etherwork.net

[Mats]

Making stew seems, at first glance, as easy as falling off a log. You simply brown off some meat, add liquid, seasoning and vegetables and leave over low heat for a long time. Alton Brown has a slightly different take on this process : http://www.foodnetwork.com/food/recipes/recipe/0,,FOOD_9936_37518,00.html
Simply put, you take a piece of meat with lots of connective tissue (collagen) , brown it and coat it with a tomato paste,vinegar and herb mixture, wrap it in aluminum foil, place it a heatproof dish and place it in the oven at exactly 250F for 4 hours. Remove the meat and cool the liquid overnight. Remove the fat cap and use a small portion of it to sear the onion, potatoes and other vegetables. Then add the liquid , cover and cook until done. Cut up the cooked meat (removing parts you cannot eat) and add at the end. Perfect stew!!!

[ejm]

[David]

I'm afraid to use meat with lots of connective tissue when making stew because I'm worried that I'll end up serving some pieces of veins, tendons, cartilage or ligament and I hate the look on people's faces when they realise they're chewing something rubbery.

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[Mats]

I don't suppose that the use of aluminum foil is essential; if you can fit your meat inside a dish with a lid you could accomplish the same thing. The foil is simply easy to fashion a "dish" with a tight cover (to avoid steaming). Foil can both be reused and recycled.
As for the inedible parts (bones, tendons,etc.), they are removed before serving (next day). Both the fats and the collagen will have been broken down by the long, low heat.

[ejm]

This "connective tissue" issue gave me pause too, David. But looking more closely at the recipe, it turns out that Brown calls for short ribs...

[Barbara]

[Mats]

blm, you saved my bacon; thanks so much!