How To Boil Meat (Boiled Beef)

Today I am sharing with you my technique on how to boil meat and season it perfectly using everyday ingredients. You can also use this method to boil chicken or ground beef.

The boiled meat is perfectly seasoned, it is packed full of flavour, is tender and delicious. The meat stock is rich and flavourful and can be used in many dishes that call for beef stock.

Boiled Beef recipe

Most Nigerian dishes use boiled meat in its recipe and honestly the taste of yours can either make or break your dish. You can have great tasting stew or soup but left with bland meat. That is why it is imperative that you cook with well-seasoned beef and that can add tons of flavour to the overall dish.

If you are new to Nigerian cooking and you are wondering why you have to boil meat before cooking, well welcome to Motherland where we don’t do rare meat.

In Nigeria and I am sure this applies to other parts of West Africa as well, we boil our meat or poultry first, then use in soups as it is, grilled or fried. A good example of this is with my popular Nigerian beef stew recipe and my chicken stew recipe.

I can also assure you that this process doesn’t make the meat tough at all. If the meat is cooked properly to perfection you would be left with the best tasting meat of your life. Tender, juicy and sometimes falling apart, I said that because not many like their meat falling off easily, so they still want it firm but tender to bite.

What is in my beef seasoning

I prefer using simple spices and herbs to my beef or poultry, I still want to be able to taste the flavour of the meat without the spices or herb interfering.

For my beef seasoning, I have used the following

Onion: I used red onion but you can also use yellow onion or the combination of the two.

Dried oregano and parsley: these two herbs would not alter the taste of the meat. If anything they make it flavourful and you can still taste the meat.

White pepper: don’t worry about too much heat as the recipe only calls for a little. You can use this according to preference

Stock powder (bouillon powder): you can use either chicken or beef stock cubes or powder. I am using chicken stock powder for this recipe

Bay leaves

Salt to taste: I recommend starting with 1 teaspoon for 1 kg of meat if you would be using stock cubes or powder.

What cut of meat can I boil

You can boil any cut of meat, I am using shin beef in today’s recipe but you can use beef shoulder, chunks, brisket, rounds, ribs, sirloin. Etc. The cut you use determines how long you boil the beef for.

In Nigerian dishes, we use beef offal to cook and it is called assorted meat. This part of the beef like tripe, lung etc takes longer to cook. I parboil offal using salt and onions for about 10 minutes, I rinse and clean it and then season it, using less salt, simmer on low heat until it is tender.

Check out my assorted meat pepper soup for how I parboiled meat before using it to cook. Also if you want to boil stew beef or beef tips, do so for about 10 to 15 minutes so you don’t overcook the beef.

OK, this is supposed to be a quick post so grab your apron, wash your hands let’s get to it.

Related post: you may also want to check out my post on how to clean cow tongue.

How to boil meat (Boiled beef)

Wash and rinse the meat under cold water, remove any visible fat (I like to leave some fat on the meat as it makes the stock and the beef flavourful. Add the washed meat to a clean pot.

Place the meat on low-medium heat, add chopped onions, salt, stock powder, white pepper, oregano, parsley and bay leaves. Stir to combine, add ⅓ cup of water, cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.

Check on the meat, add 1 cup of water, stir to combine then continue to cook on medium heat until the meat is tender to your liking. Depending on the quantity, size and the cut of meat you use, the beef should be fully cooked at about 30 minutes in total.

NOTE: You do not need a lot of water for this recipe, meat produces its own liquid, adding too much water would just water down the flavour of the overall dish.

Separate the meat from the stock and use as desired in dishes. You can also fry or grill it for a healthier option.

How to store

Both the boiled meat and beef stock can be stored in the fridge for up to 5 days. Make sure it is completely cooled before storing

Store it for up to 3 months or longer in the freezer.

Nigerian soup recipes that uses meat

Afang soup

Edikang Ikong

Buka stew

If you made this recipe, don’t forget to leave me feedback. Tag me on Instagram @myactivekitchen and save away to your Pinterest

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5 from 2 votes

How To Boil Meat (Boiled Beef)

Today I am sharing with you one of the ways I season and boil my meat using everyday ingredients. You can also use this technique to boil chicken or ground beef. The meat is perfectly seasoned, it is packed full of flavour, the meat is tender and delicious. The meat stock is rich and flavourful and can be used in many dishes that call for beef stock.

Prep Time5 mins

Cook Time25 mins

Total Time30 mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: African, Nigerian

Keyword: boiled beef recipe, how to boil beef, how to boil meat, Nigerian boiled meat

Servings: 12 pieces

Author: Ajoke

Ingredients

• 1 kg shin beef (2.2lb) use any other cut of meat you prefer
• 1 ⅓ water
• 1 medium onion chopped about ¾ cup
• 1 tablespoon chicken stock
• ½ tablespoon dried oregano
• 2 teaspoons dried parsley
• 2 teaspoons white pepper
• 2 bay leaves salt to taste start with 1 teaspoon
• Water

Instructions

• Wash and rinse the meat under cold water, remove any visible fat and add the washed meat to a clean pot.
• Place the meat on low-medium heat, add chopped onions, salt, stock powder, white pepper, oregano, parsley and bay leaves. Stir to combine, add ⅓ cup of water, cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 10 minutes.
• Check on the meat, add 1 cup of water, stir to combine then continue to cook on medium heat until the meat is tender to your liking. Depending on the quantity, size and the cut of meat you use, the beef should be fully cooked at about 30 minutes in total.
• Separate the meat from the stock and use as desired in dishes. You can also fry or grill it for a healthier option.

Video

Notes

Tip

You do not need too much water to boil your meat perfectly. The meat produces it own liquid whilst cooking. All you need to do is cook it on medium heat, and add little water as needed so that the meat doesn't burn.

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