It’s not hard to make an excellent beef stew, but it’s easy to make a mediocre one. There are a few basics tricks to achieving that depth of flavor that all beef stews strive for and I’m going to share those with you in today’s tutorial!
Nothing speaks comfort like an old-fashioned beef stew on a chilly evening. And throw in a cozy fireplace and a bear rug and the picture is complete. Well, maybe not the bear rug. I don’t want a hairy, pointy-toothed animal gaping at me while I eat. But definitely the fireplace.
Beef stew is almost iconic. It’s defined defined the term “comfort food” for generations. And though many variations exist (such as this delicious Beef & Butternut Squash Stew, Hearty Beef & Barley Stew, and Beef & Vegetable Stew with Cauliflower) , the classic beef stew has stood the test of time and I imagine it always will.
The classic beef stew almost always shares these same common features: Beef that is seared for ultimate flavor and slow-simmered with carrots, celery and potatoes in a rich sauce seasoned with herbs and red wine. Those are the basic elements that combine to make a simple yet phenomenally delicious stew. But more than anything, it’s the method that of preparing it that will transform an otherwise simple dish into a culinary masterpiece. We’ll take a look at those steps in our tutorial today.
Let’s get started!
To Coat Or Not To Coat, That Is The Question
Sprinkle beef with the salt and pepper and then thoroughly coat on all sides with the flour. The question always arises, should I dredge the beef with flour or add the flour with some water later on to thicken the stew? The answer is you can do either. But traditionally coating the beef with the flour is the way to go and there are several reasons for this: The flour helps brown the meat better, the browned flour enhances the flavor of the sauce, and it also enhances the surface texture of the meat. So we’re going to coat it!
Give It Space and Generously Brown It
Heat the oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot heavy stock pot until good and hot (when you sprinkle a few drops of water in it they should jump and sizzle). Place the beef cubes in the pot spaced about 1/2 inch apart. That’s a crucial step because that’s what will enable you to sear and brown the beef. If the pieces of beef are too close together they won’t brown. Instead they’ll just steam and you’ll end up with really unattractive, bland and gray-colored lumps of beef. Work in batches so all the beef can be properly browned. This is probably the most important step to achieving a great tasting stew. So be patient, it will pay off! Transfer the beef to a plate and set aside.
Keep The Browned Bits!
Now, see all that browned and burnt stuff on the bottom of the pot? Your instinct may be to scrape it out before proceeding. Don’t do it! That’s where all the flavor lies. This, along with properly browning the beef, is the key to a fabulous tasting beef stew.
Add the butter, next we’re going to add the onions.
Add the onions and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Do I Have To Add The Wine?
Add the wine and bring it to a rapid boil, deglazing the bottom of the pot (ie, scraping up the browned bits with a wooden spoon). Boil for two minutes or until the wine is mostly evaporated. You don’t have to add the wine if you prefer not to, but the wine will add tremendous depth of flavor to your stew and help tenderize the beef. This is an age-old method peasants used to tenderize poor cuts of meat.
For anyone concerned about the alcohol, between the boiling and the long cooking process most of the alcohol will be evaporated. And wine has a relatively low alcohol content to begin with. In fact, when the beef stew is served you probably end up with less alcohol content per serving than the teaspoon of vodka-based vanilla extract you add to your chocolate chip cookies.
Return that glorious browned beef to the pot.
Take The Long Way Home
Add the broth, tomato paste and the seasonings. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 90 minutes. The long, slow cooking process is going to make your beef stew taste exquisite.
While this is cooking, chop up the vegetables. In case some of you ask, yes you can omit the mushrooms. Don’t like peas? You can omit those as well. A red bell pepper would be a great vegetable to add in their place.
After 90 minutes you’ll have a lusciously aromatic and flavorful base.
It’s a Stew, Not a Pot of Brown Gravy
Add the vegetables, cover, and continue to simmer for another hour. No need to add more flour, your stew will be nicely thickened after the hour. The starch from the potatoes will have helped to thicken it as well. Plus, a good beef stew shouldn’t be too thick.
Your masterpiece is READY! And it’s fantastic the next day as leftovers after the flavors have had even more time to meld.
It’s a Complete Meal, But Crusty Bread Always Makes the Perfect Accompaniment.
Dish up and enjoy!
- 2 pounds chuck, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¾ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 large yellow onion, cut into 1-inch chunks
- 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 4 cups beef broth
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- ¾ teaspoon dried rosemary
- ¾ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2 large celery stalks, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 2-3 medium potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 6 ounces button mushrooms, halved or quartered (depending on size)
- 1 cup frozen or fresh peas
- Chopped fresh parsley for garnishing
- *See the pictured tutorial for more info on the tips to creating the best beef stew.
- Sprinkle the beef chunks with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the beef to coat all sides.
- Heat the oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot until hot (when you sprinkle in a few drops of water they should jump and sizzle). Add the coated beef chunks, spacing them out about ½ inch from each other and, working in batches so as not to overcrowd, generously brown the beef on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
- Add the onions with another tablespoon of butter to the Dutch oven (do not remove the browned/blackened bits in the bottom of the pan) and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes (add a little more oil or butter if necessary). Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the wine, bring it to a rapid boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and boil for 2 minutes or until the wine is mostly evaporated. Return the beef to the Dutch oven.
- Add the broth, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 90 minutes.
- Add the vegetables, cover and cook for another hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve hot sprinkled with a little chopped fresh parsley.
What adjustments should be made to convert this recipe to a ‘slow cooker’ method?
Hi Anne, if you want to stew to taste the best, you’ll need to follow all of the steps as written (browning the meat, frying the onions, adding the wine and deglazing the pan) until you add the broth. At that point you can transfer it over to the slow cooker for the remaining cooking time. But since you’re doing all that work outside of the slow cooker first, the only reason I would even use a slow cooker for the rest of the simmering time is if I needed to step out of the house. If you use the slow cooker my guess would be that on the LOW setting you’d probably want to cook it for about 3 hours before adding the vegetables and then cook for another 2-3 hours. On the HIGH setting I’d guess about 2 hours, add the vegetables and then cook for another 1-2 hours.
Hi Kimberly Tried your old fashioned beef stew yesterday & it was delicious esp the gravy. Thank you, browning the beef with the flour really worked. Best wishes Jan Keeys
Wonderful! I’m thrilled you enjoyed it, Jan, and appreciate the feedback!
I am still getting “high fives”!!! Everyone loved the beef stew. I haven’t made one in a while. I did use the crock pot this time, tho. Thank you.
Fantastic!! Thanks so much for the feedback, Alice!
Instead of eating bread with stewed beef, my son and myself crush potatoes and mix them with the juice. Never mind how we eat it, it warms up and is absolutely balanced : )
That sounds good, Sylvie – I enjoy any excuse to eat more potatoes 🙂
Just wanted hot beef stew delivered to my home
I was just looking at a beef stew recipe in Saveur and marking it for this week – your version looks equally delicious!
Thanks, Alisa, it has a wonderfully deep and rich flavor!
I love that you took your time to brown everything, etc. The flavor is so rich and complex as a result–you can tell just by looking at it! Well done!
Thanks, Laura, I can’t imagine making a beef stew any other way – browning is absolutely essential for the best flavor!
You are so right, method is key. I always coat and sear my beef. It is an extra step and I do not enjoy it, but it has to be done to achieve that depth of flavour. I tend to add extra veggies because I like stews/soups with extra pizzazz, but to each their own!
I know, Kacey, browning is so essential, it makes the stew taste incredible!
This looks amazing! It would be perfect today as it is cold and rain outside!
I agree, Marye, few things can beat a beef stew for cold, rainy weather!
We’re having a rainy day here in Houston and this beef stew would be perfect for today. I agree, browning the beef with the flour makes all the difference in the world. It’s so important to slow down and do it right. I love that you listed all the steps you took.
Thanks, Joanie. We’re here in what is normally rainy western WA and we’ve got a gorgeous dry Fall day today, yay! We’re taking advantage of it and heading OUT! 🙂
You show prep time 15 minutes and cook time of 1 hour and 45 minutes yet your instructions say to simmer the beef for 90 minutes then add the vegetables and cook for an hour! Should have read into the instructions before I started this as now my dinner time got pushed back. Searing the meat took me 45 minutes alone! I would say prep time 45-60 minutes and cooking time 2 1/2 hours. Total time 3 1/2 hours
Hope it turns out as good as everyone says!
Hi Kevin, you’re right! I’m sorry about the typo and I hope your efforts paid off in the end to sit down to a delicious meal!
It turned out great, a little too thick though. Going to try adding more broth next time. Thanks for the recipe!
That’s super easy to adjust, simply add the broth in at the very end until you reach the consistency you desire. Also, be sure the lid to the pot is secured tightly as some of the liquid can otherwise evaporate. So glad you enjoyed this, thanks for the feedback!
Could this recipe be simmered or braised in the oven? If so, what temp.? I am making this recipe for guests tomorrow and it would simplify things to use oven
Hi Dede, yes it can. Use a Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot. After the beef is browned and you’ve added all the ingredients put the lid on, place it in the oven at 325 degrees F and cook for 3 1/2 to 4 hours or until the beef is fork tender.
I made this recipe yesterday with prime grade beef short ribs. The rib bones were used as the base for the required broth. This was the most amazing stew I have ever eaten. Extremely rich and flavorful and the meat had a soft and silky mouth feel. I would definitely recommend this recipe!
Wonderful, Cary, I’m so glad you enjoyed this and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
I am from australia and made your amazing stew, wow it was fantastic, followed it step by step, great idea to have it step by step on my phone. Thanks heaps. Liz
Also i have subscribed to your site
Greetings to Australia! That’s wonderful, Liz, I’m so glad to hear you enjoyed this stew as much as we do. Thanks also for subscribing and I hope you’ll visit frequently. Best, Kimberly
Followed this to the letter; however, all my veggies were no where near soft after the one hour recommended. In fact, I just tasted the meat and one of each veggie and none are tender. I cooked this in a Lodge dutch oven. The liquid part of this recipe is outstanding. Still cooking, after the recommended 3 hours ……
Hi Susan, you’ve got me stumped! Why the veggies would still be hard after three hours of simmering is mind-boggling.
The veggies had only simmered one hour at the time of tasting. I had my cooktop stove turned to “Low.” Maybe I needed to turn it up higher? See my latest comment below.
I ended up putting all of it in my crock pot on high for 30 minutes, then turned it down to low just so I could go to bed. Six hours later, it was fantastic!! My husband loves it and we will be eating it for the next few days.
Fantastic, Susan! I’m happy it all turned out in the end and appreciate the feedback – thank you!
I have this in the oven now and the house smells amazing! Oh my goodness!!!
Wonderful, Patti, and I hope it tasted as good as it smelled!
I made this for dinner tonight with some crusty bread. It was amazing. Thanks for sharing
Wonderful, thank you, Rouba!