A customer at the shop last week asked me to cut a pork shoulder into 1-inch cubes for stew, then told me his grandma always said the secret was to leave a little fat on each piece.

3 comments

3 Comments

davis.dakota1mo ago

Grandma was wrong on that one. You trim all that fat off, it just makes the stew greasy.

troy_ward1mo ago

Guess my stews are greasy then, because I can't bring myself to trim it all.

-2

jones.mason7d ago

Actually, leaving some fat on the meat is key for flavor. It renders down and makes the stew rich, not greasy. The real trick is a good sear on the meat first to build flavor, like @davis.dakota was getting at with the trimming. Too much liquid without that browning step makes it taste weak. You want that deep color and taste from the pan before it all goes in the pot.