Beef stew season is upon us as the cold air settles in for a stay.
Although we have cut down on meat consumption, there is still a place in a healthy diet for beef.
The Cuts for Great Beef Stew
When I was a kid, beef chuck roast was the standard for making stew. If you aren’t too concerned about saturated fat content or the taste of fatty meat, chuck roast is still a go-to cut for stew making.
But lately I’ve been using leaner cuts of beef for my stew to avoid excessive amounts of saturated fat.
Price-wise and health-wise, lean cuts of beef are especially attractive, but you need to know how to cook these because they can end up flavorless, tough and rubbery.
That’s why this beef stew recipe is a good introduction to cooking lean cuts like bottom round or rump roast.
It is a recipe in which the beef is cooked on medium low heat for several hours.
The longer you cook it, the more flavor complexity you develop. That’s how I make my braised beef which is also a fantastic main dish for a cold evening.
Acid Is Key
Another important consideration when cooking lean meats is the addition of acid to the cooking liquid. This tenderizes the meat during cooking. In French cooking, wine is the go-to acid tenderizer, but you can also use lemon juice, vinegar, or even tomatoes to the same effect.
A Good, Heavy Stew Pot
I like using an enameled cast-iron covered pot for slow cooking. Cast-iron keeps the heat distributed evenly and the heavy lid seals in liquid that otherwise might evaporate too quickly. After all, the “juice” is the best part of a great stew!
Beef Stew: The Basics
Equipment
- 1 stew pot with lid
Ingredients
- 1 ½ lbs. beef, cut into 1" cubes rump, chuck. tender roast, etc.
- ¼ c. + 2 tbsp. flour, divided
- 2 tsp. salt
- ¼ tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. thyme
- 1 tbsp. olive oil
- 1 qt. beef broth
- ½ c. dry wine red or white
- 2 bay leaves
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 yellow onion, small, trimmed
- 10 cloves, whole
- 6 potatoes, medium size
- 3 carrots, large
Instructions
- Trim fat off beef as desired. Cut beef into 1 inch cubes.
- Mix together in a small bowl: flour, 2 tsp. salt, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 1 tsp. thyme.
- Toss beef cubes in flour mix to coat.
- Heat 1 tbsp. olive oil in stew pot. Sauté flour-covered beef cubes until lightly browned.
- Stud the yellow onion with the whole cloves and add to the pot.
- Add beef broth, wine, bay leaves, and minced garlic to pot. Set heat to simmer. Place lid on pot and cook on low heat about 2 hours.
- After 2 hours, taste test broth and adjust seasonings as necessary. Clean, peel, and chop into 1 inch cubes about 6 medium-size white potatoes and 3 large carrots. Add these vegetables to the stew pot and replace lid.
- Simmer stew another 45 minutes or until vegetables are cooked through.
- Make a slurry by adding 2 tablespoons of flour to about 1/3 c. of cold water. Whisk to mix, then whisk into the simmering stew and stir a few minutes until stew has thickened.
- Adjust seasonings and serve.
