Whoa. Simply, WHOA. I’ve by no means smelled something as beautiful and drool-inducing as this Crockpot Beef Stew. The unbelievable aroma had my mouth watering for hours because the tender chunks of beef and greens simmered away within the flavorful gravy. I couldn’t wait to carry the lid and take a fast style. And once I lastly did? INCREDIBLE. This crockpot beef stew recipe is one you’ll undoubtedly wish to make earlier than winter is over!
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“I’ve been making this recipe for 3 years now, and it by no means fails to be the most effective beef stew I’ve ever cooked or tasted! Thanks for sharing this recipe.”
Sandy
Crockpot beef stew, in its most simple kind, is basically easy. It’s simply chunky items of beef, greens, broth, and a few herbs and spices, all cooked down till it types a scrumptious cozy gravy. However I took this recipe up a couple of notches with some further particular components that add extra umami and taste to the stew gravy. The ingredient record could look lengthy, however I promise it’s price it.
Right here’s what you’ll want for essentially the most unbelievable crockpot beef stew ever:
- Beef Stew Meat: Stew meat, which is often cubed chuck steak, tends to be a harder minimize, nevertheless it softens to a particularly tender texture when cooked low and gradual (like in a crockpot).
- All-Function Flour: Evenly coating the stew meat in flour after which searing it earlier than it goes into the crockpot will increase the Maillard response and deepens the flavour. The flour additionally helps thicken the stew’s gravy.
- Greens: I exploit a hearty and flavorful mixture of carrots, onions, celery, and potatoes to create a naturally flavorful gravy. The greens additionally assist thicken the gravy as they break down into the broth.
- Beef Broth: Broth acts as the bottom for the gravy and gives a pleasant moist setting for the meat to prepare dinner to tender perfection. Ensure to make use of a broth with nice taste. I like to make use of Higher Than Bouillon to make my broth.
- Seasonings: That is the place we actually take the flavour to the following degree. For this recipe, I mixed garlic, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme to make an over-the-top good gravy that is filled with layered taste and umami goodness.
What Else Can I add?
This gradual cooker beef stew is fairly lush as is, however there are all the time choices if you wish to add extra! Strive including 8 oz. mushrooms with the greens at first (sliced in half) for extra vegetable goodness. In case you have some crimson wine readily available, deglaze the skillet used to brown the meat with the wine earlier than continuing with the gravy. Need it to look further fancy? I’d sub 8 oz. pearl onions rather than the chopped onion within the recipe under.
The way to Thicken Beef Stew
There are a number of methods to thicken a beef stew, however I want to permit the stew to thicken naturally because the greens prepare dinner and start to interrupt down into the broth. The stew could look a little bit watery while you first carry the lid, however as soon as you start to stir, the starches within the greens will start to thicken the liquid right into a gravy-like consistency.
Alternately, in case you want a firmer vegetable, you’ll be able to add them within the final hour of cooking after which use a cornstarch slurry (3 Tbsp cornstarch + 3 Tbsp water) to thicken your stew. As soon as the cornstarch is blended into the broth and dropped at a boil, it can thicken right into a gravy. This technique will end in a much less flavorful gravy and a barely shiny look.
- Sear the meat first. Browning the meat offers it an additional deep taste that may’t be achieved within the moist setting of the gradual cooker alone.
- Add further umami. Including components to the broth that include a variety of umami, like Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce, ramps up the flavour within the stew and makes the flavour further “meaty”.
- Don’t rush it. Stew meat must prepare dinner low and gradual for a very long time to ensure that the powerful connective tissues to interrupt down and change into tender. In case your stew meat is hard, scale back the warmth and prepare dinner it a little bit longer.
- Don’t skip the veggies. Together with a wide range of greens in your stew not solely provides texture and shade, however the greens additionally add a ton of additional taste to the gravy, so that you’ll get a scrumptious, multi-dimensional taste within the ultimate stew.
Serving Options
This recipe is a fairly well-rounded meal by itself, however you’ll wish to sop up each drop of that deliciously thick brown gravy. I recommend serving it with some bread on the aspect, like my focaccia rolls or garlic bread. A bowl of creamy polenta, heat rice, or egg noodles can be scrumptious. However at any time when I wish to stretch this recipe additional to feed a bunch of individuals, I all the time serve it with a contemporary veggie aspect, too! Some simple steamed inexperienced beans, oven roasted broccoli, canned corn, or sautéed Brussels sprouts are all tremendous simple to prep and prepare dinner whereas the stew winds up within the crockpot.
- Swap out the meat. Don’t like stew beef? Why not attempt floor beef on this recipe?! I do know, I do know, it’s not fairly the identical, however my gradual cooker hamburger stew recipe is a reader favourite, identical to this one. 😉
- Cook dinner it in an Prompt Pot: After I first posted this gradual cooker beef stew, I bought a ton of feedback asking if it may very well be made in an Prompt Pot. So, I created this on the spot pot beef stew recipe! It’s a bit faster and is ideal for these days while you don’t have time to attend for the crockpot.
- Use a distinct inventory. I HIGHLY advocate sticking with the meat inventory on this recipe for an extremely beefy, savory taste. However you may use hen or vegetable broth if that’s all you’ve got. Or, use a mix of shares like I do in my hen stew recipe.
- Add beans. If you wish to add some further protein and bulk up the stew, attempt including a can of drained and rinsed beans over the past half-hour of cooking. I’d add white beans, identical to we use in our shrimp and white bean stew, however any kind will do!
Crockpot Beef Stew Recipe
This Crockpot Beef Stew is the proper cozy meal for a chilly winter day with tender items of beef, greens, and a flavorful gravy.
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- 2 lbs. crimson potatoes ($2.40)
- 1 yellow onion ($0.37)
- 3 carrots ($0.44)
- 4 stalks celery ($0.44)
- 4 cloves garlic ($0.32)
- 1.5 lbs. beef stew meat ($11.24)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour ($0.03)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp Freshly cracked black pepper ($0.02)
- 2 Tbsp cooking oil ($0.08)
- 2 cups beef broth ($0.27)
- 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard ($0.13)
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce ($0.06)
- 1 Tbsp soy sauce ($0.06)
- 1.5 tsp brown sugar ($0.02)
- 1.5 tsp dried rosemary ($0.15)
- 1.5 tsp dried thyme ($0.15)
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Cube the onion and crimson potatoes. Slice the carrots and celery. Mince the garlic. Place the ready greens in a 4 or 5 quart gradual cooker.
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Place the stew meat in a bowl and sprinkle the flour, salt, and pepper over high. Toss the meat till it is evenly coated in flour.
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Warmth a big skillet over medium-high. As soon as extremely popular, add the cooking oil and swirl to coat the floor of the skillet. Add the stew meat and prepare dinner, with out stirring, till browned on the underside. Stir after which enable the meat to brown on a second aspect. Switch the meat to the gradual cooker.
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Flip the warmth below the skillet right down to medium-low. Add the broth, Dijon, Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, brown sugar, rosemary, and thyme to the skillet. Stir and prepare dinner over medium-low till all of the browned bits have dissolved off the underside of the skillet.
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Pour the broth over the components within the gradual cooker and every thing a superb stir.
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Place the lid on the gradual cooker and prepare dinner on excessive for 4 hours or low for eight hours.
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After cooking the meat and greens ought to each be tender. Stir the stew properly to permit the potatoes to barely break down and thicken the gravy. Style the stew and alter the salt or different seasonings to your liking. Serve sizzling!
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Serving: 1.25cupsEnergy: 269kcalCarbohydrates: 26gProtein: 23gFats: 8gSodium: 591mgFiber: 3g
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The way to Make Crockpot Beef Stew – Step by Step Pictures
Put together the greens for the stew first. You’ll have to cube 2 lbs. crimson potatoes and one yellow onion, slice 4 stalks of celery and three carrots, and mince 4 cloves of garlic.
Place all your chopped greens in a 4 or 5-quart gradual cooker or crockpot.
Place 1.5 lbs. stew meat (beef chuck) in a bowl. Sprinkle 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour, ¼ tsp salt, and ¼ tsp pepper over the meat. Toss the meat till it’s evenly coated in flour, salt, and pepper.
Warmth a big skillet over medium-high. When it’s extremely popular, add 2 Tbsp cooking oil and swirl to coat the floor of the skillet. Add the stew meat and let it prepare dinner till browned on the underside, then stir and permit it to brown on the second aspect once more. Don’t stir typically, or the meat is not going to have an opportunity to brown. Switch the meat to the gradual cooker.
Scale back the warmth below the skillet to medium-low and add 2 cups beef broth, 2 Tbsp Dijon mustard, 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, 1.5 tsp brown sugar, 1.5 tsp dried rosemary, and 1.5 tsp thyme. Warmth and stir the components till the entire browned bits are dissolved off the underside of the skillet.
Pour the broth over the components within the gradual cooker. It’s okay if the broth doesn’t absolutely cowl the components within the at this level.
Place the lid on the gradual cooker and prepare dinner on excessive for 4 hours or low for eight hours.
After 4 hours on excessive (or eight hours on low) the stew ought to look a little bit like this. The meat and greens ought to each be tender. The gravy could look a little bit skinny at this level, however don’t fear…
Give the stew a superb stir and the potatoes will break down a bit and thicken the gravy into a pleasant wealthy consistency. Relying on the kind of broth used, chances are you’ll wish to style the stew and add salt to your liking (I didn’t add any).
Serve your gradual cooker beef stew as is or spooned over a bowl of sizzling rice or pasta. THIS will maintain you heat and full on chilly winter days!
This Crockpot Beef Stew was initially printed 10/14/2014. It was up to date and republished 1/24/25.
