On 1-Nov-2004, "L" > wrote:

> > > > Disclaimer: I suck at cooking.
> > > >
> > > > I am trying to make a curry recipe that basically goes like this:
> > > >
> > > > Brown beef with onions
> > > > Add to water
> > > > Add other veggies
> > > > boil
> > > > add curry block
> > > > simmer for a while
> > > >
> > > > The problem is this: Even though I don't try to over-cook the beef
> > > > during the browning part, when I start boiling it, it tends to
> > > > shrink
> > > > and get hard.
>
> >>>Is there a way I can prevent this, without resorting to
> > > > simmering for a really long time?
>
> Yes; use a better cut of meat, such as tenderloin cut into cubes. It will
> also shrink but will be much more tender.
>
> Stew meat is the cheap, tough parts that are generally either (or both)
> marinated in an acidic solution to tenderize or cooked slow. However,
> what
> is your objection to slow cooking? With a crockpot or slow cooker, the
> stew/curry/tough-cut can be cooked while you sleep and come out very
> tender.
> Just before bed last night, I put a top round roast in the slow cooker
> with
> a half-cup of burgundy wine and 1.5 cups of water, sliced onion, minced
> garlic, salt and pepper. When I awakened this morning, I had an
> incredibly
> tender, flavorful roast.
>
> Any tough meat should be cooked "low and slow"; bbq, stew etc. all use the
> tough cuts and are cooked low and slow to make tender.
>
> If the problem is you don't have a slow cooker and don't want to spend the
> $25-35, go to a yard sale or thrift store and get one for less than $5.

I failed to address shrinkage, which is caused by the loss of fat and water
from the meat. When you cook the meat for long time, the connective tissue
breaks down and tenderizes the meat. When this happens, it also "loosens"
the texture, allowing moisture from the pot back into the meat. The meat
will be moist, tender, but still smaller than when you started because the
fat has melted away; the fatter the meat, the more shrinkage.