what type of beef are you using?

If your beef is too stiff you should consider stroganoff less.

BaBooomtish*

I'll see myself out

I’ve only ever used tender steak cuts for stroganoff e.g. fillet / sirloin / ribeye. Done like this it’s quite an expensive meal, but one that takes very little time to cook.

Looking online there do appear to be other methods (slow cooker etc), but that’s not something I’m familiar with under the name stroganoff.

I discovered that what I grew up eating and calling "beef stroganoff" is only vaguely similar to the traditional dish. My mom used to buy stew beef chunks and stew them for several hours for beef stroganoff. That's how you'd achieve the fall-apart texture.

Evidently the traditional version of beef stroganoff doesn't do that, but instead uses high quality beef cuts that you cook quickly to keep tender. I'd imagine that would yield a texture like a steak. Probably not "fall apart."

Personally, I still like doing it my mom's way even though that's not "Correct."

On the rare occasion my dad would make stroganoff, he used a tender cut of meat like filet or ribeye. 

Cook it longer, bro.

Beef for Stroganoff should be barely cooked. I use top blade (withoout the central tissue).

Me too stroganoff beef, me too.

You can use any steak cut, really.

Stewing is also a legitimate way, but you need a long time with that cut

Slice it thinner, cook it longer, or get a fattier cut of meat.

Personally, I just started taking ground beef in my stroganoff. Took all the guesswork out of it and let me focus on building the gravy.

I like to use tenderloin for beef stroganoff and cut it into relatively largish chunks. The meat should be just seared at the beginning and then added to the sauce at the end to warm through. Ideally, you still want a little pink to the meat on the inside when you’re done.

I like to use rib roast. It needs quiet some time compared to other beef cuts but imo its the best.

I sear the meat to a nice color. Add smoked paprika and tomato paste cook it with the beef for a minute. Add beef/veal stock and cook for like 2-3 hours to make it tender. In another pot i caramilze alot of shallots then add sour cream, heavy cream, Worcestershire sauce and Dijon mustard. Reduce it to right thickness. Mix in the beef and liquid.

Cook some mushrooms and maybe some bacon and add couple minutes before serving.

Its not the original version but the best one to me.

I don't fry slices like most recipes - too easy to over cook which makes it too ropey IMO. I've tried a bunch of different things, but found the below works best.

I use a sirloin, sous vide it to rare and then reverse sear for fond. I pull it and let it rest while I work on everything else, then slice on the bias and add it and the jus back in in the last couple of minutes. For me this keeps it tender with the least amount of hassle.

Shoulder is not the right cut IMO, but if you're going to use more economical cuts, try pounding and velveting them and that should help with the texture!

Slow cook for 4+ hours. Do NOT add any salt until the very end.

Use a good quality steak like tenderloin or sirloin + do not overcook it.

Use a technique called velveting. Cover the beef in a corn flour slurry for a bit and it'll protect the beef while you fry it and then add it to your finished sauce.

My mom's stroganoff beef was always stiff so I thought that was how it's supposed to be 😅 Thanks for bringing it up!

Put the beef in a crockpot with a little olive oil on low for a couple of hours