Feeding the Freezer
Brown several pounds of beef cubes and then freeze them. They are ready to drop right into a slow cooker without fuss, but with the delicious flavor.
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. beef round or chuck or more
- oil for pan
Instructions
- Set a heavy fry pan over heat so that it heats evenly and thoroughly.
- Cut the meat into bite sized pieces - the size you want to use in stew, soup, chili, or whatever.
- When the pan is heated well, add oil. When the oil shimmers, add beef cubes in a single layer, so that they each sit on the hot pan to sear. Do not crowd the pan.
- After 2-3 minutes, when the meat has browned, use a spatula to turn them. Repeat every couple of minutes, still on high heat, until most surfaces have been browned. Remember, you do not want to fully cook the meat - just brown the surface.
- Remove beef to a heat proof dish to cool, repeat the process, in several more batches, until done.
- Once meat has cooled, package it for the freezer, and freeze. Use later in recipes that call for browning stew meat.
Notes
Pre-browned meat is particularly helpful for slow cooker recipes, since you can set it up in the morning without having to stop, cut and brown the meat, and wash a pan.
Do remember that the meat is not fully cooked - this is intended to simmer in your final recipe, improving the flavor of both meat and sauce.
3 pounds of meat is my suggested minimum - since recipes typically call for a pound or more. It can be well worth it to do this with a whole 7 pound roast, especially if your family (and freezer) is larger than mine.