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The Basics: How to Make Beef Stew
An easy belly-warmer
From the store to the kitchen to the table: We outline the steps that get you from raw ingredients to your dinner tonight, free of measurements and complicated techniques. It’s a method you’ll remember and whip out whenever you like. It is the most basic way to make the thing you’re making.
- a medium or large pot with a lid
- a heatproof container
- one large potato
- one onion
- one celery stalk
- one carrot
- one pound of beef stew meat
- salt and pepper
- a few spoonfuls of flour
- oil (any kind)
- tomato paste (optional)
- two bay leaves
- red wine (optional)
- one quart of beef broth
Illustrations by Bill Russell
Don't flour the meat! The flour browns, not the meat. A LOT of flavour is lost this way. Add and incorporate flour just before adding whatever liquid you're using. Beef should be cut into 1 1/2 cubes, at a minimum. Don't add your potatoes until about the last hour to 45 mins of cooking. You can add some at the beginning as a thickener but add the majority toward end of cooking. Stew should be...+READ
Don't flour the meat! The flour browns, not the meat. A LOT of flavour is lost this way. Add and incorporate flour just before adding whatever liquid you're using. Beef should be cut into 1 1/2 cubes, at a minimum. Don't add your potatoes until about the last hour to 45 mins of cooking. You can add some at the beginning as a thickener but add the majority toward end of cooking. Stew should be cooked for a MINIMUM of 3 hours, preferably 4, in the oven! Thanks-COLLAPSE
lots of veggies for sure!!
Wow very useful, and so simple I'll have to try it myself
One additional veggie I added was green pepper
I made this last night sans tomato paste and red wine.
Here's how I changed mine up:
1. Cooked the stew meat quite longer not exactly crisping but allowing a nice build up of fond to develop on the bottom of my pot.
2. 6-8 cloves of garlic is a must
3. Double the celery, carrots and use fingerling potatoes with the skins
4. Additional herbs and spices used: Cilantro, Thyme, Smoked...+READ
I made this last night sans tomato paste and red wine.
Here's how I changed mine up:
1. Cooked the stew meat quite longer not exactly crisping but allowing a nice build up of fond to develop on the bottom of my pot.
2. 6-8 cloves of garlic is a must
3. Double the celery, carrots and use fingerling potatoes with the skins
4. Additional herbs and spices used: Cilantro, Thyme, Smoked Paprika and Crushed Red Pepper
5. I used a local Mexican Chocolate Stout called Abraxas from Perennial Brewing to deglaze - this sent the stew into a whole new level.
Hope these little tips encourage you to try and tweak out this great simple beef stew recipe.-COLLAPSE
This is a great, simple recipe. When I was growing up, I hated my mom's stew. Now I see why...
i do the meat the night before,also addding a pg of shortribs for flavor & a thicker stock.then,refrigerated overnight,degrease it then add vegetables;
it comes out great.
The potatoes help thicken the stew, so you should add them with the meat. The veggies to disappear, but they add flavor. If you want, cut up double carrots and onion and reserve some to add to the pot 1/2 before the stew is ready. Yes, please cook longer than 1 hour, 2-3 hours at least!
a Scottish beef stew, contains dark beer and habanero.
http://chilli-recipes.blogspot.com/2011/09/chilli-beef-cooked-in-beer-recipe.html
I always use this recipe and my stew turns out great every time. I also buy "stew meat" and it is tender. Perhaps it isn't the recipe but the chef.
Buying "stew meat" will pretty much condemn you to a lousy stew unless you shop at a very good butcher.
I've often wondered if recipe authors actually taste their recipes. This recipe leaves the meat TOUGH! A local restaurant chef says he uses chuck and simmers it for FOUR HOOURS. His was delicious.
nycswiss, "stew meat" is a generic term for tougher cuts of meat like chuck or round (top or bottom) with more connective tissue. They do well with loner cooking techniques like braising to render them tender. Prepackaged portions of "stew meat" are often found in large grocery stores, but can be scraps of the butcher's meat left over and you never really know what's in there. Plus they are...+READ
nycswiss, "stew meat" is a generic term for tougher cuts of meat like chuck or round (top or bottom) with more connective tissue. They do well with loner cooking techniques like braising to render them tender. Prepackaged portions of "stew meat" are often found in large grocery stores, but can be scraps of the butcher's meat left over and you never really know what's in there. Plus they are irregular in size and have extra fat and gristle still attached. I like to buy a whole chuck or round roast and cut up the meat myself into even sized pieces, discarding any gristle, sinew, or tough connective tissue. Hope this helps!
Amy Wisniewski, CHOW test kitchen-COLLAPSE
what exactly is "beef stew meat"... a little more detail as to the type of meat would be nice
I agree to let it cook much longer, and add the potatoes later. I also add parsnip and turnip at the end. Sometimes I use a little barley to thicken it...and dry porcini adds fantastic flavor.
Yes Guinness (Irish Stew) is superb. I use beef instead of lamb which is traditional in Ireland.
Uncle Ira, a stalk of celery is a rib of celery.
I planned to make a beef stew with Guinness for tomorrow! Your recipe sounds delicious. Mine is similar, but less time cooking ...
One whole stalk of celery seems like a lot here. Did the writer mean one rib?
This is a lousy recipe. No cut of meat that's flavorful enough for stew (chuck is best) will be anywhere near tender in an hour, and anything that does get tender in an hour will be tasteless. Potatoes will be mush in an hour. Follow the first part of the recipe, but cook the meat (chuck!) long and low, add veggies toward the end of cooking, with potatoes last, and you'll have a nice stew.
We love beef stew. The best part is that you can basically just about add whatever veggies that you have in the back of the fridge. We keep getting boatloads of carrots from our CSA and are throwing them into everything we can.
-Leslie
http://www.PressureCookerDiaries.com
This stew is amazing. I was looking for something basic that would use the ingredients I already had (minus the celery) and found this recipe. So good, I totally over ate last night. Made a second batch today to take to the in-laws this weekend. Thank you!
My first attempt was successful. Thanks Chow. Didn't have bay leaves nor celery, and used chicken stock instead. Marinated the beef overnight in a mixture of equal parts olive oil & balsamic vinegar.
I agree with the mirepoix to start. And a good quality red wine. I make beef stew in my crockpot: that solves the cooking time problem. Brown the meat and combine ingredients the night before, plug it in= Bourguignon in the morning.
I LOVE my crock pt. It's also great for making Moroccan tagines.
Kittym
http://www.kittymorse.com
Just finished digesting an awesome Valentines Day stew. This is a great basic recipe and I was able to make substitutions with everyone's comments. My boyfriend is very pleased with me. Thanks guys!
Here's a Julia Child tip, dry the beef cubes with paper towel before dredging in flour. They'll brown better with more caramelized flavour. Yummm.
Need to cook the meat longer and with a mirepoix (celery,carrot, onion mix) to get the base of the stew going. The mirepoix will essentially vanish and be absorbed into the stew. Add the larger veggies toward the end and cook until tender. THAT'S how you make beef stew!
Agree with several here.
1) Not enough veggies
2) I like the dutch oven method..works great
3) For more flavour and to solve the soggy veggie/tough meat issue try marinating the beef cubes in wine with thyme, garlic and some shallot. This will flavour and tenderize the meat
4) The spicing seems uninspired. I use thyme, black pepper..crushed not ground, a few cloves, whole garlic which should...+READ
Agree with several here.
1) Not enough veggies
2) I like the dutch oven method..works great
3) For more flavour and to solve the soggy veggie/tough meat issue try marinating the beef cubes in wine with thyme, garlic and some shallot. This will flavour and tenderize the meat
4) The spicing seems uninspired. I use thyme, black pepper..crushed not ground, a few cloves, whole garlic which should poach with the meat - and of course a couple of bottles of red wine
5) After you marinate the meat dredge in flour that has been spiced with thyme, black pepper and a little salt. Cut up some good bacon and saute in the dutch over. Brown the beef in the drippings.
6) Take out the beef and then throw in the veggies - thick cut carrot, celery, onion, and about 5-7 clove of garlic. Leave them whole. Add a little red wine to loosen the bits at the bottom of the dutch oven. Char the veggies - give them a little colour
7) Add the browned meat to the veggies, add the wine, tomato paste, broth, Cover dutch oven and place in over..about 325 degrees and cook for a few hours. The idea is to reduce the wine/broth until it starts to get a little thick.
8) In the last hour you can add some potatos, whole mushrooms and if you want it richer,,add a roux..which is a paste of flour and butter...you can make it yourself it's easy. This will thicken the sauce and make it richer.
This usually turns out well for me. Did I miss anything ?-COLLAPSE
I use port instead of a plain ole' red wine, but use less of it. Ummm, very good.
Hello. This is my understanding of braising. I've been doing this in the oven at 350 degrees for around 3 three hours, checking that the juice hasn't run out midway. This is a great way to buy cheap, tough meat in bulk.
Only one carrot, a single potato, and a lone stalk of celery for a pound of meat? I like most vegetables about as much as a 6 year-old, but this isn't going to have nearly enough. You'll be lucky to even notice that it has any in it. They're not just there as aromatics, they're part of the stew.
When I make a stew with this quantity of beef I'm looking at around 5 carrots (I like carrots), 3-4...+READ
Only one carrot, a single potato, and a lone stalk of celery for a pound of meat? I like most vegetables about as much as a 6 year-old, but this isn't going to have nearly enough. You'll be lucky to even notice that it has any in it. They're not just there as aromatics, they're part of the stew.
When I make a stew with this quantity of beef I'm looking at around 5 carrots (I like carrots), 3-4 potatoes (depending on size, of course and white, waxy potatoes... not starchy), and probably three stalks of celery. This is all rough, but the vegetables should at least match the quantity of meat you're putting in, if not exceed it. It should have substantial beef flavor and the meat is a necessary part of it, but if that's the majority of what you have then you're looking at a pot roast... which, well... is basically the same thing with less liquid and without the beef cut up into cubes.-COLLAPSE
I do this all in a dutch oven in the oven. I brown and seal the beef, add the broth and onion and cook in a dutch oven for about an hour. Add veggies and potatoe and cook until tender. I do garlic and celery with the beef at the beginning if I am using them....will sometimes due some mushrooms then as well.
Also indispensible is a couple of soup bones from the butcher. The cost is negligible, but I'm never making anything soupy again without a bone in it.
I agree with the first commenter that 1 hour may give you pretty chewy beef. When I first started cooking one of the problems I always had with stews was that the meat would not be tender enough, but after an hour or so the veggies and potatoes would start turning to mush. I found the better option is to stew the meat first for at least an hour, if not more, and then add in the veggies and...+READ
I agree with the first commenter that 1 hour may give you pretty chewy beef. When I first started cooking one of the problems I always had with stews was that the meat would not be tender enough, but after an hour or so the veggies and potatoes would start turning to mush. I found the better option is to stew the meat first for at least an hour, if not more, and then add in the veggies and potatoes and continue stewing until the potatoes are fork-tender. Then you end up with the best of both worlds: chewable meat and properly cooked vegetables. Also, in place of the wine you can use beer; Guinness is a classic.-COLLAPSE
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you are MAKING beef broth, poor beef broth from the store can ruin anything - some people make it out of bullion cubes -- so be careful here -- you can make your own -- dredge the meat -- CLEAN that pan - add ONIONS and cook them up then add some more -- try yellow for the bottom of pan - before you clean -- and garlic and bay later on to add to juice -- THEN scrub it clean with a nice wooden...+READ
you are MAKING beef broth, poor beef broth from the store can ruin anything - some people make it out of bullion cubes -- so be careful here -- you can make your own -- dredge the meat -- CLEAN that pan - add ONIONS and cook them up then add some more -- try yellow for the bottom of pan - before you clean -- and garlic and bay later on to add to juice -- THEN scrub it clean with a nice wooden spoon or spatula. Then MORE garlic -- while garlic MAY get strong the longer it sits, it gets WEAKER as it cooks -- so LARGE CHUNKS cooked SLOWLY -
Also i see it didn't post before -- don't ruin good olive oil here -- olive oil is -- heaven -- so use your NON VIRGIN oil here -- or try some peanut oil as it has a high heat point, above the fat on the meat so you really get to get the 'crack' on your meat -- and rather than ruin a good stew with cheap wine -- and unable to afford to cook with any wine I'm unwilling to get my guests to swill, I have a row of nice 'box' wines for cooking -- get GOOD BOX WINE -- and you will not go broke pouring that US$10.00 bottle over the stew, after all, this is PEASANT food -- as is so much food -- so let's not set snooty on ourselves -- it's amazing what a cheap wine you'd never serve ANYthing until it matures which it's been doing for the past five to ten years in your basement -- pull it out and use it! -- might as well let dead meat swill your wine than your friends you'd never serve it to -- and for whom you have too much respect to just candy-wrap up and give as a box of wine which MUST HAVE GONE BAD!
If you must, towards the end when you add a little more of your spices and herbs -- remember, some marry, but a LOT just floats off and flavors your kitchen -- so put in some more about five minutes before serving -- this helps keep the herbs and spices FRESH -- and here is where you can put in your olive oil.
This is also where I'll end up adding the final bits of hot sauces and vinigars to keep them fresh, except the super fine balsamic which go, by the drop, into the individual bowl.
And LASTLY -- if you cut up some cellery and onion and put it on the botton of your individual stew bowl, you'll find that the heat from the stew will 'cook' it but not to soggy, will take the bite and leave the sweet to the onion, and you will have an amazing flavoring of tomato if you saved any from last summer's harvest this is the place to use it, celery, and onion -- and if you put a glop of WHOLE MILK YOGURT(generally it doesn't say NO FAT or NON-FAT or LOW FAT) ON THE SIDE OF THE BOWL it makes it even better -- not mine and can't recall the citation - a cup of yogurt mixed with 1 or 2 mashed up and beaten up and in chipotle peppers (never try any chipotle alone - it's a flavor and not a contest and you will have as the discoverer put it" a cool-warm-sweet-sour-smoky-hot condiment that is amazing - but if you try the chipotle, you'll burn your taste buds so badly the entire stew's subtleties will be lost to you - but cooking chopped up veggies at the bottom of the bowl is a trick I learned from grandma and wow could she cook American!-COLLAPSE
ditto above about re-absorbing - but:
ah, where is the dredging the bottom of the pan after the meat cooks? I often find that using a plastic bag from the produce section with several tablespoons of flour in it and then shaking the meat in the flour coats it perfectly -- when it is nice and brown and crisp, add a cup of red wine and scrap with a wooden spoon to get the flavor off the bottom and...+READ
ditto above about re-absorbing - but:
ah, where is the dredging the bottom of the pan after the meat cooks? I often find that using a plastic bag from the produce section with several tablespoons of flour in it and then shaking the meat in the flour coats it perfectly -- when it is nice and brown and crisp, add a cup of red wine and scrap with a wooden spoon to get the flavor off the bottom and back into the stew, OR a little salted water if you are prohibited from using alcohol in any form will also give you the flavor you are looking for, though quite not as deep. this is also where you can toss in the garlic ( i DID see chopped or sliced garlic didn't I? perhaps a bay leaf and some other herbs to release their areomatis and oils into the oil that's already there -- THEN you can start with your veggies, onions first to get that first flash of flavor into the stew-juice-COLLAPSE
When cooking beef stew, try sauteeing the seaoned beef cubes in 2tbs of oil in a covered pot until the beef releases all the juices and then re-absorbs it. This should take about 45 minutes on moderate heat.Stir occasionally while sauteeing.Do not add any ingredients until the juices are re-absorbed. Remove the beef to a plate and add the onions first to the pot,sautee, then add the rest of the...+READ
When cooking beef stew, try sauteeing the seaoned beef cubes in 2tbs of oil in a covered pot until the beef releases all the juices and then re-absorbs it. This should take about 45 minutes on moderate heat.Stir occasionally while sauteeing.Do not add any ingredients until the juices are re-absorbed. Remove the beef to a plate and add the onions first to the pot,sautee, then add the rest of the veggies continuing to sautee for another 10 minutes. Then add the meat to the rest of the veggies . Add your stock(chicken or beef or vegetable) to cover and cook on low heat for approx. another hour until meat is tender. The rule of sauteeing the meat by itself until all juices are released and re-absorbed is applicable all cubed meat recipees. You will find it to be more tender and tasty this way. Enjoy..-COLLAPSE
I doubt that the meat will be tender after only one hour - should take more like at least 2 hours.