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Slow cooker beef stew is one of my absolute favorite meals from childhood. Just thinking about it makes me smile (and hungry!). The mix of beef and vegetables just hits the spot, especially on a cold day.
I've mentioned this before, but honestly, I'd like to sing it from the mountaintops - I LOVE my slow cooker! If you don't have one, you need one. There's a reason that the Crock Pot is my go-to gifts for newlyweds and my adult girlfriends - it's a lifesaver. When I was a kid, I'd come home from school and I'd open the door to the most amazing smells coming from my mom's slow cooker. She'd fire it upbefore she left for work so that we'd have a hot, hearty meal for dinner. One of my favorites was always her slow cooker beef stew. During the brutal Connecticut winters, this stew would warm the soul.
Besides being easy to make, this recipe is also a crowd pleaser. Everyone in our family enjoys this slow-cooked beef dish with all of the vegetables tucked in with it. When I was a kid we'd serve this stew with a loaf of crusty bread and it was a true feast. Nowadays I try to make more gluten-free meals so we skip the bread and use a little rice flour instead of traditional wheat flour for thickening. I think it actually turns out better when prepared gluten-free.
Here's the recipe for my mama's Slow Cooker Beef Stew
In a large skillet, add some canola or vegetable oil and heat on medium.
Place the flour in a large zipper plastic bag, enough to coat all the meat.
Place the meat in the bag after trimming excess fat, and shake or roll to coat the meat on all sides.
Add the meat to the skillet and brown on all sides.
When the meat is browned, add about a cup of the beef broth to the skillet and the juices will thicken.
Pour all the meat into a large slo-cooker, add the carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and the remaining beef broth, and stir. You can add a bit more water or broth if you prefer, mixed with a little flour.
Lay the string beans on the top, season as you wish with salt, pepper, and dried or fresh parsley and cover the slo-cooker.
Set on HIGH for 5-6 hours, or LOW for 8-10 hrs.
Serve with crusty bread if desired.
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Omgosh this sounds amazing!! So perfect for this snowy weather we are expecting!! Nothing like great belly warming meals 🙂
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Deborah Dsays
I will definitely make this stew.
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Linda Mannstsays
This sounds so good. I can't wait to make this for the family. Great recipe
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Miasays
I am also a big slow cooker fan because of the convenience and with the right recipes the food is always so delicious. I like this recipe for stew which is one of my favorites for these cold winter nights.
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Stacey Robersonsays
This looks delish! I love using my slow cooker for soups and stews. So easy and hardly no cleanup.
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rochelle haynessays
This looks nice love to try this
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G Ksays
I love stew and this one looks simple and delicious.
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Rosiesays
I love his beef stew recipe. I'm shopping for a slow cooker now! I'd love to make this recipe.
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rosa rogerssays
These look great..My daughter just got me a slow cooker can't wait to try these recipes...Thank you
Coating the meat in flour and searing adds incredible color and flavor to the beef, which is then infused throughout the stew. It also creates browned bits on the bottom of the pan, and when we deglaze those with red wine, it takes the flavor to new heights.
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. Chuck meat is your best bet for beef stew, but it's also a pretty tough cut so it needs time to break down and become tender.
While many slow cooker recipes can be made on high for 3-4 hours, I highly recommend cooking this beef stew on low for the full 7-8 hours. This will ensure that the beef gets nice and tender. Thicken your stew properly.
The secret to good stew is adding umami-rich ingredients and allowing the stew to simmer long enough to create super tender beef chunks. The umami-rich ingredients in this recipe are the mushrooms, beef, and beef broth. These savory flavors are balanced by the tangy tomatoes and the rich red wine.
How do you deepen beef stew flavor? Brown your meat, use red wine, and add tomato paste, Worcestershire sauce, or mushroom powder for a richer flavor. Instead of wine, you can use beer, like we do in this Guinness Beef Stew.
The choice becomes easier when you realize that simple baking soda can be an ideal meat tenderizer that helps to bring out all the aromas and flavors in every sizzling beef stew or charburger.
“Beef may be tough in the slow cooker if you haven't added enough liquid, or haven't cooked it for long enough,” Kristen Carli, M.S., R.D., owner of Camelback Nutrition & Wellness, tells SELF. “For cuts of meat, the fattier cuts are often the ones that get juicy and tender.
The idea is to cook the carrots and potatoes at the end of the simmering process, so they don't become mushy. Just make sure to keep an eye on the stew to see if you need to add additional broth or water to keep it from drying out.
Use cornstarch to thicken your stew towards the end of cooking, as cooking it for a long time can break down the starch and your stew will thin out again.
However, Crockpots generally have ceramic or porcelain pots, while most slow cookers have a metal pot. As with a lot of cooking appliances, the biggest difference comes from the distribution of heat.
The difference between "High" and "Low" on slow cookers seems to differ with every brand and model. One thing that is consistent, though, is that food takes seven to eight hours to reach a simmer point (around 210°) on low; versus three to four hours on high.
Forgetting the Acid. The paradox of beef stew is that all that braised goodness can be a little bit heavy on the palate. It's easy to forget to add some sort of wine, vinegar, or yes, even lemon juice, to brighten things up. Adding some fresh thyme in the last 30 minutes of cooking can help brighten things up as well.
For every 1 tablespoon of tomato paste needed, use 3 tablespoons of tomato puree or sauce. Add the puree or sauce in place of the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, until the puree or sauce has reduced and thickened. You'll have a similar deep, savory 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.
Because of beef's hearty, robust nature, flavor-forward spices like garlic and onion or herbs like rosemary and oregano are the best choices for an unforgettable beef dinner. An important thing to consider when selecting seasonings for your meal is that you should be seasoning beef based on the cut.
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.
Introduction: My name is Dan Stracke, I am a homely, gleaming, glamorous, inquisitive, homely, gorgeous, light person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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