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You can serve your beef stew immediately, but it is even better the next day. Cover the pot and refrigerate it for 24 hours, then reheat when ready to serve. The flavors will be so much more developed.
If you prefer to skip the wine, consider these alternatives for your beef stew – more beef stock or beef broth, unsweetened cranberry juice, or tomato sauce.
I recommend that you do not skip the coating of the stew beef in flour. This step is important in developing a rich, velvety gravy-like sauce for your stew, making it so much more luxurious.
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
If you prefer to use your slow cooker, transfer all of the ingredients after you brown the meat and cook down the vegetables in a pan (step #6 in the recipe card below), then cook on high for 3-4 hours, or on low for 7-8 hours, or until the beef is meltingly tender.
Best Meat For Beef Stew
Chuck beef roast is ideal for making tender beef stew. Any tougher cut of beef that benefits from low and slow cooking will work, though. Consider top round, bottom round, sirloin, trip-tip, or brisket.
Best Wine For Beef Stew
Dry red wine with bold flavor is best for cooking beef stew. I prefer Cabernet Sauvignon, but also consider pinot noir or merlot.
How To Thicken Beef Stew
Coating the beef stew meat in flour before searing helps to thicken your beef stew gravy, but if you’d like to thicken it more, mix 2 tablespoons of flour with 2 tablespoons milk or water to form a slurry.
Stir it into your beef stew pot and simmer until thickened. Repeat if necessary.
What To Serve With Beef Stew
My mother always served her crockpot beef stew with mashed potatoes. It’s a perfect combination. You can also serve it over rice, or with a side like these jalapeno-cheddar biscuits.
Storage / Freezing Beef Stew
Beef stew will last up to 5 days in the refrigerator in a sealed container. It isn’t bad served cold, but is easily reheated in a microwave or tossed in a hot pan.
You can also freeze it for 2-3 months.
Classic Beef Stew Recipe
This beef stew recipe is a classic dish of fork tender beef stewed with carrots and potatoes, so much like my mother used to make, pure comfort food.
Course: Main Course Cuisine: American, French Keyword: beef roast, carrots, potatoes Prep Time: 15 minutes Cook Time: 3 hours 15 minutes Calories: 632kcal
Servings: 6 Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
3 pound beef chuck cut into 1.5 inch chunks
¼ cup flour
1 tablespoon paprika
1 teaspoon salt or to taste
1 teaspoon black pepper
4 tablespoons olive oil divided
1 large white onion chopped
1 green bell pepper chopped (use jalapenos for a spicier version)
1 stalk celery chopped
5 garlic cloves chopped
3 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups red wine I use Cabernet Sauvignon – use beef stock as an alternative
2 cups beef stock
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon Italian seasoning use your favorite blend of dried herbs
2 bay leaves
1 pound yellow potatoes cut into bite-sized pieces
3 large carrots cut into bite-sized pieces
Instructions
Mix together the flour, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Dip the chunks of beef into the mixture to lightly coat each side.
Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot. Sear the beef in 3 separate batches to brown each side of the meat, about 5 minutes per batch. Transfer the browned beef to a plate. Add 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the pot before each batch.
When all of the meat is seared and resting on the plate, add the last tablespoon of olive oil. Add the onion, peppers, and celery. Stir and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
Add the garlic and tomato paste and cook 1 more minute, stirring.
Add the red wine, beef stock, and Worcestershire sauce. Stir and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom of the pot.
Add the meat and any accumulated juices to the pot, along with the Italian seasonings and bay leaves.
Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 2 hours.
Remove the lid and add the potatoes and carrots. Simmer, uncovered, for 1 more hour, or utnil the vegetables are cooked through and the meat is fork tender. You may need more time for the meat to soften up to your liking.
Remove from heat. You can serve the beef stew immediately, but it is best to refrigerate the pot for 24 hours. The flavor gets even better the next day. Simply reheat and serve.
Nutrition Information
Calories: 632kcal Carbohydrates: 17g Protein: 47g Fat: 36g Saturated Fat: 13g Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g Monounsaturated Fat: 20g Trans Fat: 2g Cholesterol: 156mg Sodium: 862mg Potassium: 1340mg Fiber: 3g Sugar: 5g Vitamin A: 5947IU Vitamin C: 22mg Calcium: 100mg Iron: 7mg
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