How To Soften Beef Stew Meat? A Full Guide

Are you tired of tough and chewy beef stew meat ruining your favorite comfort food? Fear not, because we have some tips and tricks to help you soften that meat to perfection.

Whether you prefer slow cooking or marinating, there are several methods you can use to make your beef stew meat fall-apart tender. In this article, we’ll explore the best ways to tenderize your beef stew meat before cooking, including using a marinade with an acid content, pounding the meat with a mallet, and slow braising.

So, let’s get started and make your next bowl of beef stew a mouth-watering success!

How To Soften Beef Stew Meat?

One of the most important things to remember when cooking beef stew is to let the meat cook slowly at a bare simmer over several hours. This allows the collagens in the tough muscle tissue to melt and make the meat tender. You can test the tenderness of the meat by tasting a bite after an hour, two hours, and three hours of cooking. You’ll notice how the meat goes from chewy to pretty good to fall-apart tender.

Another way to soften beef stew meat is by using a marinade with an acid content. Vinegar, lemon, lime, yogurt, wine, buttermilk, or tomato juice are all great options for a marinade. The acid breaks down the collagen in the meat fibers and makes the tough meat tender. However, be careful not to use too much marinade in a slow-cooking stew as it will take longer to tenderize the meat. For example, use wine to deglaze but wait to add lemon, lime, or tomato juice towards the end of the cooking process.

If you have more time, marinating overnight is an excellent option. Acids take time to penetrate the meat, so the process will take longer if you add oils or sugar. Marinating overnight is especially good if you have a thick cut of meat. Meat cuts that should be marinated include chuck meat, skirt, sirloin, round, and flank.

Using a meat tenderizing mallet is another great way to soften beef stew meat before cooking. Pound the beef evenly on both sides with the mallet. Pounding meat with a mallet breaks up tough muscle fibers and creates small dimples on the surface. These dimples allow juices to penetrate deeper into the meat which tenderizes it even more. Before placing the tenderized meat into the stew, it’s typically cut into cubes against the grain. This makes the meat softer and easier to chew.

The very best way to soften beef stew meat is through a cooking process called braising. Slow cooking beef in liquid at low temperatures creates very tender meat. Stew Meat is typically made from inexpensive tough and lean cuts of beef like skirt, flank, chuck or round roasts. Try to select the freshest cut of steak you can get with some amount of fat or marbling. Even among tough cuts of beef, some steaks are more tender than others.

Here’s a breakdown of how to soften beef stew meat using braising:

1. Lightly wrap the meat in waxed paper or plastic and place it on a cutting board.

2. Using a spiked meat mallet, hit the Stew Meat hard enough to leave dimples.

3. Pound both sides of the meat evenly.

4. Remove meat from the wrap and cut it into cubes against the grain.

5. Season.

6. Once the meat is tenderized, cut and seasoned, place it into your stew and start cooking on low heat.

The longer you slow braise your beef stew meat, the more tender it will become. Braising is a slow cook method that usually takes over 4 – 6 hours to complete but results in super tender meat that melts in your mouth.

Why Beef Stew Meat Can Be Tough

Beef stew meat can be tough because it comes from the tougher, less expensive cuts of beef, such as chuck or round roasts. These cuts have more connective tissue, which makes them tougher to chew. The connective tissue includes collagen, which is a protein that is difficult to break down. When cooked quickly, the collagen remains tough and chewy. However, when cooked slowly over low heat, the collagen breaks down and becomes gelatinous, resulting in tender meat. Therefore, it’s important to cook beef stew meat slowly and at a low temperature to allow the connective tissue to break down and make the meat tender. Additionally, cutting the meat against the grain before cooking can also help to make it easier to chew.

Using A Marinade To Tenderize Beef Stew Meat

Marinades can be a great way to tenderize beef stew meat while also adding flavor. When using a marinade, it’s important to choose one with an acid content such as vinegar, lemon, lime, yogurt, wine, buttermilk, or tomato juice. The acid in the marinade breaks down the collagen in the meat fibers and makes the tough meat tender. However, be careful not to use too much marinade in a slow-cooking stew as it will take longer to tenderize the meat.

If you have more time, marinating overnight is an excellent option. Acids take time to penetrate the meat, so the process will take longer if you add oils or sugar. Marinating overnight is especially good if you have a thick cut of meat. Meat cuts that should be marinated include chuck meat, skirt, sirloin, round, and flank.

It’s important to note that while marinades can add flavor and tenderize the outer layer of meat, they don’t penetrate very far into the meat. Salt and acid can get deeper into the muscle if left long enough, but most aromatic molecules only make it a few millimeters below the surface.

To use a marinade for beef stew meat, simply mix your chosen ingredients together and place the meat in a large resealable bag or container. Make sure that all of the meat is coated in the marinade and then refrigerate for at least 3 hours or overnight. After marinating, you can cook the beef stew with any method you prefer.

The Benefits Of Pounding Beef Stew Meat

Pounding beef stew meat with a meat tenderizing mallet is a quick and easy way to break up tough muscle fibers and create small dimples on the surface of the meat. These dimples allow juices to penetrate deeper into the meat, which tenderizes it even more. Pounding also has the advantage of flattening the meat, which allows it to cook more quickly and more evenly. The longer a steak spends over the heat, the drier it gets. And since dry meat is tougher, preserving the juices will produce a more tender beef stew.

Another benefit of pounding beef stew meat is that it helps to create uniformity in the size and thickness of the meat cubes. This ensures that all of the pieces cook at the same rate and are equally tender. When you cut beef stew meat into cubes against the grain after pounding, it also makes the meat softer and easier to chew.

Pounding is an especially useful technique for tenderizing tough cuts of beef like skirt, flank, chuck, or round roasts. These cuts are typically lean and inexpensive, but they can be tough if not cooked properly. By pounding them with a meat mallet, you can break down the collagen in the meat and make it more tender.

Slow Braising For Tender Beef Stew Meat

Slow braising is an excellent way to soften beef stew meat and create a melt-in-your-mouth texture. This cooking method involves cooking the meat in liquid at low temperatures for several hours. The low and slow cooking time allows the collagen in the tough muscle tissue to melt and create a tender texture.

To slow braise beef stew meat, start by lightly wrapping the meat in waxed paper or plastic and placing it on a cutting board. Using a spiked meat mallet, hit the meat hard enough to leave dimples on both sides of the meat evenly. Remove the meat from the wrap and cut it into cubes against the grain. Season the meat with your desired seasoning.

Once the meat is tenderized, cut, and seasoned, place it into your stew and start cooking on low heat. The longer you slow braise your beef stew meat, the more tender it will become. Braising is a slow cook method that usually takes over 4 – 6 hours to complete but results in super tender meat that melts in your mouth.

When slow braising beef stew meat, it’s important to choose the right cut of meat. Stew meat is typically made from inexpensive tough and lean cuts of beef like skirt, flank, chuck or round roasts. Try to select the freshest cut of steak you can get with some amount of fat or marbling. Even among tough cuts of beef, some steaks are more tender than others.

Tips For Choosing The Best Cuts Of Beef For Stew

When it comes to choosing the best cuts of beef for stew, it’s important to look for tough cuts that are lean and high in collagen. Collagen is a type of protein found in animals that provides structure to muscles, ligaments, and other connective tissue. The more a muscle is used, the more collagen it contains. Therefore, cuts of beef that are rich in connective tissue, such as beef shank and neck, are ideal for stewing.

Chuck steak or roast is another great option for stewing. It comes from the lower back and upper shoulder of the cow and has high levels of connective tissue. Chuck also has a good amount of marbling and low external fat, making it a great choice for stew.

Bone-in short ribs, bohemian (bottom sirloin flap), oxtail, fatty brisket (“point” or “second cut”), and cross-cut shanks are also excellent cuts of beef for stewing. These cuts have a lot of connective tissue that will dissolve into gelatin/collagen during slow cooking, resulting in moist and tender meat.

While it’s possible to use fattier cuts of beef for stewing, it’s important not to overdo it. No amount of fat will help a cut that isn’t meant for stewing. Additionally, expensive cuts like tenderloin, ribeye, and strip are not well-suited to stewing because they lack the necessary connective tissue.