Slow cooking beef

[downdizzy]

Followed a recipe yesterday for slow cooked beef shin ragu, it was in for 7 hours on LOW and the meat was dry and tough. Where did I go wrong? I have more shin of beef for today was thinking of going the other way and try 4 hours on LOW and see how it is? Todays is shredded beef for burritos

What sort of liquid was it in? Did you baste it regularly?

And was it in a slow cooker or covered dish?

Generally, if you want nice juicy meat you can shred, it’s low in adequate liquid including fat (butter is great for this), well basted, and cooked long. So for beef I wanted to pull, I’d definitely do 8-10 hours in slow cooker, less in a casserole dish (covered), basted regularly.

You do sometimes just get a shit cut of meat though, some are definitely better than others.

It looked like a really good cut and I had high expectations! It was cooked submerged in chopped tomatoes although no fat was added, but plenty of moisture

Was it actually shin? Not "stewing beef" or similar? In my slow cooker, 7 hours on low would be too little. I'd go for at LEASST 8, but something like shin I'd probably leave in for closer to 10. In my oven, 7 hours, unless on somethng like 100 degrees, would be too long. So the timing might be off.

Yay 8.5 hours in today and beef is falling apart thanks!