Reply
Honored Contributor
Posts: 25,929
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: What's the best way to make a tender beef stew?

On 3/1/2014 house cat said:
On 3/1/2014 wagirl said:

I put mine in a crock pot all day long.

Do you brown the meat first?

Do you add all the ingredients at once?

The crock pot beef stew recipe i have calls for dredging the beef cubes in flour and then browning them. the flour will later thicken the stew for you. I also put the ingredients in a certain order - potatoes then carrots then meat - add broth to cover those 3 items - then season and add celery and onions on top. If i want to add peas I add frozen ones at the last 20 min of cooking. Absolutely do not stir this recipe - cook on high for 6 hours or low for 12.
Occasional Contributor
Posts: 14
Registered: ‎02-22-2014

Re: What's the best way to make a tender beef stew?

This is a wonderful recipe. The acid in the tomatoes helps tenderize the beef pretty quickly. I hope this post is legible because I'm posting from an iPad. Old Fashioned Beef Stew ---------------------------------- 1 pound stew beef, cubed 3 tablespoons flour 1 medium onion, diced 1 can (14 ounces) beef broth 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) stewed tomatoes 2 cans (14.5 ounces each) new potatoes, drained & cubed 1 can (14.5 ounce) mixed vegetables, drained Combine meat and flour in plastic bag; toss to coat. Brown meat in 2 tablespoons oil in 6 quart pot; drain. Add onion, cook until tender. Season with salt and pepper if desired. Add tomatoes and broth. Bring to boil; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 45 minutes or until beef is tender. Add vegetables, cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Makes 4 servings.
Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,295
Registered: ‎08-03-2013

Re: What's the best way to make a tender beef stew?

Thanks to OP for asking and to all who shared stew tips and/or recipes.

~~~"Patience is the power to do nothing when doing something won't do anything but make everything worse"~~~
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 7,752
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Re: What's the best way to make a tender beef stew?

On 3/1/2014 stevieb said:

By using leftover pot roast that was cooked with a nice mix of vegetables, including sweet potatoes, carrots, onions and regular potatoes that flavor the already tender meat nicely, along with adding whatever other seasonings one prefers in their stews.

This is what I do. Slow cook a nice chuck pot roast and use the leftovers to make beef stew.

It's God's job to judge the terrorists. It's our mission to arrange the meeting. U.S. Marines
Super Contributor
Posts: 2,313
Registered: ‎08-23-2012

Re: What's the best way to make a tender beef stew?

I used the Pioneer Woman recipe that I posted above. It was the best beef stew I ever made, bar none, and DH agreed.

Honored Contributor
Posts: 21,845
Registered: ‎10-03-2011

Re: What's the best way to make a tender beef stew?

Beef stew is such a great cold weather meal. I have been using this recipe for years and the meat always comes out very tender. It can be done in the oven or in the crockpot. You can use potatoes in the stew or make them separately and mash them, if you like. My friend likes to make egg noodles and put the stew over them.

OVEN BEEF STEW

2 lbs. Beef stew meat, cut into cubes or bite size pieces

1 med. Onion, peeled, sliced and separated into rings

4 ribs of Celery, cut in chunks on the diagonal

6 Carrots, cleaned or peeled and cut into chunks (or 1 bag of baby carrots)

2 tsp. salt

1 Tbsp. sugar

2 Tbsp. tapioca granules (for thickening)

½ Cup V-8 juice (tomato juice is fine but I like V-8 better)

Potatoes, peeled, cut into chunks and rinsed

Place meat in a casserole. Add the carrots and onions. Blend salt, sugar and tapioca granules. Sprinkle mixture over the vegetables. Pour on the V-8 juice. Cover the pan with a well-sealing lid or aluminum foil sealing edges well. Bake in a 250° oven for 4 hours. If you like potatoes in your stew add them for the last hour or so, making sure you cover the pan again.

You can also just make mashed potatoes on the side or leave the potatoes out and serve the stew over egg noodles.

If you prefer to use a crock pot, get it started around 10:30/11:00 AM on the low setting and it will be ready for dinner.

New Contributor
Posts: 3
Registered: ‎03-02-2014

Re: What's the best way to make a tender beef stew?

Put beef in any vast resealable bag, add sweet almond meal/flour then flavor it smoothly with table salt and pepper. Close the bag and chuck very well to evenly coat beef in flour. Shake off the excess flour and put aside.

Heat 2 tbsps of olive oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Place carrots, onion, celery, and sauté until lightly gold colored, about 5 to 6 minutes. Then add some garlic and sauté for 30 seconds more.

Pass on vegetables mixture to a pan and put aside.

Set the pot to medium-high heat, add the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Then place beef and cook stirring quite often until finally the beef has browned. Move the beef to a dish.

Polish the cooking pot with some wine, mixing nicely and putting to a boil to release and reduce all pot drippings. Switch the heat off and put aside.

Add beef, beef broth, red wine, potatoes, mushrooms, chopped tomatoes, vegetables mixture, thyme, herbs, rosemary, marjoram and bay leaves to the Ninja Cooking System and flavor with pepper and salt.

Cover with the lid and cook on low temperature for around 8 - 10 hours up to the point beef becomes fairly tender and the sauce is truly yummy!