How To Make Mom's Beef Stew
Stew was one of the first things I cooked as a young mom after my mom taught me. It's often requested by my (now grown) children, husband and friends. It's always been in my head and never on paper. I do usually make slight changes, depending on what I have available and who's eating.
For example, if I have red wine on hand, I will use that to deglaze after browning my meat. I usually use beef, but sometimes I use Elk meat, sometimes both. In a pinch, I've used ground beef. I'll use canned broth if I don't have home made bone broth. Sometimes I'll add cayenne pepper to spice things up.
My kids have asked me to share the actual recipe. What follows is my most basic beef barley stew recipe. Feel free to experiment for your own taste or dietary needs.
About 1 to 1.5 pound of cubed meat (beef, elk, venison, whatever you like and have on hand)
3/4 cups of flour
1/8 teaspoon of pepper (I use fresh cracked pepper for the best flavor.)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoon of cooking oil (I use what I have on hand. The type isn't too big a deal)
4-5 celery stalks sliced thick
4-5 carrots sliced thick
4-5 russet potatoes rough chopped into hearty chunks
1-2 medium onions (I use sweet onions) rough chopped into hearty chunks
2-3 cloves of fresh garlic minced (or substitute for minced in the jar or garlic powder)
1 quart beef stock
1 quart water (approximate)
1 teaspoon of dried sage
1/4 cup pearled barley
2-3 dried bay leaves
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons flour adjust amount as needed to get the thickness you like
1 tablespoon Better than Bullion beef base (optional but makes a big difference in flavor)
Mix the flour, salt and pepper together. It's easiest to add to a ziplock bag or a plastic storage container. Then add the meat to the flour to completely coat it.
Add the oil to a large pot and get it heated up till you see little waves in it when you swish it around the bottom. I usually have my burner set to 6-7 for this part.
Add your floured chunks of meat to the pot and brown all sides of the meat. This takes about 5-8 minutes, depending on your pot and the amount of meat you have. Just make sure you don't burn it. You just want it seared and a bit crisp on the outside. You'll want to stir it around while doing this to get all sizes. You'll end up with little bits of flour stuck to the bottom of the pan.
Add the onion chunks and cook them with the meat until they are tender. Then add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds.
Then, use a little of your beef broth (about 1/2 cup) to de-glaze the bottom of the pan. Just pour the small amount of broth (or you can use red wine at this step) into the pot, stirring it around while you scrape the bits of the bottom to get all the flavor.
Next, add your carrots, celery and pearled barley to the pot (don't add the potatoes yet or they will over cook). Add the rest of your beef broth, plus enough water to just cover your veggies. Add the sage, bay leaves and any optional seasoning include the Better than Bullion if you are using it. Bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to about 2 for a low simmer. Cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
Then add your potatoes cover and simmer another 40 minutes.
Keep an eye on the pot, stirring occasionally. If your veggies are tender before this second 40 minutes is up, it's ok to proceed to thickening.
Use the flour and a small amount of water to make a runny paste. It's called a slurry, but I didn't know what a slurry was when I started making this. Pour the slurry of flour into your pot of cooked veggies and meat. Stir it around and cook for a few minutes on medium heat to thicken your broth. Adjust or add more to make it as thick as you prefer.
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| Brown your floured beef in heavy pot with cooking oil. |
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| Basic veggies (see optional veggies below) |
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| Rough chop onions, mince garlic. |
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| Chunks of russet potatoes |
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| Add onions with beef, cook till tender, then add garlic. |
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| Home made beef stock (or use canned) |
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| Deglaze with broth or red wine |
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| Add your carrots, celery. |
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| Add your seasonings, bay leaves, sage, etc. |
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| Add enough water to cover veggies. Add barley. Bring to boil, then simmer 40 minutes. Next at your potatoes, simmer another 40 minutes until veggies are tender. |
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| Make your slurry with flour and a bit of cold water. |
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| Add slurry to pot. |
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| Let your slurry thicken the broth on medium low heat. Add more as needed to get thickness you prefer. |
Salt and pepper to taste, serve hot with your favorite bread, dinner rolls or biscuits. You could even add this to a sourdough bread bowl.
Optional seasonings:
Cayenne Pepper
Oregano
Worcestershire Sauce
A-1 Steak Sauce
Red Pepper Flakes
Red Wine to de-glaze the pot
Better Than Bullion
Optional veggies:
Mushrooms
Green beans
Corn
Peas
Love, Mom
Questions or other favorite stew ingredients? Share them in the comments!
