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boiling beef / Jewish method (shin to be precise)

(41 Posts)
FrankandEarnest Sat 14-Dec-24 13:43:25

does anyone do this? I have just bought shin beef from our excellent butcher, my Jewish friend I was shopping with said,
to be sure to boil it first - is this a Jewish thing?
Obviously I know of boiled beef and carrots but that is a piece of silverside isn’t it?
(She cooked this for us years ago, with pease pudding and many vegetables, was so tasty)
I’m wondering whether to boil this shin beef up - my friend said I will be amazed at the scum which appears. I can’t help thinking it will shrink lol. and possibly be dry?
I’m not sure I want it now.

I looked online but would rather hear of personal experience thanks.

I was intending to make goulash, in the slow cooker, which is always better the next day ( and the day after)

ferry23 Thu 19-Dec-24 10:47:36

A lot of what is termed "Jewish" cookery is just Eastern European cookery styles. The two get blurred a lot of the time.

Allira Thu 19-Dec-24 10:40:33

Esmay

Something that I've learnt : the Jewish way of cooking salt beef and cholent is different from braising , because the meat is brined first hence the pink colour and the taste isn't the same .

Just remembered - they call it corned beef in Australia but it's quite different to corned beef here which comes in tins or slices.
It's a whole joint of beef (silverside or brisket) brined with pickling spices I think, and then cooked very slowly.

Allira Thu 19-Dec-24 10:35:57

Esmay

Something that I've learnt : the Jewish way of cooking salt beef and cholent is different from braising , because the meat is brined first hence the pink colour and the taste isn't the same .

Is that just the Jewish way?
I've eaten it (it's very popular in Australia) and thought it was an Eastern European dish. Your post reminded me of that 🙂

Esmay Thu 19-Dec-24 10:00:57

Something that I've learnt : the Jewish way of cooking salt beef and cholent is different from braising , because the meat is brined first hence the pink colour and the taste isn't the same .

foxie48 Wed 18-Dec-24 19:13:15

I'd welcome ideas on ways to cook brisket ferry23 as I have some nice brisket joints in the freezer but perhaps I should start another thread?

ferry23 Wed 18-Dec-24 18:33:42

That sounds delicious foxie48. Enjoy.

Thank goodness it's not brisket that you found. But you may have gone into too much detail about your cooking method wink

foxie48 Wed 18-Dec-24 18:04:03

This thread prompted me to get some long horn beef shin out of the freezer to make a beautiful casserole. I will slow cook it for hours, having first sealed it in a hot pan, no boiling or skimming involved.

Allira Wed 18-Dec-24 17:51:47

paddyann 😁
No mistake!!
Unless we need to go to that popular optician. 🤓

paddyann54 Wed 18-Dec-24 15:19:16

Apologies the title of the thread seemed to me to specify Jewish methods. My mistake

ferry23 Wed 18-Dec-24 14:59:11

Scroll past FrankandEarnest, just scroll past. Life is too short.

Then you won't be seen as rude and objectionable, and forever known as the poster who gets exasperated about brisket. hmm

Oreo Wed 18-Dec-24 14:42:26

FrankandEarnest

ferry23

When I post a question I'm always pleased when people take the time to explain things properly or post suggestions which can be really helpful and interesting.

In the end I guess we just stop trying to be helpful when it's thrown back in your face.

your response was neither helpful nor interesting and far from ‘throwing it bck in your face’ I was exasperated that you had seen fit to describe brisket when I had never mentioned it

Charming! 🤬
Don’t be surprised in future if posters decide not to respond at all.

Aldom Wed 18-Dec-24 14:35:15

Greyduster we were a Yorkshire family and my mother used to make Hash. We children loved it. Shin beef is delicious. Mum also cooked shin and served it on Yorkshire pudding.
Thank you for the reminder. smile

Greyduster Wed 18-Dec-24 14:21:36

I can’t see what you’re making such a fuss about. There’s no harm in a bit of digression. Anyway I was just trying to make the point that shin needs long slow cooking.

FrankandEarnest Wed 18-Dec-24 13:35:35

Allira

FrankandEarnest

I just cut it up, threw it all in the slow cooker with carrots, onions, swede and a leek, stock made from a cube and it was fine.
No scum and it was better than the ready cut up stewing beef.

Haven't made a goulash for ages, my SIL makes an excellent one.
When I reheated some last night I added some red wine for variation.

then research on Jewish cookery consulting others. I have no interest in adopting Jewish methods of cookery,

Perhaps it was because you mentioned your Jewish friend and her comments about cooking beef posters added their own thoughts.
Threads do meander.

yes indeed !

FrankandEarnest Wed 18-Dec-24 13:34:53

Greyduster

We used to have a dish called hash when I was a child. A sort of cross between a stew and a broth, with vegetables, and a traditional Yorkshire staple. That was made with shin and cooked very slowly on the hob - most of the day sometimes. I remember coming in from school in the winter to a cupful of the gravy to warm me up, and a slice of bread. Shin makes wonderful gravy.

Im aware of this, it is what the old fashioned ‘beef tea’ for invalides was rendered feom, but that wasn’t the question
I can only reiterate my perplexity that pp cannot or will not read understand and reply to the OP

FrankandEarnest Wed 18-Dec-24 13:33:08

Aldom

I agree ferry 23. What a rude, ungrateful response from the OP.

not at all, I am no ingenue !

FrankandEarnest Wed 18-Dec-24 13:32:38

ferry23

When I post a question I'm always pleased when people take the time to explain things properly or post suggestions which can be really helpful and interesting.

In the end I guess we just stop trying to be helpful when it's thrown back in your face.

your response was neither helpful nor interesting and far from ‘throwing it bck in your face’ I was exasperated that you had seen fit to describe brisket when I had never mentioned it

Greyduster Wed 18-Dec-24 12:26:42

We used to have a dish called hash when I was a child. A sort of cross between a stew and a broth, with vegetables, and a traditional Yorkshire staple. That was made with shin and cooked very slowly on the hob - most of the day sometimes. I remember coming in from school in the winter to a cupful of the gravy to warm me up, and a slice of bread. Shin makes wonderful gravy.

Aldom Wed 18-Dec-24 12:22:18

I agree ferry 23. What a rude, ungrateful response from the OP.

ferry23 Wed 18-Dec-24 12:07:12

When I post a question I'm always pleased when people take the time to explain things properly or post suggestions which can be really helpful and interesting.

In the end I guess we just stop trying to be helpful when it's thrown back in your face.

Allira Wed 18-Dec-24 11:19:01

FrankandEarnest

I just cut it up, threw it all in the slow cooker with carrots, onions, swede and a leek, stock made from a cube and it was fine.
No scum and it was better than the ready cut up stewing beef.

Haven't made a goulash for ages, my SIL makes an excellent one.
When I reheated some last night I added some red wine for variation.

then research on Jewish cookery consulting others. I have no interest in adopting Jewish methods of cookery,

Perhaps it was because you mentioned your Jewish friend and her comments about cooking beef posters added their own thoughts.
Threads do meander.

FrankandEarnest Wed 18-Dec-24 11:12:07

… and in future to shop alone

FrankandEarnest Wed 18-Dec-24 11:11:21

What on earth has happened to everyone’s comprehension?

I’m dismayed that no one was able to answer my question, taking the thread off into another direction, from my
key word being FIRST, then proceeded to answer questions I hadn’t asked? then research on Jewish cookery consulting others. I have no interest in adopting Jewish methods of cookery, only asked if anyone had boiled shin beef (from the leg, for long slow cooking) not how to cook brisket.
So frustrating when a thread takes on a life of its own and initial question is ignored.

anyway, just in case anyone was tempted to boil shin beef/stewing steak FIRST -

Experiment results - boiling shin beef so you don’t need to

I had so much freshly cut in front of me shin beef cut up by
the butcher, I halved the amount, boiled up one half, omy goodness the scum, then cooked as usual, for a goulash in the slow cooker - it was ok, we thought the meat was slightly tougher and drier than it should be, served with mashed potatoes and green beans.

The other portion - I sealed the meat, cooked as usual in the slow cooker, slightly different ingredients, peppers and butter beans, was delicious, meat tender as usual, served with ribbon noodles, no one (seemed to) notice that we had shin beef casseroled twice in 4 days as the dishes were so different!
amazing.

result - no more boiling beef FIRST and stop experimenting

ferry23 Wed 18-Dec-24 06:47:15

Esmay

Hi Ferry,
Brust and chazel are apparently terms for brisket probably in Yiddish ,but understood by some Hebrew speakers .
Something to be learned every day !
I haven't thought of making the dish for years now I shall !

Well, who knew?

Strangely enough I've just a received a response to an email from a friend of mine who lived in Israel for many years. She said that some Israeli butchers refer to brisket as “bruit” and “chazeh". Although she said she's never heard it in this country.

You're right Esmay, we do learn something every day!

I'm still not convinced that the OP's reference to boiling beef shin is a particularly Jewish way of cooking it. Bringing it to the boil with veg and stock and then slowly simmering is a way of making a stew but don't think it can be attributed to Jewish style cooking.

Esmay Wed 18-Dec-24 06:11:55

Hi Ferry,
Brust and chazel are apparently terms for brisket probably in Yiddish ,but understood by some Hebrew speakers .
Something to be learned every day !
I haven't thought of making the dish for years now I shall !