When making a beef casserole or beef pie,...?!
We made a casserole yesterday, and despite buying good meat, it was still very tough and chewy (reminded me of school dinners!). We cooked it for 90 minutes - would it have been better slower cooked for longer?
The reason I'm asking is cos we had a homemade steak pie over Christmas (not made by us) and the meat practically melted in your mouth! I just wondered how you get it like that!
Answers: ,...... how do you get the meat really tender and moist?
We made a casserole yesterday, and despite buying good meat, it was still very tough and chewy (reminded me of school dinners!). We cooked it for 90 minutes - would it have been better slower cooked for longer?
The reason I'm asking is cos we had a homemade steak pie over Christmas (not made by us) and the meat practically melted in your mouth! I just wondered how you get it like that!
A slow cooker is the best option. It will not be as hot as an oven, but the longer and slower you cook it the tenderer it becomes , you can bung it in the slow cooker, along with the veg and leave it on all day. Perfect results every time! I do beef with orange that way! Another tip, briefly fry the veggies - even the night before if you need, coat the meat with flour and fry that too. No salt until you come to practically done, but plenty of dried herbs of your choice and freshly ground black pepper. Flavours intensify in the cooking process, and with stock, so you might not need more salt.
Another tip for slow cooking, curiously vegetables need to go on the bottom, then the meat. The vegetables take longer, so they need to be nearer the heat source.
Buy yourself a slow cooker and let it cook all day.. the meat will melt in your mouth..
Enjoy!!
slow cooking is definately the best way to do it, if you dont have one make sure you seal the meat in the pan first to seal in all the moisture
If I'm not sure of the tenderness of the beef, I precook in liquid before adding to my casserole or pie.
Roll the meat in flour and flash fry it before putting it in with the rest of the ingrediants.
The trick is to cook the beef slowly till tender and then make the casserole or pie.
No matter how long you cook stew meat or any meat suggested for casseroles they are tough and chewy. Pot Roast should be made into shoes. When I want stew or beef pie I use Filet Mignon. It's a little more costly but that will definately melt in your mouth.
The best way to find out the answer to your question, is to simply ask the person who made your 'melt in your mouth' Christmas pie! I'm sure they would be flattered and would love to share their recipe.
If not, probably you would want to cook the meat long and slow before you incorporate it into a casserole or pie. Pies and casseroles often use leftover roast beef (unless they are calling for ground round, hamburger etc) and so you are sure to have a really tender meat go into whatever you are making.
Good luck!
try cooking the meat in red wine or guiness, will soften the meat loads and make a great suace. as mentioned before cook slowly and for as long as possible. No need to use good quality meat in a casserole. The whole point is to tenderise cheaper cuts of meat. Good luck. Why not put in the oven and go to the pub for the afternoon. When you get back it will taste great.
quickly fry the meat with onions and seasoning to seal in juices and flavours
and then slowly simmer in gravy for at least an hour (it depends how big the beef pieces are)
when tender, uses as filling for pie \9allow to cool first or the pastry will get too soggy)
I pressure cook my beef for about 25 minutes before adding it to the rest of my ingredients. Soft, mouth-melting meat is the result. My mouth is watering!!
I cook the beef for at least 3 hours, and shin of beef or rib of beef are really tender melt in your mouth beef.
The problem is that you didn't cook it for long enough. With a proper stewing cut you should give it at least 2-3 hours - a little longer if you can. It will then reach the point of melting in the mouth.
Even better, cook it the day before you want to eat it, then refrigerate and reheat or turn into a pie the next day. If you do it this way, only reheat it as you use it - the general rule is to only reheat something once after its initial cooking.