Suggested Cuts of Meat for Stews

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Published 2019

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The traditional cuts of meat used for stew are chops or shanks of lamb or veal, or any other cuts on the bone. Since stews in general require slow cooking, meat is fully cooked before adding the vegetables.

Meat on the bone: shanks are a good choice. They have that rich marrow, which will give the stew a delicious flavor. If possible, have the trimmed shanks cut into halves, crosswise (the butcher may do this for you). Alternatively, you may just cut the meat around the bone in the middle, crosswise.
The secret of cooking shanks lies in prolonged simmering. First, brown them quickly in a small amount of oil for about 10 minutes, turning them to seal in juices on all sides. Pour a small amount of hot water, just enough to cover the pieces. Cold water at this stage will cause meat to toughen. Bring to a quick boil, skimming as needed. Then reduce heat to low, and let it simmer, covered, for about an hour or until meat is tender to the touch. The remaining liquid, if any, can be used as part of the liquid added to the stew after straining it. Because lamb shanks cannot be completely trimmed of all their fat, it is a good idea to refrigerate them after cooking to let the fat solidify. Then it can be removed easily.
Lamb or veal chops, or any cuts of meat on the bone, are cooked like the shanks, but they require less cooking time.
An easier way to cook meat-on-the bone cuts is to put them in a pot, cover them with cold water, bring to a boil, skim as needed, then lower heat and let the meat simmer until cooked, about an hour or so. After the pot cools off a little, remove the meat and put it aside, then strain the broth and use it for the stew liquid. Some cooks are reluctant to follow this method because they say it does not remove the unpleasant smell of meat (zufar/zufra).

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Stews

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