Best Slow Cooked Beef Stew

The meat for this slow cooked beef stew spoke to me.

Stew me, it said.
And so I did.

Cook me long and low, it said.
Thus, I did.

Bathe me in a rich and flavorful sauce, it said.
A slave to my ingredients, I had no choice but to do it.

I have conversations with my ingredients; usually, but not always, in my head. Oh, please, save the mock surprise.

The meat spoke to me and I simply obeyed. I was quite happy to do so. This is, after all, the beginning of the season that begs for thick, rich, and hearty one-bowl eating, and you know that’s my favorite way to eat. It doesn’t hurt that my son, in fact, asked me a few weeks ago to make something just like this. His request went something like this:

Zach: (looking at the gorgeous pan of ratatouille I’d just taken out of the oven) Wow, that looks really good!
Me: (terribly excited) Do you want some??
Zach: Um, no, but I’d eat it if you’d, like, add some meat to it. Like beef stew.

This is why I sometimes converse with my ingredients. They get me in a way even my family doesn’t.

But let’s get back to  meat that talks and the drool-worthy beef stew which it becomes. While the beef and the sauce it helps to create take center stage, let’s not forget the rest of the gang. There are onions, garlic, potatoes, carrots, green beans, and thyme in this slow cooked wonder, and all add their own charms. Beef broth and tomato sauce together make the rich sauce, which I love so much better than a flour-thickened version (though, to be 100% accurate, the little bits of flour used to brown the beef are more than likely contributing their part to the rich sauce as well).  Speaking of that much-despised browning step, I pose to you a question:

Is it worth it to take the extra step to brown the meat?

The answer is an unequivocal YES. I won’t hear a word against it. You know I’m all for short cuts when they make no difference in flavor (i.e., pre-shredded cheese, canned tomatoes, and sometimes even chopped garlic, but if you tell my Italian goddess friend, Janet, that I mentioned that last one I’ll deny it ’til I’m blue). However, in this case, browning the beef makes all the difference. By browning the outside of the meat (the Maillard reaction for those science-types out there), and creating that dark brown crust, you get a deeper darker flavor, which the meat then imparts to your sauce. You skip this step at your own peril, and should you do so, I can not take responsibility for the flat and uninteresting flavor of your stew 🙂

Since I was going to be more or less home for the afternoon, I decided to make this on the stove top, in the same pan I browned the meat in. However, this is entirely crockpot-able. Once the beef is browned, you can throw everything except the green beans in the crockpot. Keep it covered on low for 6-8 hours (adding the green beans in the last 20 minutes or so). If you have one of those crockpots with the ability to brown the meat, then all the better. You can crock it, and still just dirty the one pan. WIN!  Either way, that’s really all you’ve got to do, except to stir once in a while (if on the stove top) and just allow the slow-cooking method to do it’s work and thickening the sauce, softening the vegetables, and tenderizing the meat.

Sunday dinner, or weeknight supper? Either. Just be sure to serve slow cooked beef stew with a thick slice of bread to sop up the sauce, which in my humble opinion, is the very best part.

Gotta go. The chicken cutlets always get a little sensitive when I spend too much time with the beef. Off to make some lightened up chicken alfredo for tonight – at Georgia’s behest!

Best Slow Cooked Beef Stew
Serves 6-8

Prep time: 15 minutes     Cook time:  2-1/4 hours (stove top); 6-8 hours (crockpot)

2 pounds lean stew beef
1/4 cup flour, divided
3 tablespoons canola oil, divided
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
3 cups fat-free, reduced sodium beef broth
1 can (8 oz) no-salt-added tomato sauce
1 teaspoon celery salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 small potatoes, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces (~1-1/2 cups)
3 small carrots, chopped (~1 cup)
1 cup green beans (frozen or fresh)

1) Put half the meat and half the flour in a re-sealable (i.e., Ziploc) plastic bag, seal and shake. Remove the pieces of meat, shaking off the excess, and set aside. Repeat with the rest of the flour and meat. In a large (4 qt) soup pot or non-stick sauce pan, heat half the canola oil over medium-high heat. Add half the meat, and brown on all sides (4-5 minutes). Remove meat to a paper towel, and repeat with the rest of the oil and floured meat.

2) Once all the meat is browned, add all the meat back into the pan. Add the onion, beef broth, thyme, garlic, tomato sauce, celery salt, and black pepper. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer, allowing it to simmer for one to 1-1/2 hours.

3) Add the potatoes and carrots, bring back to a boil, and simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

3) Add green beans, and allow to cook for an additional 10 minutes. Serve hot, with bread.

Crockpot directions:
Brown meat as above. Put the meat in the crock pot. Add the potatoes, onions, carrots, beef broth, thyme, garlic, tomato sauce, celery salt, and black pepper. Cover and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Add the green beans in the last 10 minutes before serving.

ENJOY!