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Beef Stew with Beer Broth
Now that it's finally fall, my weekly menu is changing from grilled meats and salads to warming soups and stews. The incoming cool weather this weekend had me craving a fall staple - beef stew. This basic beef stew recipe is so simple but so satisfying, and get's a bit of extra richness from the addition of beer to the cooking liquid. I used the standard combination of yukon gold potatoes, carrots, and peas, but you can use any fall vegetables you'd like! Some great additions to the veggie lineup include parsnips, butternut squash, and sweet potatoes. Use whatever seasonal root vegetables look most delicious at the grocery store!
Start by cutting up 1 1/2 lbs of beef into 1-inch cubes. I prefer to use chuck roast, but any more inexpensive cut of beef with a bit of marbling works just fine. Peel and chop 4 yukon gold potatoes into 1-inch cubes as well, along with 4 chopped carrots, 1 diced onion, and two minced cloves of garlic. Cut two strips of bacon into lardons.
First, add the bacon to a large dutch oven and turn the heat to medium. Cook the bacon for 6-8 minutes until it's crispy and the fat has rendered out. Remove the bacon from the pot with a slotted spoon, and add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the bacon fat.
Toss the cubes of beef with 1/4 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper.
Turn the heat up to medium-high and place the cubes of beef into the hot oil and bacon fat mixture. Make sure you leave some space between the pieces of beef - if they're too crowded, they will steam rather than brown.
Cook the cubes of beef for about 5 minutes on each side until they get VERY brown. We're not talking a light, golden brown here - you want these to be a dark mahogany color. Transfer the cooked cubes of beef to a bowl and repeat this process until all of the beef is browned all over. It will probably take a few batches.
The pot should have A LOT of browned bits on the bottom. You may think it's burning, but it's not - this is going to give the stew the richest, most delicious flavor.
Add another few tablespoons of olive oil to the pot and saute the onions over medium heat until they start to become translucent, then add 1/4 cup of tomato paste, 1 tablespoon of flour, and the garlic.
Stir the tomato paste mixture around until you can smell it start to caramelize, about 2 minutes.
Add in one bayleaf and a bundle of herbs; one sprig of fresh rosemary and a few sprigs of fresh thyme tied together with butchers twine.
Pour a can of your favorite beer into the pot and use a wooden spoon to scrape all of the browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Add 4 cups of unsalted beef stock as well as a tablespoon of salt and a teaspoon of black pepper. I always use unsalted because it allows me to control the flavor and amount of salt going into my dishes as different brands of broth can have different levels of saltiness.
Drop the potatoes and carrots into the broth mixture along with the beef and bacon and raise the heat to high until it starts to boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and cover the pot for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
Once the stew has cooked, the beef will be extremely tender and the vegetables will be cooked. Taste the broth for seasoning and adjust if necessary, then add one cup of frozen peas. The peas will defrost and cook instantly. Ladle the stew into big bowls and add some extra black pepper on top for serving.
Recipe:
Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes| Serves: 4
Ingredients:
2 strips thick-cut bacon, cut into lardons (strips)
1 1/2 lbs beef, preferably chuck roast, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of flour
1 yellow onion, diced
4 Yukon old potatoes, 1-inch cubes
4 carrots, chopped into 1/2-inch thick coins
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup tomato paste
1 sprig of fresh rosemary and 10 sprigs fresh thyme, tied together with butcher's twine
1 bay leaf
Olive oil
Kosher salt and black pepper
1 can of beer
4 cups unsalted beef broth
1 cup frozen peas
1. Cook the strips of bacon in a large dutch oven over medium heat for 6-8 minutes until crispy. Remove from the pot with a slotted spoon and set aside.
2. Add two tablespoons of olive oil to the bacon fat in the pot and raise the heat to medium-high. Toss the cubes of beef with 1/4 cup of flour, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 2 teaspoons of pepper. Gently place the cubes of beef into the hot oil and bacon fat mixture and cook for 3-4 minutes on all sides until the beef cubes are VERY browned. Make sure you don't crowd the pot or the beef won't brown. Cook the beef in batches and set aside in a bowl when they're nicely browned.
3. Add another tablespoon of olive oil to the pot and saute the onions until they're translucent.
4. Add the tomato paste, remaining 1 tablespoon of flour, and garlic to the onions and cook for about 2 minutes until the tomato paste starts to caramelize and become fragrant.
5. Toss in the herb bundle and the bay leaf, then pour in the can of beer. Scrape all the browned bits up off the bottom of the pot as you add the beer.
6. Add the beef broth, along with about a tablespoon of kosher salt and another teaspoon of black pepper. If you opt to use pre-seasoning beef broth, taste the broth before deciding how much salt it needs, if any.
7. Return the browned beef and bacon to the pot, along with the potatoes and carrots. Bring everything to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for an hour and a half, stirring occasionally.
8. Add the peas just before serving; they will cook and defrost nearly instantly. Taste and adjust the seasoning, if necessary, and serve.
Variations:
-Add two chopped parsnips along with the potatoes and carrots.
-Substitute half the amount of potatoes with butternut squash or sweet potatoes.
-Add half a pint of quartered white mushrooms with the potatoes and carrots.
-Substitute red wine for the beer.
-If you prefer to make the dish without alcohol, just use more beef broth.