Healthy and Hearty Beef Stew with chuck roast meat, beef short ribs, potatoes and carrots, cooked in a delicious and fragrant broth. Time is the secret to this amazing stew and short ribs that falls off the bone!
Beef stew is quite possibly my favorite food in the entire world. To me there is nothing more comforting than a pot of hearty stew with root vegetables brewing in the oven and warming the whole house.
Over the years I made so many beef stew recipes, and I am confident that this is the best combination of ingredients, seasoning, timing and cooking method.
This is not to say that other cooking methods aren’t good. Not at all! But in my experience cooking stew meats in the oven, over a long period of time yield the most flavor and incredibly tender meat.
Growing up my Mother made lots of beef stew, but instead of the classic American combo of carrots and potatoes she used okra, cabbage and plantains.
Beef stew is best served over rice, a buttery bed of mashed potatoes or creamy polenta and garnished with fresh herbs.
How do you make beef stew meat tender?
Time. Allow it to cook for a few hours on medium to low temperature to break down the toughness of the chuck meat. Chuck meat is a pretty tough cut so it needs time become tender. If you rush the process the beef will be tough and chewy.
how do I make beef stew more flavorful?
Over the years I made so many versions of beef stew, some with lots of ingredients and seasonings, and what I found is that in order to get a super flavorful beef stew, the sautéing and browning of the meat is just as important as any flavor you add to it.
Here is a quick breakdown on how to get the most flavorful beef stew:
- Sauté the onions and carrots first. Why carrots? because they will add a nice flavor, color and help thicken the sauce/ broth.
- Add aromatics such as garlic, spices, bay leaf and tomato paste.
- Add red wine for deeper and more complex flavor
- Add some type of flour to thicken the sauce (see recipe cart for no flour alternative)
- Brown the meat!
- Add a good high quality broth, bone broth and/or beef collagen
- Always serve stew with fresh herbs. Thyme is my favorite!
What temperature should beef stew be cooked to?
This can be confusing for some, as you will find recipes that vary in their suggested temperatures for oven-stewing, but I’ve found 300°F to 350°F to be ideal for meat-based stews.
Check the pot every hour to make sure that everything is cooking evenly and not over-cooking.
Create the perfect hearty meal for your family with these easy recipes;
I love serving some bread for dipping in the sauce. I have two options for you, if you like a soft type of bread check out this Quick Bread recipe or if you prefer a crusty bread this No-Knead Artisan Bread recipe is perfect!
Generally a good side dish would be rice, mashed potatoes or this creamy polenta recipe.
Leave room for dessert and try these (YUM!) Chewy Chocolate Pecan Cookies!
If you make this Dutch Oven Beef Stew recipe be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Thanks a bunch!
Hearty Dutch Oven Beef Stew
Equipment
- Dutch Oven
Ingredients
- 2 lb stew meat (chuch roast)
- 1 1/2 lb bone-in short ribs
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 6 carrots, 2 diced small, 4 whole
- 4 medium potatoes, quartered
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour or GF flour*
- 4 cups water or beef broth, or both mixed
- 1 tbsp dried or fresh thyme
- 1 bay leaf
Instructions
- Season beef and short ribs with salt and pepper on all sides.
- In a dutch oven pot add in oil. When hot brown the beef and short ribs on all sides (about 10 minutes). Transfer to a plate.
- Add onions and 2 diced carrots to the dutch oven, scraping down the browned bits from the meat. saute for 5-7 minutes stirring often.
- Add minced garlic and sauté for 1-2 minutes. Add wine and allow it to reduce 3-5 for minutes. Add tomato paste and stir
- Add stew beef and short ribs to the pot and stir well to coat with fragrant base.
- Meanwhile whisk to dissolve the all-purpose flour in 1 cup of hot water or heated beef broth, whichever you are using for this recipe. Then add in remaining 3 cups of liquid (water or both, or both) and pour into the pot. Stir well
- Add thyme and bay leaves. Add the potatoes and remaining 4 carrots cut into chunks. Cover.
- Transfer to pre-heated oven at 350F degrees for 2 hours.
Notes
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Directions don’t address all steps in the recipe
Add potatoes and carrots when?
Brown the meet before adding to base?
Sorry about that Shelley. The potatoes and carrots instructions were already there but I added the browning of the meat. Thanks for your interest in this recipe!