Cook Meat in Water: Steak/Beef Cooking Time

[tgt]

How long does it take to cook chunks of steak or beef in water?

 

[wolram]

How long does it take to cook chunks of steak or beef in water?

It depends on the cut and quality of the meat, but cooking in just water?

 

[Evo]

Are you talking about braising or stewing?

 

[D H]

Fish: five minutes. A tough piece of shoe leather you want to turn into a tasty chili: hours.

 

[Astronuc]

Fish: five minutes. A tough piece of shoe leather you want to turn into a tasty chili: hours.

How long does it take to cook chunks of steak or beef in water?

Best to brown the meat first, by cooking in pan. Then cook in water, which would take a few hours depending. Is one make stew or soup?

 

[turbo]

If you have a cheap cut of beef, coat it with salt and pepper and garlic powder and onion powder. Then brown it in peanut oil until every surface is browned and there is some dark residue on the bottom of the pan.

Once that is done, add at least a cup or so of dry red wine to the pot, enough water to cover the meat, put a lid on the pot so that the water doesn't go dry, and simmer for 3-4 hours. Add quartered potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, turnip, and other vegetables that you like and simmer for at least another hour or two. Congratulations! You've got a New England boiled dinner. If you want to perfect this, take out all the solid ingredients and whisk in a very thick flour-in-water paste while simmering the juices until the juiced thicken to a nice gravy. Don't say I didn't warn you - this stuff does not last long.

 

[lisab]

As other posters have said, it really depends on the cut. Some cuts of beef do very well in water (broth is better), but a cut that's better cooked in dry heat (e.g., steak) won't do so well.

Typically, a moist cooked meat will toughen in the first hour or so; as it continues to simmer, it will become more tender.

Oh, and don't boil it vigorously. Try for a slow simmer.

 

[fileen]

why would you want to boil meat in water? (I don't eat meat because it makes me sick) I am just curious because I've always seen people bake it in the oven or BRBQ it. My mom has been known to cook a roast in the slow cooker, which requires water, but then how do you eat it? Straight up or do you add stuff to it?

 

[edward]

How long does it take to cook chunks of steak or beef in water?

If you have just moved out on your own get a crock pot. AKA slow cooker

 

[Poop-Loops]

Why would you boil beef? That's a total waste... even if you use it in a soup, you'd at least fry it on the pan first and then throw it in.

 

[gravenewworld]

Why would you boil beef? That's a total waste... even if you use it in a soup, you'd at least fry it on the pan first and then throw it in.

Cooking beef in broth or water is how you make the absolute best beef stew. It takes a hell of a long time though.

 

[Evo]

It depends on the meat. You would always boil a corned beef brisket. Some cuts of meat are tough and need braising (browning then simmering in liquid).

 

[binzing]

Are you talking like poaching, like you might with trout?

 

[Poop-Loops]

Some cuts of meat are tough and need braising (browning then simmering in liquid).

Yeah, this is actually what I meant when I said "fry". I don't know your fancy cooking wordometry.

 

[Danger]

Just run your tap until it's hot, hold the meat under it for 30 seconds or so, and it's done. You certainly don't want to heat it up enough to stop the bleeding, but it should be at normal body temperature to taste right.

 

[tgt]

Haven't had a quantitative answer yet.

 

[D H]

Haven't had a quantitative answer yet.

Yes, you have. Several, in fact.

Fish: five minutes. A tough piece of shoe leather you want to turn into a tasty chili: hours.

As other posters have said, it really depends on the cut. Some cuts of beef do very well in water (broth is better), but a cut that's better cooked in dry heat (e.g., steak) won't do so well.

Typically, a moist cooked meat will toughen in the first hour or so; as it continues to simmer, it will become more tender.

Oh, and don't boil it vigorously. Try for a slow simmer.

If you have a cheap cut of beef, coat it with salt and pepper and garlic powder and onion powder. Then brown it in peanut oil until every surface is browned and there is some dark residue on the bottom of the pan.

Once that is done, add at least a cup or so of dry red wine to the pot, enough water to cover the meat, put a lid on the pot so that the water doesn't go dry, and simmer for 3-4 hours. Add quartered potatoes, carrots, onions, cabbage, turnip, and other vegetables that you like and simmer for at least another hour or two. Congratulations! You've got a New England boiled dinner. If you want to perfect this, take out all the solid ingredients and whisk in a very thick flour-in-water paste while simmering the juices until the juiced thicken to a nice gravy. Don't say I didn't warn you - this stuff does not last long.

Cooking beef in broth or water is how you make the absolute best beef stew. It takes a hell of a long time though.

It depends on the meat. You would always boil a corned beef brisket. Some cuts of meat are tough and need braising (browning then simmering in liquid).

The type of cooking you hinted at calls for a cheap cut of meat, aka shoe leather. Do not do this with good steak. The longer you cook it, the better. As Lisa mentioned, it will get tougher during the first hour of cooking. The germs will have been killed by then, but that is not what you are after. You want that toughness to go away. That takes time. Hours. The longer, the better.

 

[Danger]

Hey, I didn't get quoted there!
Is this some form of prejudice against true carnivores?
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: the perfect fast food involves a chainsaw and a cow... fire is optional.

 

[tgt]

How about just frying the steak? From raw to eaten, cooked only on the fry pan. How long will that take?

 

[cristo]

How about just frying the steak? From raw to eaten, cooked only on the fry pan. How long will that take?

Well, it depends on how thick your steak is, and how you like it done (raw/medium/well-done?)

 

[tgt]

Well, it depends on how thick your steak is, and how you like it done (raw/medium/well-done?)

Thick one. Medium. How long? Small flame?

 

[cristo]

Have a look here.

 

[tgt]

Have a look here.

Looks like only about 5min. Amazing. Many hours in water but only 5 min on a pan. Why is that?

 

[seycyrus]

Looks like only about 5min. Amazing. Many hours in water but only 5 min on a pan. Why is that?

Are you doing homework?

Can you think of any differences between direct exposure to an open flame compared to boiling water?

 

[Andre]

Just run your tap until it's hot, hold the meat under it for 30 seconds or so, and it's done. You certainly don't want to heat it up enough to stop the bleeding, but it should be at normal body temperature to taste right.

Curiously enough I had the same advice, Danger, you don't want to turn a tender peace of red meat into a shoe sole.

 

[D H]

Looks like only about 5min. Amazing. Many hours in water but only 5 min on a pan. Why is that?

That's ten minutes, not five (it's five minutes per side).

The reason for the difference is that you cook a good steak for a short time because the main goal is to kill the germs while you could a cheap cut of meat for a long time because the main goal is to break down the tough connective tissues. Different objectives means different cooking techniques and different cooking times.

A good steak is marbled with fat and doesn't have those tough connective tissues; the meat is already tender. Were it not for the dangers of pathogens, you could even eat a good cut of steak raw, as Danger is won't to do. A cheap roast is very lean and laden with long muscles. Hot water breaks apart the connective bonds, but only after a long time.

 

[tgt]

Are you doing homework?

Can you think of any differences between direct exposure to an open flame compared to boiling water?

No, not homework. Just curious. I know that steam can burn you more then if you put your hand in the water. i wonder if that's got to do with the answer. The pan is hotter then the steam or water.

Is that why it's better to brown the meat first so it's partially cooked.

 

[tgt]

That's ten minutes, not five (it's five minutes per side).

The reason for the difference is that you cook a good steak for a short time because the main goal is to kill the germs while you could a cheap cut of meat for a long time because the main goal is to break down the tough connective tissues. Different objectives means different cooking techniques and different cooking times.

A good steak is marbled with fat and doesn't have those tough connective tissues; the meat is already tender. Were it not for the dangers of pathogens, you could even eat a good cut of steak raw, as Danger is won't to do. A cheap roast is very lean and laden with long muscles. Hot water breaks apart the connective bonds, but only after a long time.

Which features of the animals determines if they have tender meat or not?

 

[tgt]

Just had a thick steak cooked on a pan. Flame was a bit high and so the outside burned a little so had to take it out slightly prematurally resulting in some pink inside but not much. It was a bit too chewy I thought. A bit too tough for me.

 

[Moonbear]

Just had a thick steak cooked on a pan. Flame was a bit high and so the outside burned a little so had to take it out slightly prematurally resulting in some pink inside but not much. It was a bit too chewy I thought. A bit too tough for me.

Chewiness when pan-fried/seared is due more to the cut of meat than the cooking time.

The cooking time for boiling meat (like for a soup or stew) is longer not because it takes that long to be cooked through (you really should brown it first in a pan to get better flavor, as others mentioned...just turn the heat high with something like canola or vegetable oil, and cook by color...when it looks brown on a side, turn...use long tongs so you don't splatter yourself with oil), but because you're slowly cooking it to get it tender...that's what you do with a cheap cut of meat that's tough, just cooking it until it's trying to fall apart on its own.

With meats like steak, you just need to cook the outside really, and that's why it can be safely served rare. Any bacterial contamination is on the outside of the meat, not inside it. With hamburgers, because the grinding mixes the inside with the outside, you should cook it a bit more done (I personally take my chances with E. coli, but I wouldn't be responsible to recommend that to anyone else without you signing the proper waivers. ). Poultry can have salmonella anywhere in it, which is also why that needs to be cooked through.

A lot of grocery stores and meat producers label their meats with cooking instructions nowadays. It'll usually end up somewhat overdone if you follow their instructions, but if you're unaccustomed to cooking for yourself and just need it to be safe to eat, follow those (usually they are oven cooking times based on pounds of meat and recommended temperatures). You can always err on the side of less done and if you cut into it and it's not done enough, put it back to cook longer.

Maybe you should do the younger folks here a favor and point out to them how important it is to pay attention to things like how your parents cook your food and do laundry, etc., before moving out so you know how to do these things when you're on your own for the first time. You'll get the hang of it all soon enough.