How To Cook Sous Vide Stew Beef
Stew Beef is rich in connective tissue. Connective tissue is primarily constructed of collagen, which is difficult to chew. The good news is, collagen can be broken down via the long term application of heat. Even better, collagen breaks down into gelatin, which is unctuous and delicious.
Traditionally, cooking techniques like braising and stewing are used to make tough cuts of beef, like stew beef amazingly tender and yummy. We have had little choice in the 'doneness' of stew beef, as braising and stewing require high temperature cooking over a long period of time.
With the availability of sous vide, we can take advantage of persistent, accurate low temperature cooking to achieve unique results. Since we know that collagen starts to break down in the 130F range, we can utilize sous vide over a longer period of time to break down collagen while keeping stew beef medium-medium rare. This technique can make inexpensive cuts like stew beef similar to premium cuts of beef. This cut can generally be cooked at temperatures in the medium-rare - medium range of the chart for many hours and up to three days. It is not advised that you go below 130ºF with this type of cut.
Sous Vide Stew Beef Recipe/Time
The most simple way of preparing stew beef is to:
- Bring your sous vide setup up to the proper temperature (see chart below).
- Cut it into portions.
- Put the stew beef into individual bags, along with a cooking fat like butter or olive oil, as well as some salt
- Seal the bag and place it in the water bath for some time.
- Remove the bag from the water bath, and the stew beef from the bag
Sous Vide Stew Beef Temperature Chart
| Rare: | 125-130°F |
| Medium Rare: | 131-139°F |
| Medium: | 140-149°F |
| Medium Well: | 150-155°F |
| Well: | 156+°F |
Additional Sous Vide Stew Beef Recipes
Sous Vide Meat Stew
A recipe gleaned from a paleo diet forum, for making a medium rare stew using a spice rub and a tomato/beef stock base.