Prepare for a basic beef stew recipe with chunks of tender meat and hearty greens simmering in a flavorful pink wine sauce. It’s the final word one-pot meal full of protein and greens.

For different cooking strategies, attempt my On the spot Pot Beef Stew or Gradual Cooker Beef Stew.

Desk of Contents

1. The dutch oven sautés and braises
2. Deciding on the proper minimize of meat
3. Searing first so as to add floor taste
4. Sautéing the aromatics
5. Utilizing hearty greens
6. Wine choice
7. The key elements
8. Thickening the sauce liquid
9. Braising within the oven
10. Can this stew be made totally on the stovetop?
11. What to serve this with
12. Traditional Beef Stew Recipe

Beef stew is consolation meals in a bowl. All the pieces you want for an entire meal slowly simmers in a Dutch oven. This pot is extraordinarily versatile, as I take advantage of it to sear the meat first so as to add taste on the floor, then I place it within the oven to complete the braising course of. To make the recipe includes just a bit upfront preparation, however then you’ve got an hour to let the tools do the work.

The light and extended cooking time ensures that the chunks of meat and greens grow to be extraordinarily fork-tender. Over time, the flavorful pink wine liquid concentrates right into a creamy, thickened sauce that infuses and coats each ingredient. You may serve this meal with mashed potatoes, rice, or pasta for a satisfying feast.

The dutch oven sautés and braises

A dutch oven is a particularly versatile pot to execute a number of cooking strategies. The heavy forged iron development, with thick partitions, does an important job retaining warmth. It superbly browns the meat stew meat and sautees the greens. Then the entire pot goes within the oven to finish the braising course of.

The oven supplies a really constant heated surroundings, gently simmering the elements for simply over an hour. The hands-off cooking is much like utilizing a sluggish cooker. One factor to test is that the knob of the lid is heat-rated above 350-degrees, so it doesn’t soften. If not, then end cooking the stew on the stovetop.

Deciding on the proper minimize of meat

Beef stew is extraordinarily widespread as a result of it takes powerful, cheap cuts of meat and turns them into tender items. I like to recommend utilizing boneless beef chuck, which comes from the cow’s shoulder part, or beef chuck roll. This choice comprises quantity of marbling and connective tissue to create flavorful items. 

Keep away from shopping for precut items labeled as stew meat from the shop. They are typically too lean, leading to a dry texture. I additionally like to regulate the dimensions of the items, reducing them into about 1 ½-inch cubes. Make certain to trim off extra fats and difficult silver pores and skin.

Searing first so as to add floor taste

To create a flavorful golden-brown crust on the meat, dry the floor effectively with paper towels. This ensures that the meat sears as an alternative of steams when it hits the recent pan. The objective right here is to brown the perimeters, not prepare dinner them all over. 

With chuck cuts, dry warmth from pan-searing gained’t totally tenderize the meat. The moist cooking surroundings and stewing liquid will flip powerful collagen within the muscle fibers into wealthy gelatin.

Sautéing the aromatics

A basic mixture of carrots, onions, and celery saute so as to add aromatics and pure sweetness from the greens within the dish. Because the moisture evaporates and these elements flippantly brown, they start to caramelize. The garlic and recent thyme prepare dinner within the fats in order that their fat-soluble flavors infuse into the stew earlier than including the liquid.

Utilizing hearty greens

To make this an entire meal, I add huge chunks of carrots and potatoes. I minimize them into items giant sufficient to resist the lengthy cooking time and to not crumble. I discover that waxy kinds of potatoes, that are decrease in starch and better in sugar like white, pink, and yellow, preserve their form when stewing, and so they soak up a number of flavors. I favor the buttery and easy style of Yukons golds.

Wine choice

Use a dry pink wine like cabernet sauvignon, merlot, chianti, pinot noir, or a French Beaujolais. You need it to be fruity with tannins however not overly candy. Make certain it’s one you’d prefer to drink as a result of its flavors will infuse into the stew. Plus, you’ll have leftovers to take pleasure in with the meal.

The key elements

To make the meat stew taste pop, add tomato paste and soy sauce to deepen the savory notes. They comprise pure glutamates that improve the umami style of the meat for dimension. I additionally use balsamic vinegar for acidity to steadiness and improve the salty and subtly candy flavors within the dish.

Thickening the sauce liquid

Add flour firstly of cooking to saute out its uncooked style. Including in beef inventory helps hydrate the starches, and because it begins to boil, the starches swell and thicken. The starches in flour are strong and may preserve their consistency in extended heating, making it a great candidate for stewing. 

Over time as steam builds up within the pot, you’ll discover it steadily exiting the perimeters of the lid. This helps to cut back the quantity and to pay attention the liquid. If wanted, on the very finish of cooking, simmer the stew on the stovetop for a couple of minutes to regulate the consistency.

Braising within the oven

Essentially the most constant and low key technique to prepare dinner a stew is in a lined pot positioned contained in the oven. The recent air evenly circulates within the closed surroundings, steadily transferring the warmth by conduction from the pot to the meals. I take advantage of a average 350-degrees to maintain the braising liquid at a low simmer. 

The meat cooks to well-done to make it tender. The connective tissue and fats want to achieve 210ºF (99ºC) for at the very least an hour. This time permits the collagen to remodel into gelatin and render the fats from the protein. The meal is prepared when the meat and greens will be simply minimize with a fork.

Can this stew be made totally on the stovetop?

Sure! Nevertheless, the burners on the range give direct warmth to the underside of the pot, making it liable to scorching spots. Subsequently, ensure that to test and stir each 20 minutes and modify the warmth as wanted. The prepare dinner time could also be barely longer with the lid’s fixed lifting, releasing steam that helps to melt the meals. Cook dinner on a delicate simmer, low to medium-low warmth. 

What to serve this with