The One Step You Can't Skip For The Perfect Beef Stew

Beef stew might just be the ultimate comfort food, perfect for a cold night in with the family. However, if you want it to come out just right, there's one key step in the cooking process that you really don't want to miss. While there are plenty of potential mistakes that could turn a succulent, tender stew into a bland and tough meal your family will barely touch, one of the most detrimental mistakes is skipping the crucial step of searing the meat.

Searing is an important cooking step in many meat dishes, especially beef stew, that involves browning the surface in a hot pan at the start of the cook. This technique serves an important purpose of caramelizing the sugars and amino acids within the meat so you end up with a tender piece of meat that has a depth of flavor worthy of a satisfying comfort food. Before you sear is a great time to season the meat with some salt and pepper so it not only gives you a mouthwatering crust but has time to penetrate the meat and add to the complexity of flavors you will develop during the rest of the cooking process.

Searing meat for a perfect beef stew is practically an art form. Along with adding the best ingredients to your stew, achieving the proper amount of browning can make or break your dish and set you apart from the crowd of home cooks. When you are ready to cook your meat, you want to make sure the pan is super-hot, that way the meat won't stick to the pan when you turn it, which leads to the next tip. When you sear, you want to make sure you get all surfaces, so give the meat time to get a nice brown, then turn it to another exposed surface for another browning session to add even more flavor.

While some believe that searing will help seal in the juices, the truth is that this technique is more about getting the best possible flavor into your stew. This also means incorporating enough fat into the pan, so if you are working with a trimmed or a lean cut of meat, add some oil to the pan to allow the meat to brown beautifully without sticking or burning. When it comes to the naturally occurring fat in the meat, you want to capitalize on that by rendering it properly, so make sure to place the fattiest side of the meat in the pan first when you begin your sear. Armed with the perfect sear and all the ingredients you need to create a flavor profile to die for, you'll be well on your way to making a beef stew of legend.