Slow Simmered Beef Stew
My daughter was home sick with a cold recently so I decided to combine two of her favorite comfort foods–mashed potatoes & beef stew. I made this delicious slow simmered beef stew loaded with big chunks of beef and carrots along with a delicious sauce made with onion, garlic, wine, good beef broth, and some herbs then simmered it for a few hours in the oven. I served this delicious and rich-flavored beef stew over some creamy mashed potatoes and it was a huge hit with the entire family. We all decided that we should serve beef stew over mashed potatoes from now on. It was a delicious meal and thankfully it made my daughter feel a little bit better.
Slow Simmered Beef Stew
Ingredients:
- 4 slices of bacon, cut into small bits
- 2½ lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks & excess fat removed
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 cup red wine
- 4½ cups beef broth
- 3 large carrots, peeled & cut into 1/2=inch pieces
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
How to Make Slow Simmered Beef Stew
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
Cook the bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until cooked through and the fat has rendered down. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the Dutch oven; set the remaining bacon grease aside until needed. Return the Dutch oven to the stove and turn it up to medium-high.
Pat the beef chunks dry then season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
Add half of the meat to the HOT dutch oven and cook, until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Remove the beef from the Dutch oven to a plate. Add the remaining beef to the Dutch oven and cook the beef until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Remove to the plate and cover loosely with a tin foil tent; set aside.
Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 45 seconds. Add the flour and cook, stirring it into the onion mixture constantly, for 2 minutes. Add the red wine and whisk until the mixture is well combined and reduced a bit, about 2 minutes. Add the beef broth along with the plate of cooked beef chunks and their juices and the carrot, celery, bacon crumbles, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves. Stir then cover with a tight-fitting lid and place into the oven to cook for 2 hours and 25 minutes.
Remove the lid after 2 hours & 25 minutes and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the beef to finish cooking and the sauce to thicken slightly. Remove from the oven and skim off any fat from the surface. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
Serve over creamy mashed potatoes (click the link for the recipe). Enjoy.
Equipment
Ingredients
- 4 slices of bacon, cut into small bits
- 2½ lbs beef chuck, cut into 2-inch chunks & excess fat removed
- Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- 1 large onion, diced
- 3 large cloves of garlic, minced
- 4 tbsp tomato paste
- 3 tbsp flour
- 1 cup red wine
- 4½ cups beef broth
- 3 large carrots, peeled & cut into 1/2=inch pieces
- 2 stalks of celery, diced
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
- Cook the bacon pieces in a large Dutch oven over medium heat until cooked through and the fat has rendered down. Remove the bacon with a slotted spoon and place it on a paper towel. Remove all but 1 tablespoon of bacon grease from the Dutch oven; set the remaining bacon grease aside until needed. Return the Dutch oven to the stove and turn it up to medium-high.
- Pat the beef chunks dry then season well with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
- Add half of the meat to the HOT dutch oven and cook, until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Remove the beef from the Dutch oven to a plate.
- Add the remaining beef to the Dutch oven and cook the beef until browned all over, about 3 minutes. Remove to the plate and cover loosely with a tin foil tent; set aside.
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon of bacon grease to the Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 3 minutes.
- Add the minced garlic and cook, stirring constantly, for 30 seconds.
- Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring constantly, for 45 seconds.
- Add the flour and cook, stirring it into the onion mixture constantly, for 2 minutes.
- Add the red wine and whisk until the mixture is well combined and reduced a bit, about 2 minutes.
- Add the beef broth along with the plate of cooked beef chunks and their juices and the carrot, celery, bacon crumbles, thyme sprigs, and bay leaves.
- Stir then cover with a tight-fitting lid and place into the oven to cook for 2 hours and 25 minutes.
- Remove the lid after 2 hours & 25 minutes and continue to cook for 15-20 minutes to allow the beef to finish cooking and the sauce to thicken slightly.
- Remove from the oven and skim off any fat from the surface. Remove the thyme sprigs and bay leaves. Taste and season with sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste.
- Serve over creamy mashed potatoes (click the link for the recipe). Enjoy.
So delicious and packed full of flavours! I am going to make some beef stew soon!
Tons of flavor in this dish. TONS! I love beef stew, and agree braised dishes like this are terrific with mashed potatoes. Super recipe — thanks.
A soothing and comforting dish. Hope your daughter has recovered.
Do you use red cooking wine? If not, what can you replace the wine with? Thank you!
Tammy,
I used red wine (Cabernet Sauvignon). If you don’t want to use wine, you can use more beef broth instead with a touch of red wine vinegar, to taste, to help with the acidity. I hope this helps.
-Pam
T he stew looks delicious and I like serving it in a bowl with the taters. Still too hot hear for it though – we’ve grilled most meals.