Discussion
First a good splash of Hendersons sauce (worcester will do) and roll it in some flour ,then brown the meat (beef/lamb).
Good stock: for beef, I use an OXO and a Knorr beef stock pot (i'd use a lamb stock cube and a stock pot for lamb).
Lots of onions, although for medical reasons I use onion powder, rather than dicing up raw onions.
A dash of garlic powder.
You could thicken it up, if it is still watery, with cornflour/McDougall's or even a few spoons of Bisto granules.
You can play around with some herbs: oregano, thyme etc, although these can quickly over power, at the start I'd chuck in a bay leaf and call it quits at that.
Edit: as said above, season meat well first
Good stock: for beef, I use an OXO and a Knorr beef stock pot (i'd use a lamb stock cube and a stock pot for lamb).
Lots of onions, although for medical reasons I use onion powder, rather than dicing up raw onions.
A dash of garlic powder.
You could thicken it up, if it is still watery, with cornflour/McDougall's or even a few spoons of Bisto granules.
You can play around with some herbs: oregano, thyme etc, although these can quickly over power, at the start I'd chuck in a bay leaf and call it quits at that.
Edit: as said above, season meat well first
Edited by zb on Sunday 13th February 21:46
zb said:
First a good splash of Hendersons sauce (worcester will do) and roll it in some flour ,then brown the meat (beef/lamb).
Good stock: for beef, I use an OXO and a Knorr beef stock pot (i'd use a lamb stock cube and a stock pot for lamb).
Lots of onions, although for medical reasons I use onion powder, rather than dicing up raw onions.
A dash of garlic powder.
You could thicken it up, if it is still watery, with cornflour/McDougall's or even a few spoons of Bisto granules.
You can play around with some herbs: oregano, thyme etc, although these can quickly over power, at the start I'd chuck in a bay leaf and call it quits at that.
Edit: as said above, season meat well first
Yep, definitely season/brown the meat in flour as above. For veg I use chopped carrots and parsnips. I keep the moisture down by using a stock cube in 200ml water and a tin of chopped tomatoes. I’d throw in 3 teaspoons of mixed herbs. Also, up to 1 teaspoon of paprika can add an interesting twist. A couple of teaspoons of dark muscovado sugar adds a depth of flavour. A tablespoon or so of tomato purée. If you need to bulk it out a bit (or use less meat), a tin of borlotti beans works well. Don’t be tempted to add more water, while it slow cooks the liquid will build up. If you’re having a problem with too much liquid you can always scoop it into a pan, reduce it on the hob and then add it back to the slow cooker - repeat as necessary. Good stock: for beef, I use an OXO and a Knorr beef stock pot (i'd use a lamb stock cube and a stock pot for lamb).
Lots of onions, although for medical reasons I use onion powder, rather than dicing up raw onions.
A dash of garlic powder.
You could thicken it up, if it is still watery, with cornflour/McDougall's or even a few spoons of Bisto granules.
You can play around with some herbs: oregano, thyme etc, although these can quickly over power, at the start I'd chuck in a bay leaf and call it quits at that.
Edit: as said above, season meat well first
Edited by zb on Sunday 13th February 21:46
For a beef casserole I find better results from 4hrs on high rather than 8hrs on low.
Make enough for two nights, the taste is better again on the 2nd night.
I make a beef casserole most weekends, I throw in any remaining Chianti from Fridays nights Pizza meal, squirt plenty of herb and garlic flavoured tomato puree, some powdered mustard, rosemary and an OXO cube. Cut up a few onions and carrots. Microwave a small potato and mash it up then put it in the mix as this thickens the stew nicely.
I sear the stewing steak and once seared all round grind loads of salt and pepper over it. Chuck it in oven at 2-3 Gas for four to five hours, an hour before I serve I put in mushrooms. I generally put a bit more wine in at some stage if we are having a drop of wine with the meal. Never had any complaints for the last few winters.
Just to add because this meal is so cheap I buy organic onions, carrots and mushrooms for this casserole. I regularly buy Warrendale Wagyu steaks etc and bought a load of Wagyu brisket but in all honesty plain old stewing steak from the Morissons butcher counter is tasty enough and very cheap so I use that all the time.
I sear the stewing steak and once seared all round grind loads of salt and pepper over it. Chuck it in oven at 2-3 Gas for four to five hours, an hour before I serve I put in mushrooms. I generally put a bit more wine in at some stage if we are having a drop of wine with the meal. Never had any complaints for the last few winters.
Just to add because this meal is so cheap I buy organic onions, carrots and mushrooms for this casserole. I regularly buy Warrendale Wagyu steaks etc and bought a load of Wagyu brisket but in all honesty plain old stewing steak from the Morissons butcher counter is tasty enough and very cheap so I use that all the time.
Edited by BIRMA on Monday 14th February 10:17
The lid on a slow cooker prevents any moisture from leaving so the sauce doesn't thicken up and reduce down to concentrate the flavours like it would in an open pot.
I occasionally leave a wooden spoon under the lid of mine that allows some steam out to thicken things up. Otherwise it's a case of minimise the liquid added and maximise the flavour.
I occasionally leave a wooden spoon under the lid of mine that allows some steam out to thicken things up. Otherwise it's a case of minimise the liquid added and maximise the flavour.
fttm said:
Wine to deglaze after browning the meat , lots of root veg/herbs/seasoning. As Swiss Tony would say it’s like making love to a beautiful woman , longer and slower gets the better result.
You know Paul making a casserole is very much like making love to a beautiful woman. You've got to prepare your meat, making sure that its clean and attractive. You might want to pound it a little first. Some like to add a little flavouring; it's up to you. Then when all is ready you need to gently place your meat in the hottest part. And away you go. Nice and slow. After a couple of hours you might want to finish it off with a little brandy.I’ve tried adding no liquid at all to a slow cooked casserole, it came out fine just with the moisture in the meat & veg, better with a little extra added though.
For pork, I mixed a tbsp of honey with 2tbsp of corn flour & a spoon of stock from the casserole to make a jous(?), then added more stock (about 100ml), simmered until it thickened then stirred through the casserole at the end.
Added a lovely flavour & thickened the sauce a little more.
For pork, I mixed a tbsp of honey with 2tbsp of corn flour & a spoon of stock from the casserole to make a jous(?), then added more stock (about 100ml), simmered until it thickened then stirred through the casserole at the end.
Added a lovely flavour & thickened the sauce a little more.
Best advice is to cook, chill and re-heat the next day.Snow and Rocks said:
The lid on a slow cooker prevents any moisture from leaving so the sauce doesn't thicken up and reduce down to concentrate the flavours like it would in an open pot.
I occasionally leave a wooden spoon under the lid of mine that allows some steam out to thicken things up. Otherwise it's a case of minimise the liquid added and maximise the flavour.
ThisI occasionally leave a wooden spoon under the lid of mine that allows some steam out to thicken things up. Otherwise it's a case of minimise the liquid added and maximise the flavour.
The way I do it is I remove the lid without about an hour to go, but then I do/did the same thing when cooking casseroles in the oven.
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