Tender Meat Recipes

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Yajee

Assistant Cook
Joined
Feb 14, 2023
Messages
29
Location
UK
I posted earlier asking about how to make steaks tender but some kind member pointed out that I can get more tender meat by going with tougher cuts that get tender with longer cooking. I made lamb shanks for the first time the other week and it was exactly what I wanted, meat that melts since I can't stand chewy meat. And I enjoyed making it cause it's mainly just chuck everything in and leave it for three odd hours, I love the chuck and leave recipes. So my question is what recipes or suggestions do you guys have for meats that take a longer time to cook? I have access to an instant pot, a slow cooker, and a pressure cooker and of course an oven, so it would be nice to get suggestions for recipes to try, how long they take to cook is not a problem at all, as long as the meat melts away at the end of it. Lamb shanks are ticked off so any suggestions with beef/lamb cuts would be cool. It would be nice to have two or three go to meat recipes.

Thank you.
 
There is a blogger "Slow Cooker Gourmet" - I don't think I've done a recipe from that site that was not scrumptious. Chicken, Beef or Pork. She also has some freezer meals that you can make, freeze and have "when ever!".
Here's one I made and then froze portions of. As I cook mostly for myself, these are perfect.
barbacoa burritos
Another of my favourites with chicken, thighs & drumsticks
Buttermilk chicken it's great, I once had chicken still pretty frozen and threw them in the slow cooker, worked!
 
There is a blogger "Slow Cooker Gourmet" - I don't think I've done a recipe from that site that was not scrumptious. Chicken, Beef or Pork. She also has some freezer meals that you can make, freeze and have "when ever!".
Here's one I made and then froze portions of. As I cook mostly for myself, these are perfect.
barbacoa burritos
Another of my favourites with chicken, thighs & drumsticks
Buttermilk chicken it's great, I once had chicken still pretty frozen and threw them in the slow cooker, worked!
Excellent, many thanks!
 
If you want to cook the meat in less time, there is a Chinese technique called velveting.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia




Velveting is a technique in Chinese cuisine for preserving the moisture of meat while cooking. Additionally, it provides a soft or "velvety" texture to the meat of any entrée.
The technique is applied to raw meat before cooking either in oil or in water. It involves pre-coating the meat with a mixture of oil, egg white, corn starch, and sherry or rice wine,[1] and then blanching and drying.[2] The meat can then be sautéed, stir-fried, deep-fried, simmered, or boiled.[3] During cooking, the velveting mixture also protects the meat fibres, preventing them from seizing, resulting in more tender meat.
Personally, I find that coating small pieces of meat in corn starch is all that is needed to keep the meat very moist and tender when fried. Do an internet search for "velveting meat".
 
If you want to cook the meat in less time, there is a Chinese technique called velveting.

Personally, I find that coating small pieces of meat in corn starch is all that is needed to keep the meat very moist and tender when fried. Do an internet search for "velveting meat".
I've done that, it was really good.
 
Personally I don’t really like the texture of meat especially beef after velveting.
 
Don't think I've ever velveted beef (as I rarely cook beef in that way), usually cook larger pieces for braising so not really need to shorten cooking times.
I have done chicken for stir-fry, but not to tenderize. I like the coating it develops. I use egg white and sake for it, not baking soda.
 
As we head into fall and winter Swiss steak is a nice lazy day meal served with mashed potatoes.

There are many variations some use cream soups, brown gravy, or tomato gravy.

The thing that they usually have in common is pounding seasoned flour into tough round steak before browning and slowly simmering in a flavorful sauce.

If you have a hunter in the family this is a great way to use venison.

Here is one example.

 
I see you are from the uk. Nz lamb is readily available there. In fact it was cheaper in harrods last time I was there than at home.
I do shoulder chops in casserole in oven for 2 hrs. Its melt on your mouth stuff.

Russ
 
Lots of NZ lamb in the stores here in Canada, frozen. Lots of it but horribly expensive.
Yes, it is. I haven't bought any for a while, but my go to was the shoulder chops. They were the most reasonably priced. I also used to buy the ground lamb for my tourtière, to go with the ground pork and the ground beef. Most people use veal, not lamb. I don't buy veal. I have found that it works best with three kinds of meat and one has to be pork. In the past I have used moose and I have used snowshoe hare.
 
Yes, it is. I haven't bought any for a while, but my go to was the shoulder chops. They were the most reasonably priced. I also used to buy the ground lamb for my tourtière, to go with the ground pork and the ground beef. Most people use veal, not lamb. I don't buy veal. I have found that it works best with three kinds of meat and one has to be pork. In the past I have used moose and I have used snowshoe hare.

No moose down here. Have you tried tandoori cutlets??
Lamb not moose :)

Russ
 
No moose down here. Have you tried tandoori cutlets??
Lamb not moose :)

Russ
No, I haven't. But, we did make quite a few Indian dishes using snowshoe hare. Snowshoe hare is delicious, but when it's pretty much the only meat you are getting for weeks at a time, it gets a little too distinctive and a bunch of Indian spices really improves it. We were quite poor at the time and in winter, it was easy, and legal, to snare snowshoe hare. We traded "bunny" for vegis with a friend who was really good at growing veg.
 
No, I haven't. But, we did make quite a few Indian dishes using snowshoe hare. Snowshoe hare is delicious, but when it's pretty much the only meat you are getting for weeks at a time, it gets a little too distinctive and a bunch of Indian spices really improves it. We were quite poor at the time and in winter, it was easy, and legal, to snare snowshoe hare. We traded "bunny" for vegis with a friend who was really good at growing veg.
Never heard of snowshoe hare?
Off to giggle.

Russ
 
Depends on where you were brought up in Quebec for the filling in tourtiere. Northern parts were usually pork, rabbit (or hare), chicken, pigeon, never beef or extremely rare, maybe old bessie broke her leg but what went in was whatever the could find.
Farther south mostly just pork. That's the one I pretty much follow. Now-a-days some beef and veal is in there.
 
It sounds like you've found a great cooking approach that works for you! For tender and flavorful meat, you might enjoy trying out a classic pot roast recipe. Using tougher cuts of beef like chuck roast, along with your slow cooker or instant pot, can result in a melt-in-your-mouth texture. Another option could be a beef stew, which also benefits from slow cooking, resulting in tender beef and rich flavors. And to add a burst of freshness and flavor to your dishes, you might want to pair them with this excellent pico de gallo recipe. It's a simple and vibrant condiment that can complement your meat dishes beautifully.
 
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