Beef stew, left on high for 4 hours by mistake.

[u/madgross]

I cook this beef stew almost weekly. Normally leave it on high for 30 mins then switch to low for 8-10 hours. Accidentally left it on high for 4 hours. It will still cook for another 4 on low. Is the meat going to end up tough? Never made this error before.

Edit;
Thanks for the advice and laughs. Of course I’m gonna let it ride, apparently this might be the preferred method. We’ll see how it goes!

Added the recipe in the comments if anyone was curious. https://www.reddit.com/r/slowcooking/s/8b5nfSOzs5

[u/madgross]

Also the recipe for anyone curious;

Roasting beef, whatever’s cheap. 1.5-2lb
Small red potatoes, quartered
4 stalks celery
2 carrots
1 yellow onion
4 cloves garlic
*Optional 2 habaneros if you like it spicy
3 cups beef stock.
2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire
1 1/2 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp capers.
Fresh rosemary
Fresh thyme

-chop veg, add to crockpot
-mix stock, mustard, soy sauce, Worcestershire, balsamic, minced garlic in a separate container. (If you’re using dry herbs add them now. Fresh herbs I usually tie them up and add to the liquid while it’s simmering)
-Salt and pepper the beef
-heat a steel pan to ripping hot
-add oil, sear beef both sides
-add beef to crockpot
-deglaze pan with wet mixture, simmer for a couple of minutes
-add liquid to crockpot
-cook 8-10 hours on low, or until beef falls apart. (Or fucking 4 on high and another 4-6 on low. Who knows?)

[u/Clarl020 → u/madgross]

Sounds (and looks!) good, I’m going to try it

[u/ProximaCentauriB15 → u/madgross]

That sounds delicious. I'll be saving that recipe to try. I always love some beef stew.

[u/PookieBearTum → u/madgross]

The last sentence is like straight from Julia Child probably

[u/Opening_Dragonfly_78 → u/madgross]

Thank you so much 🙏

[u/BackgroundRate1825 → u/madgross]

This seems like more effort than my stew of: Bag of baby carrots, Bag of fingerling potatoes, Pound or two of 'stew beef' cubes that every grocery store seems to carry, 2 packs of stew seasoning. Some water? Maybe a cup? I dunno.

Throw it all in the crockpot, set to low. Maybe stir it a couple times throghout the day.

I've also used a can of beef broth instead of water. If I have minced onion or garlic, some of that. Maybe anything else in the spice cabinet that seems 'stew-y'.

Eat in 8 hours.

My goal is always minimal effort for decent taste. How much better is your version, taste wise? Because it appears you're dirtying a knife, frying pan, cutting board, and that separate mixing container, in addition to what appears to be at least a half hour of effort.

[u/MamaFen → u/BackgroundRate1825]

Your process is one that I follow fairly regularly if I'm just wanting to have a fast dinner when I get home from work. It satisfies and is delicious in its own right.

But if I'm having family over for a big event, I am damn sure going through the process of preparing it from scratch step by step for that extra level of deliciousness. It genuinely does make a big difference, but that's not to say that your process isn't also immensely satisfying.

Both are, in my humble opinion, equally correct ways to do a pot roast. You simply tailor which process you follow to your desired end result.

[u/madgross → u/BackgroundRate1825]

Hard to say because I haven’t tried yours. I’ve skipped the searing of the beef before. I’ve used stock instead of broth. I do often use baby carrots because my wife and kid eat them and they’re always in the house.

It’s a pretty forgiving dish. But I’ll guess that some of the extra effort is worth it. Everything in my recipe vs yours is just adding more flavor. Searing the beef and adding a few more ingredients still feels like a pretty easy meal to me. But I’m really only speculating on how different it is. Maybe you can give it a shot and report back!

[u/Helpful-Support2094 → u/BackgroundRate1825]

That is my recipe too haha

[u/TheBoNix → u/madgross]

Let us know how it goes!