In the dreaded cold days of winter, there's nothing like a hearty stew to warm you right up. And Ree Drummond agrees: "There's just something so comforting about a pot of thick, glossy stew simmering on the stove for hours," she says. Indeed!
So you go to make your grocery shopping list and read your favorite Pioneer Woman beef stew with potatoes only to find it recommends stew meat. But what is stew meat exactly? It's an ingredient in a lot of classic beef recipes, and it's often packaged as such at the store. But what if it isn't?
Stew meat isn't even listed on a handy dandy guide to cuts of beef, so what if your grocery store has seemingly everything but stew meat? Not to worry, because you'll find all your answers right here. Read on to find out what stew meat is, the best substitutes for stew meat, and other ways to use it besides, well, stew.
What Cut of Beef Is Stew Meat?
Stew meat usually consists of the inexpensive cuts of beef with tough connective tissue. Think: chuck roast and bottom round. It is typically a mix (which is why it isn't labeled as a particular cut) and packaged already in pieces. It needs to be cooked low and slow, so that tissue breaks down and the meat becomes tender. In fact, letting it cook down is the first way to thicken stew and the main difference between stew versus soup.
What Cuts of Beef Are Best for Stew?
If your store doesn't have stew meat out and labeled, look for the same cuts of meat for pot roast: chuck roast, bottom round, and brisket (preferably the fattier part "second cut"). You can ask the butcher to cut it up for you into two-inch chunks or so, or do it yourself.
And if you're wondering what Ree's favorite cut for stew is, it's chuck roast. "It has wonderful marbling throughout the meat, and when given an ample amount of time to cook, chuck roast winds up being tender and melt-in-your-mouth delicious," she explains.
What Else Can I Make with Stew Meat?
You can substitute stew meat for recipes that call for smaller pieces of chuck roast or similar cuts of beef. Texas chili, beef noodle casserole, beef and noodles, and beef burgundy are just a few examples. You'll also find a lot of beef slow cooker recipes would work because that low and slow cooking really brings out the best in those tougher cuts of meat.
