succulent braised tough cuts

I have recently been thinking about a corned beef I had last yr for St. Patty's Day. It was at my Auntie's house. She had her party catered by someone.

It was the best corned beef I have ever had. It was so juicy, so flavorful, and incredibly tender you could cut it with your fork. I have never had a braised tough cut of meat taste or feel like this.

I was wondering what the secret is? It seems that most of my tough cuts (ie, stew meat chuck, meatballs, corned beef) go straight from tough and juicy to tender but dry. Why is that? Even at a slow simmer or in the crock pot. I can only guess it has something to do with overcooking and maybe too high a temp? Any secrets about to obtain a fork tender texture with lots of juiciness?

When I make a pot roast (chuck) I use 275 for about 4 hours. Braising liquid half to 2/3 up the sides of the beef.

Seal the roasting pan very well with aluminum foil so NO steam escapes. Turn roast over every hour and reseal.

Fork tender and juicy.

With a roast the idea is to cook until done then another hour to melt the cartilage, etc. into an unctuous juiciness.

I've not had that problem with braises, either.
I do know that if your temperature is too high, the meat will seize up, so maybe that's the problem. Shouldn't happen in a crock pot, though.
Perhaps it's the quality of the raw material?
A cheap, stringy, commercial grade of meat isn't going to become meltingly tender, no matter how long you braise it.
I'm not suggesting you're buying less than the best, but we've got to explore all the possibilities. Supermarket beef, as a category, isn't very good.

Low and slow, should do it every time.

[Jenise]

Low and slow, should do it every time.

Agreed, and as Frank points out--don't skimp on the liquid.

Maria,

Yep, low and slow, always in moist heat. Lots of good wet veg in the liquid helps too (carrots, turnips, onion, leeks, ramps, celery).

I think if even your stew meat is turning out too dry or tough, you are probably heating either too fast (temp too high, too vigorous a simmer) or cooking too long, more likely the former. The simmer needed is a real gentle cook, barely bubblin' at all. Don't let the cooking liquid cook away.

I've seen also how bonier cuts (beef blades or shoulder clod) dry out a bit as you described, when I cook them as I would a rump roast (which has bit less diffuse bone). A bonier cut actually needs a touch less time than the tougher cuts having higher percentage of dense muscle tissue, if simmered at the same temp, for same total weight.

Addendum... and let me be Frank ...

With most cuts when braising I tie the perimeter to hold it together into a tighter package to avoid cooking too fast and drying out.

That's all well and good, but corned beef usually isn't braised - it's not caramelized, just simmered.

I've not had that problem with braises, either.
I do know that if your temperature is too high, the meat will seize up, so maybe that's the problem. Shouldn't happen in a crock pot, though.
Perhaps it's the quality of the raw material?
A cheap, stringy, commercial grade of meat isn't going to become meltingly tender, no matter how long you braise it.
I'm not suggesting you're buying less than the best, but we've got to explore all the possibilities. Supermarket beef, as a category, isn't very good.

What you describe as "seizing up" is actually drying the meat out. Yes, one can actually dry out meat that is completely immersed in a liquid. At too high a temperature what happens is the temperature gets to the point where the liquids inside the meat are boiling. There's nowhere for them to go but out.

When I do pot roast -- rump roast preferred -- it's 350F for 4 hrs (2.5 hrs lid on, 1.5 hrs lid off). Lots of liquid.

Here's something else you might try Maria, for anything you're braising low and slow. Cut a parchment paper lid with a hole in the center to fit the pot you're using and place it on top of the meat. The lid allows for evaporation and protects the meat from caramelization and it's use instead of the metal lid.
If you'd like bona fides on this method, Thomas Keller tells you all about it in his French Laundry cookbook.

Here's something else you might try Maria, for anything you're braising low and slow. Cut a parchment paper lid with a hole in the center to fit the pot you're using and place it on top of the meat. The lid allows for evaporation and protects the meat from caramelization and it's use instead of the metal lid.
If you'd like bona fides on this method, Thomas Keller tells you all about it in his French Laundry cookbook.

The bona fides for this technique go back a lot further than Thomas Keller.

ChefJCarey :The bona fides for this technique go back a lot further than Thomas Keller
Yeah, but Apicius's cookbook is out of print.