Slow cooker beef stew easy recipe – Try these rare variations for the tastiest homemade beef stew!
No dish or meal could be more relaxing than a bowl full of slow cooker beef stew! Beef stew is an ideal meal suitable to warm up chilling and gloomy winter evenings! A perfectly cooked beef stew is not only hearty but packed with a soulful flavour that will make you swoon over it every other day!
The classic slow cooker beef stew recipe was asked by many readers as it’s the favorite meal of many people, give a shot to it, and you will truly realize its utter deliciousness. Many people even love to have the beef stew on a cheerful Halloween celebration. The craze and love for the traditional beef stew were never scarce, and it is increasing day by day. To know why just explore this whole slow cooker beef stew cooking guide with me!
What is slow cooker beef stew?
A classic beef stew is nothing but a soft-cooked beef simmered along with the tasty beef broth. The lovely army of delicious vegetables makes this recipe even more soulful—many veggies like celery, carrots & onion. Many people like to spark up their creativity and drizzle up many exotic ingredients like Worcestershire sauce and dry red wine that enhances the existing delicious flavour in a beef stew.
What type of beef is best to use for a slow cooker beef stew recipe?
The traditional slow cooker beef stew recipe turns much tastier when you use lean cuts of beef for this recipe as these pieces don’t contain an excess of fat. Also, the recipe becomes much more delicious when beef simmers for a more extended period. The beef tends to become a lot tender when you simmer it for a more extended period. Additionally, I would recommend you to trip all the excess fat before cooking.
Also Read,
- King oyster mushroom pan-fried recipe! Try the healthiest food in 2021
- How to clarify butter, explore step by step guide for you to clarify butter
Why is the slow cooker ideal for preparing the beef stew?
You might not have imagined this, but yes, a slow cooker method could also be one of the most excellent ways to cook perfect beef stew. Slow cooker beef stew is one of my most recipes to enjoy relaxing me time. A slow cooker can be an ideal way to cook a beef stew as it makes your beef stew nicely tender, and the perfectly cooked beef melts on your taste buds, delighting your mood in the whole moment! Additionally, slow cooker beef stew recipe even lets you pour exotic herbs and ingredients of your choice; what could be more rewarding than this?!
Is it essential to brown the beef before slow cooking?
It is up to you! When you brown your beef before cooking, it develops an additional flavour due to prior caramelization, which results from browning! Also, it is not necessary to brown the beef before cooking a slow cooker beef stew. Additionally, browning or searing the beef would help lock the juice into the meat, which will prevent the meat from dryness. You should even dredge the beef in flour as it enhances the stew’s thickness when you do it before browning.
If you ask me, I would never suggest you skip the browning process, as it evokes a rich flavour in your beef stew recipe. Spending an extra couple of minutes for browning would never make you regret it, trust me! This similar thing applies to celery or even onions; you should saute them first to enhance the unique texture and flavor in the recipe.
Is it okay if my beef stew gets overcooked in a slow cooker?
A slow cooker beef stew is quite simple and always turns up on point, but if you cook your beef over the mark when it has already turned soft, beef can become dry as all the juices and liquid would be dried out. If you want to serve it later, turn your slow cooker to warm mode when you are just serving it.
Are there any good additional ingredients?
I understand many people’s obsession with putting ingredients of their choice into their soulful beef stew, and it all depends on your choice. I would not recommend any extra ingredients for this recipe as it’s very delicious on its own. You can include many herbs per your needs; additional ingredients like soy sauce and Worcestershire are beneficial to evoke a great flavour.
Can I use herbs and ingredients of my choice in it?
If you want, you can use dry herbs and ingredients to replace fresh ones, but I would still recommend you to include fresh herbs. A classic roasted herb blend is an excellent option for extra addition; a roasted blend of herbs consists of aromatic ingredients like rosemary, thyme and parsley.
Can I cook beef stew on high heat?
Yes, you can cook it on high heat, but I would suggest you choose low heat for cooking as cooking on low heat makes beef extra soft.
Some unique variations to try in your recipe
As I have already told you, people, there are several ways you can adapt to cook your beef stew and customize it as per your choice. Feel free to spark up your creativity while cooking a beef stew.
Aromatic and fragrant herbs: Whenever I make this lovely soup, I always like to drizzle up some extra sprigs of fresh thyme or rosemary in my beef stew for a wonderful aromatic fragrance.
Sweet potatoes: Many times, I have tried a couple of beef stew recipe with sweet potatoes and trust me, it turned out to be the best duo of sweet and savoury flavors.
White wine: I would suggest drizzling 1 cup of wine to replace 1 cup of the beef stock if you have white wine or dry red wine readily available at your pantry. This will help to evoke lovely flavours.
Canned tomatoes: You can add a 15-ounce can of crushed tomatoes to replace a traditional tomato paste.
Most Simple Slow Cooker Beef Stew Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Worcestershire sauce – 1 tablespoon
- salt
- 2 1/2 lbs Chuck roast ( it should be free of excess fat)
- 2 1/2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 1/2 tbsp garlic
- 1/4 cups Tomato paste
- 3 cups low sodium beef broth
- 1 1/2 lbs Yellow potatoes
- 1 lb Carrots
- 1 1/2 cups Frozen petite peas
- 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
- 1 tbsp Low-sodium soy sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 1 1/2 cups Yellow onion Large
- 1 1//4 cups Celery stalks (3 medium-sized and chopped)
- 1/4 cup Minced fresh parsley
- 1 tbsp Minced fresh thyme
- 1 or 3/4 tsp Single sprig rosemary dried
Instructions
- Take a large, heavy-bottomed skillet and heat one tablespoon of olive oil on medium-high heat flame. Only use half of the beef at a single time, use some paper towels and dab both sides of beef dry with it. Season the beef with pepper and salt.
- Sear the beef into the skillet until there is some browning; flip it only once. Keep for 4 to 5 minutes. Shift the beef into the slow cooker. Pour extra one tablespoon oil into a skillet and repeat the same process with half the remaining beef.
- Pour leftover ½ tablespoons of oil in the oil remaining in skillet. Oil would be half tablespoons in quantity after you have seared the beef. Decrease the heat flame to medium. Saute celery and onions; after that, pour garlic and saute it for additional 30 seconds. After that, mix up the paste and keep cooking consistently, stir it continuously for 1 minute.
- Stream 1 cup of beef broth in the skillet with soy sauce, Worcestershire, rosemary and thyme. Add the diced carrots and potatoes to the beef layer in the slow cooker. Afterwards, add up the broth blend in a skillet into the slow cooker with leftover 2 cups of beef broth. Use salt, pepper and season it well. Cover it up and cook for 7 to 8 hours of low heat.
- Whisk together cornstarch and 1 ½ tablespoon of cold water together in a small-sized bowl until it become smooth. Pour it all in the slow cooker and stir lightly, cover it up and keep cooking it on a high heat flame until it thickens subtly or for 20 - 30 minutes. Stir in half of the parsley and peas. Garnish the stew with parsley and serve it warm.
