Help please -- beef stew tasted "liverish"

[PopsicleToze]

I made a beef stew this weekend. It's still a little hot for the dish, but my father requested it. Anyway, everything was great, except the meat tasted had a liverish taste. What would make it taste like liver?

The meat was a whole chuck roast that I trimmed myself. Looked great. Smelled fine. Nothing out of the ordinary. Vegetables were potatoes, onions, celery & carrots.

Sauce was a reduction of homemade beef & chicken stocks, tomato paste (just a few tablespoons), Worcestershire sauce. I can't add any wine or beer when cooking for my parents for health reasons. (Note: I did cook the dish in a cast iron dutch oven and someone mentioned that might have caused a reaction.)

Seasonings were bay leaf, thyme, dry mustard, oregano, kosher salt & fresh ground pepper.

Did the taste happen just because I used a cast iron pot -- it was very well-seasoned -- about 40 years worth.

[MatthewB]

When'd you last put any liver into said pot?

[PopsicleToze]

I can't answer. At my parents cooking for mother who was ill (better now). But I doubt seriously she cooks liver at all -- excpet the occasional deef-fried chicken livers.

[Pezchef]

Did you brown the meat well? or did it just sort of steam before you added the liquid. Sometimes it can get a funny texture if it's not browned properly in the first stage of cooking.

Also, I've heard that you shouldn't use a caste iron pot when adding anything with tomato or other acids? That it's not good for the pot? Has anyone else ever heard this?

[PopsicleToze]

No, I browned the meat well -- didn't crowd it at all. No steaming went on. The texture was fine; just the taste was a bit livery. Not overpowering, but my mother noticed it, too. On a local food chat someone else had mentioned having a similar problem before. So, I thought I would post here to see if it was a certain mix of ingredients, the pot or maybe just the quality of the beef. We were way in the county at a little Mom and Pop store. So, the beef quality is not gourmet -- just what was available.

[Dave the Cook]

Two possibilities occur to me:

1) Different cuts of chuck have subtly different flavors, from honest-to-god beefiness to practically nonexistent. To a discriminating palate, some of them might be described as liverish. Was the chuck you got the same cut as you usually get? And at the risk of insulting you (I don't know what your experience level is, so pardon me if this is off base), are you sure it was really a chuck roast?

2) You say you were out in the country. Is there any reason to suspect the water supply of contributing or altering flavor?

[Jinmyo]

Sounds like the beef was hanger (onglet).

[Al_Dente]

I've experienced this too-- especially with stew-type cuts of meat. I thought perhaps it wasn't as fresh as it could be.

Maybe it was the Hannibal Lector of steer-- did it taste like Chianti and fava beans too?

[Dave the Cook]

I've experienced this too-- especially with stew-type cuts of meat. I thought perhaps it wasn't as fresh as it could be.

When you say "stew-type cuts of meat," do you mean meat that's already been cut into cubes, or whole cuts?

[Al_Dente]

I've experienced this too-- especially with stew-type cuts of meat. I thought perhaps it wasn't as fresh as it could be.

When you say "stew-type cuts of meat," do you mean meat that's already been cut into cubes, or whole cuts?

It was a whole cut. I didn't mean anything negative about stew-type, just meant the tougher meats (usually cheaper too) that are good in slow cook methods. I didn't remember exactly what cut it was, but it definitely had that livery thing going on.

And I tend to wonder whether grocery stores (especially the monster american chains) might be a little less... uhh... exacting with regards to freshness when it comes to cheaper cuts.

[Dave the Cook]

It was a whole cut. I didn't mean anything negative about stew-type, just meant the tougher meats (usually cheaper too) that are good in slow cook methods. I didn't remember exactly what cut it was, but it definitely had that livery thing going on.

And I tend to wonder whether grocery stores (especially the monster american chains) might be a little less... uhh... exacting with regards to freshness when it comes to cheaper cuts.

It makes more sense (to me) to be less scrupulous about the expensive cuts, since more money is at stake.

And you're right, there were reports (including something on 60 Minutes) not too long ago about re-dating of cut and ground meat at major chains.

But to me (again), liverish and spoiled are quite different smells and tastes.

[Al_Dente]

It makes more sense (to me) to be less scrupulous about the expensive cuts, since more money is at stake.

Seems to me they could afford to be less scrupulous with the cheaper cuts. Who is going to go through the trouble to return a $4 big ol cheap cut vs a $20 Porterhouse. Point is, if you pay the big bucks for it, it'd better be good or at least not funky tasting.

As far as liverish goes, I guess I mean liverish more in the sense as how you probably hated liver as a kid. That kinda gamey strong taste-- though maybe I'm putting words in NolaFoodie's mouth.

[Dave the Cook]

Seems to me they could afford to be less scrupulous with the cheaper cuts. Who is going to go through the trouble to return a $4 big ol cheap cut vs a $20 Porterhouse. Point is, if you pay the big bucks for it, it'd better be good or at least not funky tasting.

As far as liverish goes, I guess I mean liverish more in the sense as how you probably hated liver as a kid. That kinda gamey strong taste-- though maybe I'm putting words in NolaFoodie's mouth.

Good point. The fact that the cheaper cuts are cooked for a long time would mask some problems.

My surmise was based on the assumption that the original "sell by" dates have a good amount of slack in them, so a few more days on a Porterhouse wouldn't matter. Also, a store is going to be conservative in its inventory of expensive cuts as opposed to the cheap stuff, so there's a lot more total dollars tied up in chuck and round than tenderloin.

In the end it's probably futile to guess what's in the mind of a meat department manager, because it must change with the situation. You stock up on T-bones for a sunny 4th of July, and it rains all weekend -- come Tuesday, there's a huge sale on ground sirloin.

Even as a kid, I liked liver, but now I know what you're talking about. To me, anyway, it's not the same as spoiled. Like you say, we'll have to wait for NolaFoodie.

[PopsicleToze]

I've read all of the posts, and I'm pretty convinced it must have been the meat. My choice of pots at Mom's are cast iron and Magnalite, both reactive, and we've cooked beef stew for years without this happening.

Dave the Cook, no, the chuck I purchased was not the same cut usually purchased. I bought the whole roast, and I remember being surprised when I was trimming it that there was no bone in it. No offense at all taken as to the question was it really a chuck roast? It looked like one, but didn't have a bone. It could have been something else. Yes, it was fresh & I know the grocer. He doesn't have a dishonest bone in him. Regarding water quality affecting the beef, it's a small store. They joined IGA, which is an association that allows small grocers to join with other small grocers to buy in bulk quantities so that they can compete with the Wally-Worlds. I seriously doubt if the beef was local.

Thanks for all of the answers. Guess it was the mystery roast. Most often when I cook there, I buy all of the ingredients before I leave town.

[Dave the Cook]

I've read all of the posts, and I'm pretty convinced it must have been the meat.  My choice of pots at Mom's are cast iron and Magnalite, both reactive, and we've cooked beef stew for years without this happening.

Dave the Cook, no, the chuck I purchased was not the same cut usually purchased.  I bought the whole roast, and I remember being surprised when I was trimming it that there was no bone in it.  No offense at all taken as to the question was it really a chuck roast?  It looked like one, but didn't have a bone.  It could have been something else.  Yes, it was fresh & I know the grocer.  He doesn't have a dishonest bone in him.  Regarding water quality affecting the beef, it's a small store.  They joined IGA, which is an association that allows small grocers to join with other small grocers to buy in bulk quantities so that they can compete with the Wally-Worlds.  I seriously doubt if the beef was local.

Thanks for all of the answers.  Guess it was the mystery roast.  Most often when I cook there, I buy all of the ingredients before I leave town.

I wasn't clear about the water. I was referring to the local tap water, not what the cow might have consumed. But since you've been cooking in this location for years, we can rule this out along with the cookware.

Before shrugging and calling it "just one of those things," there are a couple of loose ends.

You say you bought the whole roast. I'm not sure what this means. How much did it weigh?

Did it look like this?

[Oreganought]

I know a few times that I have eaten meat that has been marinaded too

long,can have a liverish texture.

Did you marinade the beef,if yes,what did you use and how long did you

leave it. Aiming at a longshot.

Edit: nevermind,I just re-read your original post.

Edited August 27, 2003 by Oreganought (log)

[slkinsey]

Isn't liver very high in iron? Might the presence of the iron contribute to liver's distinctive taste? Might the long cooking of a fairly acidic stew in raw cast iron have brought enough iron into the stew for it to attain a flavor that is reminiscent of the flavor that iron contributes to liver?

[PopsicleToze]

Before shrugging and calling it "just one of those things," there are a couple of loose ends.

You say you bought the whole roast. I'm not sure what this means. How much did it weigh?

Did it look like this?

Dave, thanks ... I'll try to answer.

It was approx 2" thick and weighed approximately 2-1/2 pounds.

No, it didn't quite look like the picture. There was much more fat running through the meat almost like slanted lines. No bone, and it had a comma-shaped tail at the end.

[Al_Dente]

Isn't liver very high in iron?  Might the presence of the iron contribute to liver's distinctive taste?  Might the long cooking of a fairly acidic stew in raw cast iron have brought enough iron into the stew for it to attain a flavor that is reminiscent of the flavor that iron contributes to liver?

Ah... interesting theory... could be.

[PopsicleToze]

It does sound plausible, but only the meat? You couldn't taste liver in the gravy or the vegetables.