Stew meat is made from cuts of beef with lots of tough connective tissue, namely chuck and/or round. When you simmer it in a liquid, the connective tissue breaks down and becomes melt-in-your-mouth tender, which is why its traditionally braised in stock and turned into beef stew. However, there are many other dishes you can make with stew meat. Here are some ideas:

• Beef chili
• Beef stroganoff
• Beef potpie
• Beef enchiladas
• Korean tacos
• Goulash
• Sweet and sour beef
• Beef curry
• Beef rice dishes
• Savory meat pies with beef
• Crockpot beef recipes
• Beef barley soup

When using stew meat to make these dishes, you can simply swap in an equal weight of stew meat for the chuck or round called for in the recipe. Its important to sear the meat before adding any other ingredients to get the best flavor, and to leave enough cooking time to let the stew meat simmer in the sauce so that it becomes tender.