Hearty Beef Stew
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 21, 2007
Time
2¾ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
3 pounds chuck-eye roast, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes1 ½ teaspoons table salt 1 teaspoon ground black pepper 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 2 medium onions, chopped coarse (about 2 cups)3 medium cloves garlic, minced3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour 1 cup red wine (preferably full-bodied)2 cups low-sodium chicken broth 2 bay leaves 1 teaspoon dried thyme 6 small boiling potatoes, peeled and halved4 large carrots, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick1 cup frozen peas (6 ounces), thawed¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Before You Begin
Make this stew in a large, heavy-bottomed soup kettle measuring at least ten inches in diameter. If the kettle is any smaller, you may need to cook the meat in three batches rather than two.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place beef cubes in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in large nonreactive soup kettle; add beef to kettle in two separate batches. Brown meat on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch, adding remaining tablespoon of oil if needed. Remove meat and set aside. Add onions to now empty kettle; sauté until almost softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; continue to sauté about 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour; cook until lightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to kettle. Add stock, bay leaves, and thyme; bring to simmer. Add meat; return to simmer. Cover and place in oven; simmer about 1 hour.
- Remove kettle from oven, add potatoes and carrots, cover, and return to oven. Simmer until meat is just tender, about 1 hour. Remove stew from oven. (Can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
- Add peas and allow to stand 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve.
Time
2¾ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
3 pounds chuck-eye roast, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped coarse (about 2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine (preferably full-bodied)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 small boiling potatoes, peeled and halved
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
1 cup frozen peas (6 ounces), thawed
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Ingredients
3 pounds chuck-eye roast, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped coarse (about 2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine (preferably full-bodied)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 small boiling potatoes, peeled and halved
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
1 cup frozen peas (6 ounces), thawed
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Ingredients
3 pounds chuck-eye roast, cut into 1 ½-inch cubes
1 ½ teaspoons table salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped coarse (about 2 cups)
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1 cup red wine (preferably full-bodied)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
2 bay leaves
1 teaspoon dried thyme
6 small boiling potatoes, peeled and halved
4 large carrots, peeled and sliced ¼-inch thick
1 cup frozen peas (6 ounces), thawed
¼ cup minced fresh parsley leaves
Why This Recipe Works
Our goal in developing this beef stew recipe was to keep the cooking process simple without compromising the stew's deep, complex flavor. We chose chuck for its great flavor and abundance of intramuscular fat and connective tissue, which makes it well-suited for long, slow, moist cooking. To make our beef stew recipe easy, we opted for thickening the stew with flour at the beginning—stirring it into the sautéing onions and garlic, right before adding the liquid. We preferred the consistent, enveloping heat of the oven to the inconsistent heat of the burner for cooking the stew.
Before You Begin
Make this stew in a large, heavy-bottomed soup kettle measuring at least ten inches in diameter. If the kettle is any smaller, you may need to cook the meat in three batches rather than two.
Instructions
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place beef cubes in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil over medium-high heat in large nonreactive soup kettle; add beef to kettle in two separate batches. Brown meat on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch, adding remaining tablespoon of oil if needed. Remove meat and set aside. Add onions to now empty kettle; sauté until almost softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; continue to sauté about 30 seconds longer. Stir in flour; cook until lightly colored, 1 to 2 minutes. Add wine, scraping up any browned bits that may have stuck to kettle. Add stock, bay leaves, and thyme; bring to simmer. Add meat; return to simmer. Cover and place in oven; simmer about 1 hour.
- Remove kettle from oven, add potatoes and carrots, cover, and return to oven. Simmer until meat is just tender, about 1 hour. Remove stew from oven. (Can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
- Add peas and allow to stand 5 minutes. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve.
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