making stew sunday. questions and tell me what you think

[eatinphilly]

ok so i'm making stew round and here's what i'm thinking let me know if you'd add anything. let me know if this is going to be ok.

i have a round roast i'm going to dry brine it for 24 hours in salt and brown sugar
then i'm going to cut it up into smaller pieces dredge in flour and sear it on a pan.
pour roux in pan.
put all the vegetables (carrots, potatoes, turnips, parsnips) in the pan and turn it on.

go to sleep for about 6 hours. wake up.
boil soaked kidney beans for 10mins and then put in stew
put soaked split peas in stew.

wait 3 more hours.

serve.

questions:
- will brining the beef affect the firmness of the beans?
- when should i put the potatoes and vegetables, is the beginning is fine?
- at what point should i put the peas in?
-should i put in beans at the beginning?
-at what point am i overcooking the meat?

[foiegras]

So how'd it all turn out?

[todao]

OP intends to use " slow cooker on warm". For some slow cookers that's just about enough heat to produce a bacteria breeding ground. I sure hope "warm" on OPs slow cooker gets above 150 degrees within the first hour. I'd start it on "high" for the first hour or two then, perhaps, consider lowering it to "warm", as long as warm doesn't take it below the 150 degree mark.

[sandylc]

Yeah, that's another alarm bell going off here.

And I hope OP sticks to the plan to boil the dried beans first, because it is not safe to cook dried kidney beans in entirety in a slow cooker.

[eatinphilly]

ok i made the beans last night im going to throw them in at the end.

should i throw the raw peas in at the same time as the vegetables?

[Oboegal]

Good call on doing the beans the night before. I always do that when needing dry beans for soup or casseroles. You don't even need to soak them if you cook them in the crock pot. Mine cooks beans starting dry in 4 hours on the HIGH setting.

[sandylc]

Any:

Herbs? Spices? Wine? Tomato Paste? etc.

[TrishUntrapped]

I would not brine the beef. The long cooking will tenderize it. I don't cook beans so I don't know what to say about them but they will need a lot of cooking. Carrots, potatoes and such can go in the last three hours. In a slow cooker the veggies don't cook as fast as they would on the stove, so you can cook them longer and they won't disintegrate.

[meatn3]

That is too long for the vegetable. I add mine in the order of cooking. Hard ones go in first, medium next, quick cooking ones last followed shortly by fresh herbs. Onions I add in the beginning with the meat and the broth.

Why are you brining the beef? I see no benefit brining beef for stew.

You have a lot going on in this recipe. If you're timing is off you will end up with some items being mush and others being under cooked. I don't use beans in my stew - but I would suggest you have the beans precooked and add them at the very end.

[foiegras]

Agreed. There are not beans in my stew, or any other stew I have heard of. The root vegetables should be plenty.

There's also no need to go to sleep while making stew. Maybe a nap ... I make mine on the stovetop. I might go to sleep while something is in the oven--not on the stovetop. That is how to meet your local firefighters ...

I cook without recipes, but I think having one might be a good idea here ...

Recommend bay leaves in stew.

[sandylc]

I agree. Find a good recipe. Go to epicurious, fine cooking, or saveur and find something that looks good. Your plan is kind of everywhere at once.

[magiesmom]

Beef, beans and barley makes a great stew. many cultures have beef and beans together.
Cholent comes to mind, for one.

[foiegras]

And chili.

I take it all back ... this beef and root vegetables and beans, all cooked together while sleeping for most of a working day, sounds freakin' fabulous. There are no problems with this plan ... full steam ahead.

But I'd test the smoke alarm before you toddle off.

[biondanonima]

I don't think brining is going to improve a piece of meat cooked in this manner in the slightest. A round roast is probably not going to yield super succulent results in any case because there's not enough fat, but after 9 hours in the slow cooker, it definitely won't. Your vegetables will also be mush by that time. I've never cooked dry beans in a slow cooker before but I understand they take quite a long time - I would probably start those first, then add your browned meat, and put your other vegetables in maybe 2-3 hours before you want to serve (depending on how hot your slow cooker runs).

[eatinphilly]

so now i'm thinking meat and beans first... peas and vegetables 3 hours before?

[eatinphilly]

by pan i meant slow cooker on warm. i might have written that a bit too quickly.