Page 127 - YC Cooking School

to the boil helps to bring any impurities to the surface, boiling it for too long will leave you
with very dry meat. The slow cooking process of stewing allows the connective tissue to

separate from the muscle fibres. Under these lower, slower conditions, the fibres absorb
rather than expel liquid, giving you a lovely and juicy end result.

Skim your stew to keep it clear
While your stew is simmering, scum and impurities will rise to the top of the pot. Use a ladle

to skim them off the surface so your stew stays beautiful and clear.

Add bacon for a juicy stew
Lean meat doesn’t make for good slow cooking, so you may need to add extra fat to the pot
– usually bacon – to get that extra dose of juiciness and flavour.

Reduce the sauce for extra flavour
At the end of the cooking process you should be left with a delicious and intensely flavour-
filled liquid sauce. This is the very essence of slow cooking. If your sauce is a little insipid,
strain the meat and vegetables through a colander and put the liquid back on the stove to

reduce. As the water evaporates, you’ll be left with a smaller amount of liquid that has a
richer flavour. It’s best not to do this with the meat still in the pot as you may end up
overcooking the meat. Rather add the meat back to the liquid when you’ve achieved the
consistency and intensity you’re after.

Save seasoning till last
A perfectly seasoned liquid, once reduced, will be doubly salty. For this reason, when
reducing the liquid in a dish or pot, be patient and hold off seasoning until the very end.

Time makes the taste grow stronger

For best results, serve your slow cooked dish the day after you cook it or even a few days
later. This allows the flavours to mingle, settle and develop, particularly with spicy dishes. It
also allows the gelatine to set, giving an extra sheen and body to the dish when you reheat
it. If this isn’t practical for you, at least try and let the dish sit for an hour or two before you
serve it.

Slow is best for reheating
When reheating slow cooked dishes, do it slowly rather than at a rapid boil. If you don’t, all
of your hard work will be undone and there’s a good chance your meat will turn to mush.

Cuts of meat best suited to stewing

Beef: Oxtail, Short rib, brisket, shin
Lamb: Neck, shoulder, shank, tail
Pork: Head, neck, shoulder, leg, belly, knuckle, trotter, tail
Venison: neck, shoulder, haunch, shank

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