Beef Stew on the Egg

Botch

It may hit 60 again today, I wanted to Egg, but a snowstorm is due for tomorrow and Monday (holiday for us non-essential guv'mint workers); so also wanted something warm & homey.  Beef stew!  
I went lazy and got a pkg of pre-cut stew meat from the grocer, dusted with dizzy pig Cow Lick, then shook in a bag with flour and black pepper.  Tried something new by spreading the pieces out in my wire basket, and direct over a hot fire with lots of smoke (I wanted some browning/smoke but not cook the pieces totally):
 

 
That's the only pic I'll post this time as I had the White Balance waaay off, the cooked pics don't look so appetizing.  
 
I pre-browned a large onion, garlic, and cremini mushrooms in a skillet, then dumped them into my pressure cooker.  Added celery, carrots, russets, bay leaves, couple sprigs of fresh thyme, chicken broth, and a can of diced tomates in sriracha sauce that I found at the grocer.  Cooked on High Pressure for 25 minutes, natural release, and served over sourdough toast points.  
 
Some notes:
- The tomatoes in sriracha weren't right; tasted okay but the smell wasn't right.
- Tomatoes in sriracha is a silly pantry item; just keep plain 'maters and add sriracha, when desired, to taste.
- Flouring stew meat before browning in a skillet has always given me enough gravy/thickening, it didn't work this way.
- Because I used fall-apart russets, a few vigorous stirs at the end thickened the stew up okay anyway.  
- The kiss of smoke was excellent in beef stew; however,
- The beef took on a reddish hue that was still there after pressure-cooking; no idea why.
 
Next time, leave out any sriracha, and maybe make a roux in the frypan after the onions/'shrooms.  Ready for the snow now.  

bgebrent

Good rundown @Botch.  Sriracha usually is a good call, clearly not here based on your experience.  I do like your next time plan with the roux.  Enjoy the white stuff.

vb4677

Where'd ya get that basket?

northGAcock

Noble efforts often lead to breakthrough. Good for you trying new methodology’s

pgprescott

https://goo.gl/images/jrJi5h

Botch

vb4677 said:

Where'd ya get that basket?

I've had that at least four or five years, I'm sorry I can't remember.  :(
It is a **** to clean, but works well for exposing small things like cubed veggies and shrimp to direct heat.  

vb4677

Hmmm....