Well, I had made this recipe a few weeks ago and I thought it turned out pretty well.
http://thecrockstar.blogspot.com/2009/01/absolute-best-crockpot-beef-stroganoff.html
I also thought it could use some improvement. Last time I made it according to the recipe, with these exceptions:
I lightly coated the stew meat in seasoned flour then browned in a pan(in batches.) I then put the diced onion into the frying pan as well. These went right into the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. I also substituted one of the mushroom soup cans with french onion. Then I added about a tablespoon of dijon mustard. I also tossed in a bay leaf.
So, this time around I thought I would smoke the meat for a few hours instead of browning it. This was also a good recipe to test out my AMPNS again. The first time I used it, I couldn't keep that sucker going. I realized it would be a bit difficult to smoke the small chunks of stew meat. Thus, I decided to use a foil bed/wrap. While I was at it, why not smoke the meat on a mirepoix bed? So, I tossed 2.5 pounds of stew meat(I found that this recipe could easily accommodate 3lbs, but Wallyworld only had 2.5lb packages or smaller.) into some leftover spicy beef rub. The rub recipe is in the following thread, though I added 1 Tablespoon each of black pepper, onion powder, & garlic powder to it to spread it out a bit and maybe cut down a bit on the heat level: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/136983/first-chuck-roast-with-my-new-ampns
Then I got my mise en place. I diced one Spanish onion. Then I chopped carrots and celery into portions roughly equal to the amount of onion. I then drizzled a bit of EVOO on them and tossed with a bit of sea salt & freshly ground pepper to coat. I also diced one jalapeno and unpeeled/separated into cloves one small head of garlic.
I then double layered foil and stacked the stew meat onto the enhanced mirepoix bed onto it. I made sure to leave enough foil to wrap it later.
I repeated two more times to use up the rest of the meat/veggies. Then into the MES we go!
I also wanted to smoke some peppers while I'm at it.
The smoke went out after I checked it after washing my mixing bowls. So, I got a bigger ember going. It seemed to be generating smoke out of the vent every time I took a look after that, so I took a look 2 hours after the smoker reached 225F to perhaps wrap the foil packets.
It sure looks like a smoky chamber... There wasn't a huge difference in color, so I decided to keep going unwrapped. Despite appearances, it seemed as though the AMPNS was out again!
After lighting it and keeping the flame going for a couple minutes, I thought it was safe to blow out and continue the cook. I would periodically check the smoke coming out of the vent, and it seemed like it was going strongly. I wonder if it was merely cooking steam(as it was 32F or so outside.) It smelled great and smoky , but when I opened the door 1.5 hours later, it looked like this:
I didn't take a picture of it, but the AMPNS was out. The peppers looked slightly wrinkled and still the same color. The meat/veggies seemed to take on a bit of color, and smelled great though. Anyways, it was time to get this stuff into the slow cooker.
I then added the soup cans along with 1 tablespoon dijon, 1 tablespoon worcestershire, 2 bay leaves, and 1 half cup water. After 1 hour on low, I gave it a stir. I found it could use more liquid, so I added the rest of my beer to the stew. It was Atwater Brewery's VJ Black imperial stout in an amount roughly equal to the water.
Here's what it looked like after 4 hours on low:
Whoo-wee! Now that was some spicy beef stew! You could really smell and taste the smoke in it as well.
Then I skimmed as much of the oil/fat I could, and I added sour cream to taste(3 or 4 large dollops):
Served over a bowl of roasted garlic/roasted pepper buttermilk mashed potatoes:
It turned out really well. The sour cream has tamed the heat to the perfect amount IMHO. It has a definite smoke aroma and taste to it, but it is far from overwhelming, just enough I think. I think it will turn out even better as leftovers. This was a very easy dish to make, but it did take me all day to cook it. I probably could have checked on it after a couple hours in the slow cooker, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to go the distance. You could also try to set the slow cooker to high to decrease the the time needed.
As far as the AMPNS testing went, I am disappointed but not yet discouraged. The next time I use it, I will make sure to have a flame going on it for a good 10 minutes before blowing it out. As they say, tomorrow is another day.
Thanks for looking!
PS If you are wondering, I was sick of my phone freezing and resetting itself after every other picture I take with it. So there is a "fish-eye" effect in the photos I took with my GoPro.
http://thecrockstar.blogspot.com/2009/01/absolute-best-crockpot-beef-stroganoff.html
I also thought it could use some improvement. Last time I made it according to the recipe, with these exceptions:
I lightly coated the stew meat in seasoned flour then browned in a pan(in batches.) I then put the diced onion into the frying pan as well. These went right into the slow cooker along with the rest of the ingredients. I also substituted one of the mushroom soup cans with french onion. Then I added about a tablespoon of dijon mustard. I also tossed in a bay leaf.
So, this time around I thought I would smoke the meat for a few hours instead of browning it. This was also a good recipe to test out my AMPNS again. The first time I used it, I couldn't keep that sucker going. I realized it would be a bit difficult to smoke the small chunks of stew meat. Thus, I decided to use a foil bed/wrap. While I was at it, why not smoke the meat on a mirepoix bed? So, I tossed 2.5 pounds of stew meat(I found that this recipe could easily accommodate 3lbs, but Wallyworld only had 2.5lb packages or smaller.) into some leftover spicy beef rub. The rub recipe is in the following thread, though I added 1 Tablespoon each of black pepper, onion powder, & garlic powder to it to spread it out a bit and maybe cut down a bit on the heat level: http://www.smokingmeatforums.com/t/136983/first-chuck-roast-with-my-new-ampns
Then I got my mise en place. I diced one Spanish onion. Then I chopped carrots and celery into portions roughly equal to the amount of onion. I then drizzled a bit of EVOO on them and tossed with a bit of sea salt & freshly ground pepper to coat. I also diced one jalapeno and unpeeled/separated into cloves one small head of garlic.
I then double layered foil and stacked the stew meat onto the enhanced mirepoix bed onto it. I made sure to leave enough foil to wrap it later.
I repeated two more times to use up the rest of the meat/veggies. Then into the MES we go!
I also wanted to smoke some peppers while I'm at it.
The smoke went out after I checked it after washing my mixing bowls. So, I got a bigger ember going. It seemed to be generating smoke out of the vent every time I took a look after that, so I took a look 2 hours after the smoker reached 225F to perhaps wrap the foil packets.
It sure looks like a smoky chamber... There wasn't a huge difference in color, so I decided to keep going unwrapped. Despite appearances, it seemed as though the AMPNS was out again!
After lighting it and keeping the flame going for a couple minutes, I thought it was safe to blow out and continue the cook. I would periodically check the smoke coming out of the vent, and it seemed like it was going strongly. I wonder if it was merely cooking steam(as it was 32F or so outside.) It smelled great and smoky , but when I opened the door 1.5 hours later, it looked like this:
I didn't take a picture of it, but the AMPNS was out. The peppers looked slightly wrinkled and still the same color. The meat/veggies seemed to take on a bit of color, and smelled great though. Anyways, it was time to get this stuff into the slow cooker.
I then added the soup cans along with 1 tablespoon dijon, 1 tablespoon worcestershire, 2 bay leaves, and 1 half cup water. After 1 hour on low, I gave it a stir. I found it could use more liquid, so I added the rest of my beer to the stew. It was Atwater Brewery's VJ Black imperial stout in an amount roughly equal to the water.
Here's what it looked like after 4 hours on low:
Whoo-wee! Now that was some spicy beef stew! You could really smell and taste the smoke in it as well.
Then I skimmed as much of the oil/fat I could, and I added sour cream to taste(3 or 4 large dollops):
Served over a bowl of roasted garlic/roasted pepper buttermilk mashed potatoes:
It turned out really well. The sour cream has tamed the heat to the perfect amount IMHO. It has a definite smoke aroma and taste to it, but it is far from overwhelming, just enough I think. I think it will turn out even better as leftovers. This was a very easy dish to make, but it did take me all day to cook it. I probably could have checked on it after a couple hours in the slow cooker, but I thought it wouldn't hurt to go the distance. You could also try to set the slow cooker to high to decrease the the time needed.
As far as the AMPNS testing went, I am disappointed but not yet discouraged. The next time I use it, I will make sure to have a flame going on it for a good 10 minutes before blowing it out. As they say, tomorrow is another day.
Thanks for looking!
PS If you are wondering, I was sick of my phone freezing and resetting itself after every other picture I take with it. So there is a "fish-eye" effect in the photos I took with my GoPro.
