Beef Stew

[Sueven]

Trying to come up with a beef stew recipe. Here's what I tried:

Beef (chuck, trimmed and cubed and whatnot)
Potatoes
Carrots
Onion

Heat olive oil in dutch oven. Brown beef with garlic. Add beef stock, dark beer, red wine, tomato paste, worcestershire sauce, spices, bring to boil, cover, let simmer for an hour. Meanwhile, sautee the veggies in butter in a separate pot for maybe 15-20 minutes. After the meat's been boiling awhile, throw in all the vegetables and cook for another hour, uncovered.

Obviously a pretty straightforward stew. Tips/tricks/ingredients that you all like?

[Canelek]

Seems pretty straightforward. I would most likely add a crapload of cayenne, but that is just me.

I bet it would work great in a crockpot as well.

Maybe use brisket? mmmmmm

[Canoe]

Here are two recipes for you, and I have another one at home that is fantastic (made with beer), but don't have it with me here at work, will try to remember to post later. Your above recipes would probably work fine with the below, just be sure to adjust liquid amounts according to how much beer / wine you are adding.

(These are great with Beef, or any sort of red meat game as well - Venison, Elk, Bear etc....).

Crockpot Cider Stew

Throw the following ingredients in a crockpot before you leave for work on Low, when you get back 8-10 hours later it will be done.

Approximately 2 lbs of Stew Meat (trimmed and cubed).
2 cups apple cider
1 Cup water with 2 beef bouillon cubes disolved in it.
1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 Chopped Onion
2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
5 Carrots
4 Potatoes

About 1/2 hour before you want to serve, make a rue in a sauce pan, and add it to the crockpot, this will thicken up the broth to make it more "stew like". You make a rue by doing the following:

To thicken, make a rue of three tablespoons butter, enough flour to be absorbed by the butter, salt and pepper. Stir the flour and seasonings into the butter and stir until golden colored. Dip some of the bubbling broth out of the crock pot and add it to the rue. Stir quickly and before the sauce thickens too much, add it to the stew.


Dutch Oven Stew

Approximately 2 lbs Stew Meat (Trimmed and Cubed)
1 1/2 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
1/4 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Medium Onion Chopped
1 Tablespoon Salt
1 Tsp Sugar
1/2 Tsp Paprika
1/2 Tsp Pepper
1/4 Tsp All Spice
8 Carrots
6 Potatoes

- In Dutch Oven - Brown meat in 2 tablespoons hot oil. Add onion and spices. Add 2 cups hot water and simmer for 1.5 hours. Add veggies - and cook for another 45 minutes - 1 hour.

- Remove Vegetables and meat, and make a rue by adding a mixture of about 1/4 cup water and two Teaspoons Flour. Stir into boiling liquid until thick. Return Vege's and meat and serve.

[Xatrei]

I swiped this idea from a Cooking Light magazine late last summer or in the fall. Search their site for "cranberry beef stew" or something like that to get their exact recipe, I've made this a few times, and everyone that's tried it loves it.

about 2.5 lbs chuck, trimmed & cut into 1-2" pieces
1 bottle of Guinness Stout
2 cups of beef broth or stock
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
several sprigs of fresh parsley
3-4 bay leaves
frozen pearl onions
1 lb porcini mushrooms, quartered
1 can cranberry sauce (whole berry kind, not the crushed or the jelly)
1 medium to large onion, diced small
1/4 cup flour

Brown the meat in a heavy dutch oven with canola oil. Once browned, remove the meat and set it aside. Add a bit more oil if needed and add the onions and cook for about 5 minutes. Stir in the flour and continue to stir while cooking flour, onions & oil for a few minutes more. Slowly stir in beef broth, and be careful to fully incorporate the flour mixture. Return the beef to the pot, and add the beer, bay leaves, thyme and parsley sprigs. Let it come back up to a boil before covering and reducing the heat to a simmer. Cook until the meat is tender (60-90 minutes or so). Season to taste with salt and cracked black pepper, then add the pearl onions, mushrooms and cranberry sauce to the stew and cook for another 10 minutes or so. Remove thyme stems, parsley sprigs and bay leaves before serving over garlic mashed potatoes, spaetzle or cooked egg noodles.

[Canoe]

Ok Home now - This is my latest favorite recipe - comes out awesome every time, and all you need is crock pot. Great for the work week - just cut stuff up the night before, and before you leave for work, throw it in, and turn it on low. When you get home you just make the rue, and BAM, awesome stew is ready

(Again, this recipe is fantastic with beef, but also is great with any game meat you may have).


Beer Stew

2.5 LBs stew meat (Trimmed and Cubed)
1 Large onion, chopped
2 coves garlic Minced
4-5 Carrots, cut into chunks
2-3 stalks celery, cut into slices
2-3 potatoes
16 ounces of beer you like!
2.5 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1.5 tsp oregano
2tbs tomato paste
3-4 tbs melted butter
1/3 cup flour
chopper parsley for garnish (optional)
1 packet lipton onion soup mix

Cut beef into 1 inch squares. Place beef, onion, garlic, carrots, potatoes, celery, beer, salt, pepper, oregano, onion soup mix, and tomato paste into a slow cooker (crock pot). Set cooker on low and cook for 8-10 hours. Mix melted butter with flour until a smooth thick paste is formed, and stir into stew. Taste stew and adjust seasonings to your personal preference. Turn slow cooker on high, and allow mixture to thicken before serving (doesn't take long, 15 mins maybe). Garnish with chopped parsley.

[Drolgin Steingrinder]

A single star anise in your bouquet garni works fucking wonders with beef stew - just remember to take it out before serving!

[Jarori Bloodletter]

Pop a can of "Dinty Moore's Beef stew" pour in pan heat till hot..Yum~

[Pherr the Dorf]

Each one of those recipes would have more of teh yum with

2 parsnips
2 rutabegas
2 turnips
1 small celery root

Cut them the size of the carrots.

[laneela]

A single star anise in your bouquet garni works fucking wonders with beef stew - just remember to take it out before serving!

I just puked a little in my mouth.