This beef stew is the perfect comfort food for a cozy, winter night. It’s loaded with tender beef, carrots and carrots in a rich and flavorful broth.
Preparing beef stew
While preparing this recipe may be a little time consuming, I promise it is well worth the wait. Like any other soup or stew, the longer it cooks, the more flavor it will have.
First, is important to use chuck roast for this recipe. Chuck roast is better because of the marbling of the meat, which will release more flavor into the stew itself. Cut the roast in large chunks (about 1 – 1 1/2 inch pieces). Season the beef with salt, pepper, garlic powder and onion powder before browning. When browning the meat, I recommend olive oil, or grapeseed oil because of the smoke point. Also, DO NOT crowd the pot! If you crowd the pot, the meat will not brown properly. Cook in batches, and remove from pot.
After browning the meat, drippings will be stuck to the bottom of the pan. This is no cause for concern because this is the part where we add the red wine vinegar. The red vinegar will deglaze the pan and help free up those drippings, that will marry the aromatics that we’re adding next. For aromatics, I use onion, celery and garlic. The aromatics, along with the drippings will enhance the flavors in the dish.
Next, mix in the tomato paste and flour. After the flour is dissolved, the beef bouillon, red wine and water is added. The red wine will enhance the richness of the broth. Beef broth can be substituted for the water and beef bouillon. However, it’s better with the bouillon. I’ve tried it both ways, and I can attest and say that the water and beef bouillon is much better. Return the meat and add sugar, thyme and the bay leaves. The sugar will calm down the bitterness from the tomato paste. Let all of that simmer for 2 hours.
After 2 hours, add the carrots and potatoes, then simmer of additional hour.
Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 lbs. beef chuck roast cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp black pepper
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp onion powder
- 3 tbsp olive or grapeseed oil
- 1 medium onion choppped
- 2 celery stalks chopped
- 5 garlic cloves minced or chopped
- 3 tbsp. red wine vinegar
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup dry red wine
- 2 tbsp. better than bouillon
- 4 cups water
- 2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 2 tsp sugar
- 2 tsp dried thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 lb. yellow potatoes cut into fourths for large, or half for small
- 3 whole carrots cut into 1 inch chunks
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Using a paper towel, pat meat to remove moisture.
- In a large Dutch oven or pot, heat 1 tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat. Brown the meat for 2 minutes on each side. Do not crowd pot. Cook in batches, adding tbsp. of oil between each batch. I usually cook in3 batches. Remove meat and set aside.
- Add red wine vinegar to deglaze the pot. Add the onions, celery and garlic. Stir for 3 minutes or until fragrant. All brown bits should be removed from pot. Stir in the tomato paste. Stir until completely combined with vegetables.
- Add flour, and whisk or stir until flour is broken down. Add red wine, water and Better than Bouillon. Stir together. Return beef to pot, along with Worcestershire sauce, thyme, sugar and bay leaves. Whisk to loosen, and ensure nothing is stuck to the bottom of the pot. Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Simmer for 2 hours, stirring occasionally.
- Remove lid, and add carrots and potatoes. Cover and simmer for additional hour, or until the carrots and potatoes are tender, and juice has thickened. Taste and add more salt if needed. Serve warm
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