Silverside beef in slow cooker
Discussion
Picked up 2lb of silverside at the butchers this morning and wanted to try cooking it in my slow cooker,
My idea is to cut up some carrot and onion and put this in the bottom of the cooker with the meat on top so I just have a few q's.
Should I brown the meat first before putting it in the slow cooker?
How much liquid (stock) should I put in? I was thinking just enough to cover the veg, I'd like to blitz the veg and use the liquid as a gravy.
Shall I cook it on low? It will be about 9hrs before serving, my aim is to put it on in the morning when I come in from my nightshift and then not have a lot to do when I get up.
Thanks and sorry for the basic questions, I just don't want to wake up to a disaster.
My idea is to cut up some carrot and onion and put this in the bottom of the cooker with the meat on top so I just have a few q's.
Should I brown the meat first before putting it in the slow cooker?
How much liquid (stock) should I put in? I was thinking just enough to cover the veg, I'd like to blitz the veg and use the liquid as a gravy.
Shall I cook it on low? It will be about 9hrs before serving, my aim is to put it on in the morning when I come in from my nightshift and then not have a lot to do when I get up.
Thanks and sorry for the basic questions, I just don't want to wake up to a disaster.
As above, though I'd mash a knob of butter with some flour and bung that in to thicken the gravy as it cooks.
You'd be amazed how much liquid will come out of the veg (and the meat itself). I'd add slightly less than half-way up the meat depending on how concentrated you want the gravy to be.
You'd be amazed how much liquid will come out of the veg (and the meat itself). I'd add slightly less than half-way up the meat depending on how concentrated you want the gravy to be.
Mobile Chicane said:
As above, though I'd mash a knob of butter with some flour and bung that in to thicken the gravy as it cooks.
You'd be amazed how much liquid will come out of the veg (and the meat itself). I'd add slightly less than half-way up the meat depending on how concentrated you want the gravy to be.
You'd be amazed how much liquid will come out of the veg (and the meat itself). I'd add slightly less than half-way up the meat depending on how concentrated you want the gravy to be.
As MC says, a decent knob of beurre manié will give the sauce thickness and gloss. In my experience, just bung it in without browning or adding stock (instead a small amount of water or wine to prevent burning - something like 10ml). No need as both the meat and veg shed a significant amount of liquid, so in effect make their own stock. Just season the meat and correct for salt if necessary right at the end. 9 hours should be fine
Ahhh not so good if I'm honest - meat really did fall apart - similar to the pulled pork I see on here, except I couldnt mix it with bbq sauce and have it in a sarnie lol. It just crumbled into bits, perhaps it was in there for too long?
Liquid didn't make much of a gravy but I never made anything like that before anyway I have a lot to learn.
Unsure what to do next, never had great success with beef.
Liquid didn't make much of a gravy but I never made anything like that before anyway I have a lot to learn.
Unsure what to do next, never had great success with beef.
Next time, try resting the meat on a trivet of two diced celery sticks, a sliced onion and a diced carrot.
A splash of ale / red wine in the bottom, plus a bay leaf and a few peppercorns will work wonders for the flavour.
However, you're cooking to your own taste, so experiment until you find the combination you like.
Just keep at it - the slow-cooker is a Godsend for tenderising cheap, gristly cuts of meat into a rich savouriness.
A splash of ale / red wine in the bottom, plus a bay leaf and a few peppercorns will work wonders for the flavour.
However, you're cooking to your own taste, so experiment until you find the combination you like.
Just keep at it - the slow-cooker is a Godsend for tenderising cheap, gristly cuts of meat into a rich savouriness.
Okay, I'm just about to do my first ever slow cooked Silverside Beef in a slow cooker. I'm tired of dry meat in the oven, so I'm giving this a shot.
I really feel for the poor guy above, as I've heard lots of differing advice, from other places on the Internet as well as on this forum.
I would hate to end up with watery gravy and meat that was so fall-off-the-bone that it was impractical for the rest of the week, e.g. sandwiches.
So, can I get a definitive answer from anyone on the following questions? :-
800Kg Beef Silverside (with fat removed)
1. How much liquid / stock? A dribble in the bottom, half way, or just shy of covering?
2. Rest it on celery/carrots or not?
3. How long to cook for? I'm thinking 8 hours.
4. Does it need turning if it's not totally submerged in liquid / stock?
I should point out that I'm using a very small slow cooker, which will just about fit the beef joint in, so there will not be much room for veg etc. Although I can stick some peppercorns, bay leaf etc. in there with the stock / water / beer / vodka.
Thanks in advance, ya'll.
I really feel for the poor guy above, as I've heard lots of differing advice, from other places on the Internet as well as on this forum.
I would hate to end up with watery gravy and meat that was so fall-off-the-bone that it was impractical for the rest of the week, e.g. sandwiches.
So, can I get a definitive answer from anyone on the following questions? :-
800Kg Beef Silverside (with fat removed)
1. How much liquid / stock? A dribble in the bottom, half way, or just shy of covering?
2. Rest it on celery/carrots or not?
3. How long to cook for? I'm thinking 8 hours.
4. Does it need turning if it's not totally submerged in liquid / stock?
I should point out that I'm using a very small slow cooker, which will just about fit the beef joint in, so there will not be much room for veg etc. Although I can stick some peppercorns, bay leaf etc. in there with the stock / water / beer / vodka.
Thanks in advance, ya'll.
fiddybux said:
800Kg Beef Silverside (with fat removed)
I hope you mean 800g, otherwise you'll need a massive slow cooker! 
fiddybux said:
1. How much liquid / stock? A dribble in the bottom, half way, or just shy of covering?
A bit below halfway.fiddybux said:
2. Rest it on celery/carrots or not?
Yes. For the flavour. Celery/carrots/onions, and bung in other stuff too. I usually put in stuff like anchovies or thai fish sauce (for the "umami"), worcestershire sauce, maybe soy, bay leaves, garlic, etc.fiddybux said:
3. How long to cook for? I'm thinking 8 hours.
Personally I like to cook it until it falls apart. 8 hours would be too short for me, but it should be tender and slice well after that time.fiddybux said:
4. Does it need turning if it's not totally submerged in liquid / stock?
You don't need to because it effectively steams. However, no harm in turning it if you want. fiddybux said:
I should point out that I'm using a very small slow cooker, which will just about fit the beef joint in, so there will not be much room for veg etc. Although I can stick some peppercorns, bay leaf etc. in there with the stock / water / beer / vodka.
Chop the veg up nice & fine to get it all in. After all it's only there for the flavour (some call it "sacrificial veg"!). I have a small slow cooker too, will only do up to about 1.2kg, but I can still get everything in. The joint will shrink down as the water comes out.Enjoy!
ps... I'm putting on an 18 hour brisket tonight (also 800g), will be having it shredded on a baguette with melted cheese while watching the footy
My brisket is now on. I put in the following...
celery
red onion
carrots
brisket (seasoned with salt & pepper then browned all over)
two green chillies, chopped
2 bay leaves
Tabasco
tomato puree
beef bouillon
sea salt
black pepper
Accent (MSG)
garlic powder
paprika
Thai fish sauce
tin of sliced mushrooms
red wine (deglazed the pan used to brown the beef)
water
beurre manie
Will taste in the morning and adjust seasoning as needed. I'll wake up to a lovely aroma tomorrow that's for sure!
celery
red onion
carrots
brisket (seasoned with salt & pepper then browned all over)
two green chillies, chopped
2 bay leaves
Tabasco
tomato puree
beef bouillon
sea salt
black pepper
Accent (MSG)
garlic powder
paprika
Thai fish sauce
tin of sliced mushrooms
red wine (deglazed the pan used to brown the beef)
water
beurre manie
Will taste in the morning and adjust seasoning as needed. I'll wake up to a lovely aroma tomorrow that's for sure!
HeatonNorris said:
Surely that's going to be awful?
I put a nice looking piece of brisket in ours a few months ago and left it for around 6 hours.
It was horrible, tasteless and dry. There was plenty of liquid and veg in there - the liquid tasted good, but the beef was only fit for the bin.
Here's my last one, this was done for 18 hours... definitely not dry! Just beautifully tender, melt in the mouth in fact.I put a nice looking piece of brisket in ours a few months ago and left it for around 6 hours.
It was horrible, tasteless and dry. There was plenty of liquid and veg in there - the liquid tasted good, but the beef was only fit for the bin.
Gassing Station | Food, Drink & Restaurants | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff