[Sca-cooks] OOP - help my stews!

[Terry Decker]

Take the flour, some salt and some pepper, put them in a small bag (I use 
paper lunch bags).  Add the meat in reasonable amounts.  Shake to coat. 
Then brown the meat in olive oil or butter.  My crock pot has a coated metal 
pan that is seperate from the heating base so I can brown in the pot on the 
stove then transfer it back to the slow cooker.

Use a mixture of water and Worchestershire sauce (I've also been known to 
add CocaCola to this, the phosphoric and carbonic acids help soften the meat 
while the sweetner cuts bitter taste).

Add spices to taste.  I usually use salt, pepper and cumin.  Herbs to whim. 
If you don't use a sweet liquid, think about adding a tablespoon os sugar to 
brighten the taste.

Do not forget garlic and onions.

Bear

> So today I made a crockpot stew, and yet again, I'm highly
> disappointed in how it tastes. There's a bitter edge, and I always
> find that with my stews, plus I find the beef isn't really moist. It
> falls apart, but feels dry to eat. I'll list my ingredients below -
> then can ya'll tell me what I'm doing wrong?
>
> Stew beef (30% off club pack)
> flour
> water
> fresh white button mushrooms
> frozen baby carrots (put in frozen)
> garlic powder (forgot the real garlic and onion this time)
> pinch of dried rosemary
> half a small bag of skin on random baby potatoes - some red, some
> blue, some yukon gold
>
> The flour was in a slurry with some of the water - maybe 3 heaping TB?
>
> This all cooked in the crockpot for about 5 or 6 hours on low, and a
> little while on high. I did NOT brown the beef first - this was to be
> quick and easy, and not generate lots of pans to wash *sigh*.
>
> So it tastes icky - even my adventurous baby didn't want much for
> dinner. Smelled GREAT while cooking, but just doesn't taste right....
>
> Thanks - I HATE wasting ingredients like this :-(
>
> Ilsebet