 'bring meat to a boil' when re-heating for safety reasons. Is this not the case? You suggest not making the food too hot when re-heating. Does it kill off all bacteria if you just slightly re-heat it?

When re-heating a stew (or anything for that matter) you are correct that it must be brought back up to a safe temperature - between 165°F to 212°F (74°C-100°C).

When we say not to serve it too hot, we mean that once the stew has come out of the oven (which has been reheated to the proper temperature), it is best if it is allowed to sit for a few minutes. Foods that are not piping hot will have more flavor and a better mouth feel. See the end of Topic 7 from the Combination Cooking Lesson for more information on this.

Are they the same thing? I'm really confused.

The chuck and shoulder are the same part of the steer - there are just different terms to identify this area. This area contains tough muscles and plenty of connective tissue, but is very flavorful. This type of meat is most suitable for moist-heat cooking. Hope this clears things up.

In braising lesson you say that it's best to use 200F while in stewing it's 250. I understand that you can cook it lower than 250, but why the difference?

Btw I made braised oxtail with a little bit of curry spices added and it was amazing. Thank you guys:)

Great to hear you experimented with some interesting flavors. As for the temperature, slower and lower produces the best results, especially when it comes to combination cooking. Other than time, whether you cook the dish at 200F or 250F, there's really no difference. Both temperatures are low and will produce great results. Hope this helps!

Would there be other alternatives to wine or beer in a stew or would broth or stock not lend enough flavor? The reason I ask is because I need to cook halal for some guests.

The liquid can be just stock or broth (or any combination of liquids), as mentioned in the Combination Cooking Fundamentals Lesson. The choice is up to you. We used both beer and wine here to build added layers of flavor and different flavor profiles; however, you will still get great results if you use a good stock or broth. Cheers!

For Jennifer and the guy who was asking about grape juice and vinegar, in my pre-Rouxbe days, I often made an English brown stew which called for tomato juice. It was a pressure-cooker recipe but turned out quite nice. It had allspice and Worcestershire sauce, lemon juice. Using the Rouxbe technique, maybe a combo of tomato juice and beef stock would work. Let me know if you want the rest of the ingredients.

I think the technique is the most important thing here. I've always browned in the same Dutch oven but really enjoyed browning in my new stainless steel frying pan and deglazing that pan. I pretty much followed the directions and thought it was great. I did use boxed beef stock so I cut back on the salt. At our community center, I cajoled a true believer in precut meat (frozen, it was horrible) and other institutional foods into letting me do the stew for a fundraiser. It's a dry township so I used neither beer nor wine. We used beef base and water for the liquid and people declared it the best ever. Herminia, try using a combo of tomato juice and beef stock and see if it turns out better for you. I also like a dash of Worcesteshire sauce and a little allspice. Good luck!

Anyway to get around using flour in this? My son is gluten free. So frustrating!

Andrew, have you tried cornstarch or potato starch as a thickener? You don't need a lot. You could also puree some of the vegetables for a natural thickener. I've made that English stew without any flour.

Here is also some information on Making Roux with Potato Starch. Cheers!

Thank you Stephanie & Kimberley!

Steps 5 & 7 don't work with iPad for some reason. I tested on two separate iPads. First time I've ran into this problem.
Thanks

Hi there Leandro.

Thanks for bringing this to our attention. It should now be fixed, and all the topics of this lesson will play on your iPads. (I just tested it myself)

Again, thanks for the heads up!

I cooked this as close to the recipe as possible.. I used a quality beef stock as a liquid, and the flour/water slurry as a thickener.. It turned out AMAZING and I cant believe my redneck-hillbilly-always-eats-fast-food butt made this all by myself.. Thanks Rouxbe.com you people are awesome!!

All the combination methods sound like they take several hours start to end. While there are times I can do this, often on weekends go out and do something since my free time is limited weeknites. So I was wondering if I could split the cooking over a few nites after work?

After going thru the combination cooking lessons, it sounds like stewing is the one that would take the least time to cook the meat because of the smaller piece size. So what I was thinking was that on one nite I would brown the meat, cook the onions, deglaze, and then put everything into the fridge. The 2nd nite I would put it into a Dutch oven, add liquid and other veggies, bring to a simmer and cook until the meat is done. I'd cool this and refrigerate overnite, then on the 3rd nite I'd warm the stew (or a portion of it) .

Does this sound like a workable plan?

Yes Ken. This sounds perfect. Making stews and braised dishes ahead of time also results in a much tastier and moist meal.

One thing to mention given your limited time.... if the stew meat isn't fully cooked (fork tender) by the time you need to turn in for the night, don't worry, you can pick up the cooking on day three as you need to re-heat anyways. You just might have to reheat a bit longer (and error on starting much earlier than needed as you really can't over-cook a slow cooked dish).

Also note that by cooling it a day ahead, you can remove the fat that collects on the top.

Good luck.

The video says that peal onions are often added near the end of the cooking process. Is there a problem with adding them in with the other vegetables instead or is there a reason they are usually added at the end that I should worry about?

Because pearl onions are so small, they might break down if added early in the cooking process. They don't take long to cook through, so that is why we add choose to add them near the end. Cheers!

Is there a difference or preference in using one or the other type of starches in making a slurry (apart from gluten allergy for potato flour): flour vs. cornstarch vs tapioca vs potato flour?

Different starches have different thickening abilities, and some leave a smoother mouth feel. You can easily research this, but I am a big fan of arrowroot for my non-gluten (flour) alternative. It thickens very well, at a lower temperature so it doesn't have to come to a boil, and has a smooth mouth feel.