Crock Pot Beef Stew – simple to prepare, slow cooked stew with tender chunks of beef, potatoes and carrots with a slight hint of wine. The longer it cooks, the better it gets. Great for a cold winter’s night.
This slow cooker beef stew is an easy, comforting meal that serves the whole family. It is a simple stew with simple ingredients. Slow cooking intensifies the flavors in this stew and as a result, it is flavorful and the meat and vegetables are cooked perfectly to be fork-tender.
Searing the chunks of beef before hand is a continued debate. I have always felt searing the meat over high heat gives the beef some added caramelization and flavor. It also gives the beef some color and no one likes gray looking beef.
The beef is then cooked alongside potatoes and carrots in a delicious red wine beef broth on LOW until the meat is fall apart tender.
I have similar slow cooking recipes, like these Five Star Asian Short Ribs (which I have to say is probably one of the BEST things I’ve ever tasted!) but they are braised in a Dutch oven. While you can make beef stew in Dutch oven, slow cooking will always be my preferred method for THIS recipe.
Here’s What You’ll Need:
- Beef – it’s important to get the right cut of meat for beef stew and that is chuck roast. Avoid the prepackaged stew meat as it tends to be leaner. Look for a lot of white veins, called marbling. This will break down and become very tender.
- Vegetables – we’re keeping it simple here. Potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and diced tomatoes.
- Seasonings – salt & pepper, thyme, bay leaves, smoked & sweet paprika, ground mustard and a few sprigs of rosemary will certainly add tons of flavor to this stew as well as the gravy.
- Liquid – Beef broth, red wine, Worcestershire sauce
Most Common Mistakes when making a Beef Stew
Do NOT Stir – While some recipes can be stirred, beef stew is best made by leaving it alone. Do not stir it once it’s in there.
Layer – Have you ever experienced the stew meat not being fully tender, yet the veggies are turning into mush? This is because each ingredient cooks at a different rate. Big chunks of beef will always take longer to cook that vegetable.
Try layering the carrots on top of the beef, followed by the potatoes. The veggies are now farthest AWAY from the heat source allowing them to cook slower, while the beef is closest to the heat allowing it to become fall apart-tender.
What to Serve with Beef Stew:
I know most beef stew recipes (this one included) have potatoes in them. However, my family really likes to serve this over mashed potatoes. The gravy gets all inside and around the potatoes. It’s delish!
With 30 minutes left to cook, try adding frozen peas or little pearl onions to the stew.
If you find the time, nothing goes alongside beef stew better than freshly made ciabatta bread or even better, Irish soda bread.
You May Also Like:
CROCKPOT BEEF STEW
Like this recipe? Pin it to your DINNER board!
Tried this recipe? Please leave a star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below and/or a review in the comments section further down the page. And consider following me on Facebook and Pinterest!
Print
Crockpot Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Olive oil, divided
- 3 lbs. Well marbled Chuck roast
- ¼ Cup Flour
- 3 Carrots, chopped into 1 inch pieces
- 1 lb Gold Baby potatoes, cut in half
- 1 Large Yellow onion, chopped
- ½ Cup Chopped celery
- 4 Garlic cloves, minced
- 1 Cup Full bodied Red wine
- 3 Cups Low sodium Beef broth
- 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
- 1 Can Diced tomatoes
- 1 teaspoon Sea salt
- ½ teaspoon Black pepper
- 1 teaspoon Dried thyme
- 3 Bay leaves
- 1 teaspoon Smoked paprika
- 1 teaspoon Paprika
- 1 teaspoon Ground mustard
- 3 Fresh Rosemary
- 3 Tbsp Cornstarch
Instructions
- Cube, season and flour the beef. Cut the beef into cubes and place in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper and sprinkle the flour all over the meat. Stir with a spoon to coat all the beef.
- Brown the beef – Heat 1-2 Tablespoons of oil in a large skillet until the pan is very hot. Add half the beef (providing it doesn’t crowd the pan) and quickly sear on all sides on high heat. Transfer the beef to the slow cooker.
- Layer – Add the carrots on top of the meat, followed by the potatoes.
- Sauté veggies – Turn the heat to medium and add the onions and celery to the pan (along with more oil if needed) and sauté until softened about 5 minutes. Add the minced garlic and stir for a minute.
- Deglaze – Add the wine to the pan and begin scraping up the browned bits on the bottom with a flat wooden spoon. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire sauce, diced tomatoes and spices.
- Pour – carefully add the liquid to the crockpot and cook on LOW for 7-8 hours.
- Thicken – 1 hour before the stew is done scoop out ½ cup of the hot liquid. Add add the cornstarch to it and whisk until dissolved. Add the cornstarch slurry to the stew and stir in. This will help thicken the stew to a gray like consistency.
Leave a Reply