Truly Browned Meat

By kjs1010

Ingredients

• xx

Preparation

Step 1

When a recipe says to brown the meat, it is calling for a deep brown sear and a discernibly thick crust on all sides-something that's best obtained by quick cooking over high heat. If you're browning meat for stew, that means putting the meat in a hot pan and not turning it until the first side is well seared, about 2-3 minutes. Then continue cooking the other sides of the meat until they, too, are well seared, about 1-2 minutes per sides.
When making stew, the goal is not to cook the meat through-that will happen when you stew it-but to achieve the browning that will develop flavor in the meat itself and that will create FOND-browned bits left behind in the pan that when deglazed will add still more flavor to the stew.
When beef for a stew essentially steams in its own liquid, it loses the opportunity for good flavor development and can develop a bland, liver like flavor. There are several steps you can take to ensure that meat browns properly. First, make sure the meat is dry before it goes into the pan; pat it down thoroughly with paper towels. This is especially important with frozen meat. Second when you're ready to put the meat in the pan,make sure the pan is hot by preheating it over high heat until any oil you've added is shimmering or close to smoking. Finally, make sure not to overcrowd the pan; there should be at least 1/4 " of space between the pieces of meat. If there isn't, the meat is likely to stem instead of brown.. If need be, cook the meat in 2-3 batches to keep from overcrowding.