Doshers Beef Stew Brew!! (Sous-Vide)

This idea came about somewhat serendipitously because of a purchase I had made with no plan in sight. Yes, it happens to be the best of us. I was shopping at a high-end grocery store, and they had several chuck roasts in the butcher case, and they were beautiful. The roast was not marked as prime, but the holy cow, they were remarkably well-marbled (Sorry, no pic). I just had to buy one. This post, as well as the pictures that follow, are spontaneous. I had no intention of writing about this stew, but it came out so well I just had to blog about this excellent method to pull off the best beef stew I have ever made. To date, I've made this twice. Once for the family and once for a party in which I made 35-Quarts. This post is about the 35-Quarts one I made.

What am I talking about? Sous-Vide Processing the Beef in advance, of course. Traditional methods are generally as follows. Season protein, sear off meat, and add veggies. Sometimes you will see a recipe that calls for the meat to be browned first then added to beef stock (some other stuff too). Once the meat becomes somewhat tender, add in the veggies. Timing can be tricky, and because of timing, I've yet to have a great beef stew. A few things happen along the way. Meat becomes dry, or veggies become too soft and or both. 

Processing the beef in advance solves everything. Why do you ask? The meat, when processed via the Sous-Vide method, is cooked perfectly. All you have to do is prepare the beef stew without the beef, and when veggies are about 3/4 of the way cooked, toss in meat and lower temp. I usually lower down to about 140℉ ish then toss in beef. I typically serve within about 2-3 hours. But the temp is so small that there are no diminishing returns if you go longer. 

I dry-brine all my proteins with either 0.60% or 1% of Fish Salt. Faux-Aging is my go-to to bring out that Beefiness we all love. 

The method is pretty foolproof and straightforward for a Beefy-Stew. What do I do? For Chuck, I Dry-Brine at 1% for 4-Days. With steak, I usually do 3-Days, but Chuck-Roasts are pretty thick, and I wanted to give enough time for the glutamates to penetrate. My go-to temp for Chuck-Roasts for Beef-Stew is 136℉ 40-Hours. I usually do this a week or two in advance too. I also follow the CREAS method of cooling (SDCM), which elevates the moisture retention and overall texture. UPDATE ON ON SDCM....it will enlighten you. 

I purchased about 12-Lbs of Chuck Roast and Dry-Brined with1% Fish Salt for 4-Days.

Sous-Vide Processed at 136℉ for 40-Hours. The SDCM was used to cool and then refrigerate for a week or so. Depending on your temps in your refrigerator, you could go as long as 90-days.

I used a considerable container to cool off the beef. As described above, I used the SDCM method. The beef was removed from Cooking Vessel and placed in an enormous container. After the 15-Min elapsed time, I added water from the tap and turned on the aquarium pump. Another 15-Min and I added the ice. 

I won't begin to tell you how to make a beef stew because if you've gotten this far, I am assuming you already know how to. But I will offer some highlights. My love for textures and flavors shine with beef stew. I love using a variety of starches in stews so that every bite is heavenly. Yes, I am elevating my stew to heaven. My stews always contain Parsnips, Turnips, Golden Potatoes, and Russet Potatoes. Each one of these starches contributes to the texture and flavor profile. No stew can be called a stew without Carrots. As far as onions, I like them all for the same reasons I outlined above for the other starches. Leeks are my go too for everything, and Pearl onions are a favorite for taste and mouthfeel. Green Onions and Yellow Onions are a must also. Let's not forget a wine and beef stock too. I used a whole bottle of Carbetnet for 35-Quarts. To bring out UMAMI, I used a touch of Fish Sauce. Yes, Fish Sauce and those wonderful glutamates bring out UMAMI and the beefiness we all come to love with beef stew. You ever wonder why recipes that contain beef often suggest using Worchestire Sauce? Because WS is made with a small percentage of Anchovies, which is an UMAMI bomb. You could also add Kombu or Bonito flakes sparingly, which will give you stew a burst. Would it surprise you if I told you that these products are used in our favorite snack foods like chips? It's similar to MSG. When MSG is added to foods, it provides a similar flavoring function as the glutamates that occur natally in food (Fish Sauce, Kombu and Mushrooms, etc.). If you are interested, you can read about it HERE.

How to prep the meat- This is the best part if you ask me. You have some options. You could have pre-seared the meat before Sous-Vide, which would have given you a head start, but it's not necessary in this case. Remove meat from the Vac bags and dry off very well. Slice into manageable pieces and sear them very well on all sides.  Cut into bite-size chunks, and when the time is right, add them to the stew. All done!!