Beef Stew with Bacon, Mushrooms, and Pearl Onions
By America's Test KitchenPublished on August 25, 2013
Time
3½ hours
Yield
Serves 6 to 8
Ingredients
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. Instead of the frozen pearl onions called for here, you can use an equal amount of fresh pearl onions that have been blanched, peeled, and steamed.
Instructions
- In a large soup kettle over medium heat, cook diced bacon until browned and crisp; about 5-7 minutes. Drain bacon bits on paper towel lined plate and reserve drippings separately.
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place beef cubes in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon faat 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 bacon fat if needed. Remove meat and set aside. Add chopped 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, thyme, and reserved bacon bits; bring to simmer. Add meat; return to simmer. Cover and place in oven.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of reserved drippings in large skillet until hot and add mushrooms; sauté over high heat until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from skillet, then add frozen pearl onions (previously cooked according to package directions). Sauté until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve. When meat is almost tender, about 1 1/2 hours, add mushrooms and pearl onions to stew. Cover and return to oven. Cook until meat and pearl onions are tender, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve. (Can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
Time
3½ hoursYield
Serves 6 to 8Ingredients
Ingredients
Ingredients
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. Instead of the frozen pearl onions called for here, you can use an equal amount of fresh pearl onions that have been blanched, peeled, and steamed.
Instructions
- In a large soup kettle over medium heat, cook diced bacon until browned and crisp; about 5-7 minutes. Drain bacon bits on paper towel lined plate and reserve drippings separately.
- Heat oven to 300 degrees. Place beef cubes in large bowl. Sprinkle with salt and pepper; toss to coat. Heat 2 tablespoons of the reserved bacon faat 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 bacon fat if needed. Remove meat and set aside. Add chopped 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, thyme, and reserved bacon bits; bring to simmer. Add meat; return to simmer. Cover and place in oven.
- Heat 2 tablespoons of reserved drippings in large skillet until hot and add mushrooms; sauté over high heat until browned, 5 to 7 minutes. Remove from skillet, then add frozen pearl onions (previously cooked according to package directions). Sauté until lightly browned, 2 to 3 minutes. Reserve. When meat is almost tender, about 1 1/2 hours, add mushrooms and pearl onions to stew. Cover and return to oven. Cook until meat and pearl onions are tender, 20 to 30 minutes longer. Stir in parsley, adjust seasonings, and serve. (Can be cooled, covered, and refrigerated up to 3 days.)
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