Stew Meat Basics

• Stewing involves cooking meat for a long time at relatively low temperatures. This makes it ideal for cooking tougher cuts of meat, which would lose all of their tenderness if cooked at a higher temperature. Even so, this tough, muscular meat can still benefit from being marinated. The acids in vinegar, wine or other acidic liquids break down the meat, softening it, while spices and flavors soak into it.

The Many Types of Marinade

• A variety of different marinades is used for stew meat, with each cook having preferred recipes. Even for one type of meat -- beef, for example -- there are a range of options. Red wine is a popular choice, while culinary legend Julia Child preferred to use a simple marinade based on olive oil, garlic, vinegar and pepper. By contrast, others choose to add deep, complex flavors by marinating beef in Irish stout and bay leaves.

Marinating other Meats

• Other types of stew meat can have similar marinades. For instance, should you find yourself cooking goat, you can marinate it in red wine with onions, garlic, pepper, bay leaves and other herbs. Similarly, the stout and bay leaf marinade works as well for lamb as it does for beef. Other meats require different strategies: rabbit, for instance, benefits from a white wine marinade.

Using the Marinade

• Once the meat has marinated, often in a refrigerator overnight, the marinade isn't yet done being useful. Once the meat has been removed from the marinade and is ready to be browned, keep the marinade. The liquid will serve as the base for the stew. Combining it and the browned meat with vegetables will give you a delicious mix of flavors with no waste.