how to stew meat

thanks to my fracture, I can only muster a tiny bit of strength with my mouth. for nearly three weeks, I’ve been living on stewed dishes. vigatables, egg and fishs are easy to stewed to achieve tenderness. but meat? let’s say under my cooking skills, it’s just leather. so I’m seeking how to stew meat until it can melt in my mouth.

one thing can’t ignore is that some cuts with a bit of fat are the secret to the perfect stew. but guess what? my fridge is basically a lean meat warehouse. and the most of it? beef. achieving my goal with lean beef is like to run a marathon on stilts. i’ve tried, and all i can do is swallow without chewing. chewing would be a waste of energy.

but i still wanna to try. there are some tips, though, according to Deepseek…maybe they’ll help.

• slice meat against the grain (the direction of the muscle fibers). ( truly helpful)
• after blanching the meat, place it into boiling water—instead of cold water. cause the cold water could seize up the fibers.( makes sense, so i prefer skip the blanching step)
• brown the meat in a hot pan with a bit of oil. (troublesome ❌)
• simmer, don’t boil. keep the water below the boiling point. ()
• Dry brine meat by salting it at least 30 minutes before cooking, instead of sprinkling salt during cooking. ()
• Acidic marinades like vinegar, or enzymatic tenderizers like pineapple can tenderize meat. It works by breaking down proteins and connective tissues. ()
• A small pinch of baking soda (or sodium bicarbonate) in a marinade can raise the pH on the surface of the meat, which can cause the meat proteins to break down and prevents water loss. ()