Chef's notes
Beef neck is rich in connective tissue; slow cooking transforms it into gelatin, giving the stew body and richness without additives.
Cast iron retains heat well and is ideal for both browning and long simmering.
Salting at the end helps control texture and prevents the meat from tightening too early.
Details
- ⏲️ Prep time: 20 min
- 🍳 Cook time: 1 hour 30 mins
- 🍽️ Servings: 3
Ingredients
- Beef neck, cut into ~1-inch (2.5 cm) cubes
- Water
- Salt (to finish)
- Beef tallow (recommended), or lard / bacon grease for frying
Directions
- Using a sharp knife (important — beef neck has heavy connective tissue), cut the meat into roughly 1-inch cubes.
- Heat a large pan (cast iron is ideal) over medium-high to high heat and add beef tallow (or lard / bacon grease).
- Brown the beef cubes for a few minutes per side, until well colored. Work in batches if needed — do not overcrowd the pan.
- Add enough water to just cover the meat.
- Reduce the heat to low, cover, and gently simmer for 1 to 1½ hours, until about ¾ of the water has evaporated and the meat is tender.
- Season with salt at the end, to taste.
- Serve hot.