How long do you cook beef?

Beef is renown for giving stews and gravies a beautiful colour as well as deep, exquisite flavour and aroma. However, when handled in a wrong manner, beef tends to become hard and rubbery. How do you cook beef to make it melt in your mouth instead?

A slow cooker and beef are a match made in heaven as long boiling time is of the essence when cooking beef. Meat chunks are bound to turn out tender and moist if you cover them with water or broth, bring to boil and let them simmer on low heat for even as long as 2 - 3 hours.

It pays off to go the extra mile and marinade beef overnight in oil and spices of your choice. Subsequently, you may want to fry it shortly to lock in flavour and only then pour broth over browned beef. This way you are going to achieve deep colour and slightly smoky, distinctive taste.

Did you know?

One of all-time favourite beef dishes is a stroganoff. It is a kind of a beef stew, originally prepared with mustard and sour cream only, later enriched with onions and mushrooms. The traditional recipe dates back to the 19th century Russia.

Interestingly, Beef Stroganoff was named after a Russian but first prepared by a Frenchman. At the time, the Russian upper classes were fascinated with French customs and cuisine. The wealthy Stroganov family employed a French cook, who first prepared the soon-to-be famous stew and named it after his employer, as was customary in the 19th century Russia. Beef Stroganoff soon became popular in Asia, Europe and America. In the meantime, the original recipe underwent a number of modifications; hence the present-day countless number of variations which incorporate ingredients such as bell peppers, mushrooms, garlic etc.

Have you ever tasted Beef Stroganoff? What is your surefire recipe for tender beef?