Classic Old-Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What gives beef stew the best flavor? ›

Add spices such as turmeric, coriander and cumin at the early stage of cooking, when you are frying onions and garlic, to enhance the taste of the beef stew. Fresh herbs like coriander and bay leaves also contribute a distinct flavour without making the dish too spicy for the younger members of the family.

The most important key to making stew meat tender is being sure to cook it for a long time. If you want super tender beef, you'll need to cook it on a low heat in a Dutch oven on the stove or a slow cooker for at least a few hours.

The Ideal Stew Ratio: Two Parts Meat, One Part Vegetable

Most meat-based stews call for tough, inexpensive cuts of meat, while vegetarian recipes include the same onions, carrots, and celery typical of a beef stew. Two parts meat to one part vegetables is the perfect ratio for a meaty stew.

Try adding soy sauce or Worcestershire for extra savory (or umami) flavor, a touch of honey or brown sugar for sweetness, lemon zest or vinegar for brightness or chili powder or smoked paprika for spice and depth.

The three main thickening agents for gravies are flour, cornflour and arrowroot. The first two are normally used in savoury dishes while arrowroot tends to be used in sweet dishes – that said, arrowroot will work in a savoury dish as it has no flavour.

Add vegetables: After 1 hour 30 minutes, carefully remove pot from oven and use oven mitt to remove lid. Add vegetables and stir gently to combine. Carefully replace lid on pot and return stew to oven to cook for an additional hour.

Add remainder of the beef broth; bring to a simmer before adding carrots, potatoes, celery, balsamic vinegar, Worcestershire sauce, parsley, basil, paprika, and garlic powder. Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low, and cook stew at a simmer until the meat and vegetables are very tender, 3 to 4 hours.

Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer. Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1½ hours.

Use a tight-fitting lid and keep it on while stewing to prevent moisture and heat loss, which can affect cooking time. Follow your recipe for timing guidelines. Do not lift the lid — unless you are recipe calls for adding vegetables or other ingredients later on. You will know it is done when the meat is fork tender.

What is the traditional stew made of? ›

Ingredients can include any combination of vegetables and may include meat, especially tougher meats suitable for slow-cooking, such as beef, pork, venison, rabbit, lamb, poultry, sausages, and seafood. While water can be used as the stew-cooking liquid, stock is also common.

SIMMER & STEW

Don't lift the lid — unless your recipe calls for adding vegetables or other ingredients later on. You'll know it's done when the beef is fork-tender.

A bit of tomato paste amps up the flavor of beef stew, giving it a richness and a punch of umami that makes the stew truly memorable.

It may not include tomatoes or tomato paste, but this stew is still packed full of flavor. There's tender beef, carrot, potato, onion, Dale's sauce, thyme, salt and pepper, and beef stock. These ingredients combine to make one hearty and filling meal. Fortunately, this homemade beef stew recipe is super easy to follow.

Once the meat is tender - but not falling apart, add the potatoes, celery, carrots and butternut squash. Pour over another 2 cups of beef broth and enough water to cover the vegetables. Raise heat and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer partially covered for about 30 minutes - until the vegetables are tender.

Short rib is one of the best stew meats for rich and hearty stews because of its robust flavor and large surface area that absorbs the sauce during the long cooking time. These short ribs also contain a great deal of connective tissue, which breaks down in the slow cooker to produce a very soft and succulent meat.

Many stew recipes call for seasoning chunks of meat with salt before searing them or adding them unseared to the pot.

Fresh Lime Juice. Speaking of flavor, it's amazing what a spritz of fresh lime juice can to do brighten up your stew. Squeeze a little drizzle into the stew at the end of cooking, stir and swoon.

Fats and sweetness can help smooth the bitter corners of a dish, just like they make coffee taste less bitter. So add a spoonful of sugar, cream or butter to tame that bitterness.