Beef Stew

Print Recipe

5 from 2 votes

Learn how to make the best Beef Stew ever.

Prep Time15

Cook Time2

Total Time2 15

Course: Soups & Stews

Cuisine: Americana

Servings: servings

Calories: 821kcal

Author: Mary Bryant Shrader

Equipment

Large Dutch Oven

Ingredients

1/2 cup Beef tallow You can use another fat, including butter, ghee, or a combination of butter and olive oil.
2 pounds Chuck meat, cut into approximately 1" cubes
2 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Black pepper
1/2 cup All-purpose flour (See ingredients below for the additional flour that you will need.) Use Wondra flour, if available.
1 cup Wine, fortified wine, or 1/2 apple juice and 1/2 water mixed, or water with a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar
8 cups Beef bone broth Substitutions include beef broth or water.
4 Bay leaves
1 1/2 pounds Baby potatoes If using larger potatoes, cut into bite-sized pieces.
1 1/2 pounds Baby carrots or carrots that have been cut into bite-sized pieces
1 1/2 pounds Button mushrooms, sliced You can substitute canned mushrooms, but add them toward the end of the cooking time simply to warm through.
1 1/2 pounds Frozen, pearl onions, thawed If using large onions, peel and quarter and add to the mixture when adding the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms.
1 pound Frozen green peas, thawed
1 bunch Flat leaf parsley, optional
1 tbsp All-purpose flour Used for thickening the stew.
1 tbsp Butter Used for thickening the stew.
1 package Egg noodles, cooked according to package directions. Optional. Sourdough bread is another option for serving with the stew.

Instructions

Season flour with salt and pepper in a large bowl.
Dust each cube of meat thoroughly with the seasoned flour. Set aside.
Melt beef tallow or another fat in a large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over medium heat.
Brown the meat in the fat. This process will take approximately 2-3 minutes until the cubes take on a golden brown color. (See video.) Do this in batches. Do not crowd the meat.
Once all the meat is browned, return all the browned meat to the Dutch oven and pour in the wine, fortified wine, juice, or vinegar water. (See the list of ingredients.) Deglaze the bottom of the Dutch oven.
Next, add the bone broth, broth, or water to the Dutch oven. Also, add in the bay leaves. Stir well and bring the mixture up to a boil. Cover the Dutch oven, turn the heat down to low, and allow the meat to simmer for 1 1/2 hours.
After 1 1/2 hours, remove the lid from the Dutch oven. Add the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms to the Dutch oven. Stir well.
If you are using large onions that have been quartered instead of pearl onions, add these to the mixture at the same time you add the carrots, potatoes, and mushrooms.
Bring the mixture up to a boil, and return the lid to the Dutch oven. Turn the heat down to medium-low, and allow the mixture to simmer for 30 minutes.
After 30 minutes of allowing the vegetables to simmer along with the meat, remove the lid from the Dutch oven.
Mix the 1 tablespoon of flour with the butter to form a ball. Add this ball to the stew and raise the heat to bring the mixture up to a boil, stirring constantly as the ball melts and thickens the stew. (See video.)
Once the stew has thickened, lower the heat to medium and add the pearl onions and the peas. Stir well. The stew is done once the onions and peas are warmed through.
Once warmed, the stew is ready to serve. If you want, place the egg noodles in a bowl and ladle the stew on top of the egg noodles. Top with a bit of chopped fresh parsley. Alternatively, you could serve the stew with thick slices of sourdough bread.
Leftovers will stay fresh in the refrigerator for 3-4 days or up to 3 months in the freezer.

Video

Notes

Find this recipe and video at https://marysnest.com/how-to-make-the-best-beef-stew-and-avoid-5-common-mistakes/

Nutrition