I never thought I could improve my old fashioned beef stew recipe but it’s winter and that’s beef stew season. I’ve been making it a lot lately and decided to try and simplify the process and it’s now just as delicious and even easier to make. And by increasing the cooking time by just 1/2 hour the beef is so tender I just eat it with a spoon. So here’s what I changed:
First, I always make my own beef stock which I use in my stew but realizing that not everyone will make homemade stock, I decided to try the store-bought beef stock. I do not recommend it at all. It was way too strong and pungent and ruined the stew for me. So I decided to try store-bought chicken stock and it worked perfectly. I got Swanson’s Unsalted Chicken Stock and it was the perfect choice for beef stew.
And I used to dredge the meat before browning but it really isn’t necessary so that step is now eliminated. And I added 30 minutes to the cooking time and what a difference it makes in the fork-tender meat. It was tender before but now, it’s so tender you have to stir the pot carefully so the meat doesn’t fall apart! So it’s less work and an extra 1/2 hour but wait ’til you see the difference!
In working on these changes I also did some research on which meat to use since I always bought packaged stew meat. I saw that chuck roast was always the meat of choice so I bought one to try, cut in into cubes myself, and No, No, No! It had way too much fat and my recipe does not need it. The regular packaged stew meat is much leaner and there is never any grease floating on the top, because that’s what I got with the chuck roast.
So I’m staying with the packaged stew meat, which is much leaner, and I just cut off any visible fat. So now it’s even easier to make this all time favorite comfort food for the cold winter nights. It’s low fat, easy to make, and you can eat it with a spoon. For the new recipe and video, click here. – Jenny Jones
Absolutely delicious, a new family favourite.
Do you have a crock pot version???
Some fat is good for the brain synapses to fire. Just don’t overdo it.
Your stew looks yummy!!!
I use London broil for my stew…it is VERY lean and simmered long enough it becomes very tender without any extra fat!!!!!
Grandma and then Mom always wanted
to do the cooking …Now they’re both gone
and it’s up to me. (Mom very recently) I’m
not a cook!! I just came across your
recipe..it looks so good!!I’m going to give
it a try so please wish me luck!(The whole family loves beef stew and I’ve never made
it before) Steph
Steph T–
I’m so sorry for the loss of your Mom. You are going to do fine! It sounds like you are coming from good cooking genes. Sending blessings your way!
No recipe for stew
https://www.jennycancook.com/recipes/beef-stew/
The stew looks so YUMMY!!!!!!
Wonderfully tender! I used the Dutch oven with stew beef meat and used beef Better than Bouillon in the jar instead of stock and cornstarch to thicken up gravy last 30 min. Thank you
I use Chuck roast which is trimmed by me, less fat than the prepacked stew meat which is leftover beef from cut meat roasts, etc from the grocery store. My Chuck roast pieces melt in your mouth!
Jenny, does your finished stew have a thick gravy consistency or a soupy consistency? I’m trying it on a pot roast in the crock pot but my daughter wants it to have a thick gravy consistency. Thanks
It’s easy enough to thicken gravy by either using a few tablespoons of flour with 1/4 cup of water, or cornstarch.
I made this stew for my family Sunday dinner. I added Brussels Sprouts and it was a winner! Served with crusty bread over Mashed Potatoes!
Your recipe is great,but if you want less fat try using a piece of Londonbroil. This cut is surperb for beef stew, beef & broccoli or any other crockpot or stir fry recipe.
This is the easiest and best recipe ever! It turns out so good every time I make it. I’m so thankful I found this recipe! I leave out a few ingredients that I don’t like (celery, bay leaf) and it still taste amazing! And I use the beef stock! Thanks for the awesome recipe Jenny!!! ❤️
I’m going to try it today thanks
I watched your video and I will be cooking for 5 people do I just double the recipe? or just add more of every thing?
I think I would just increase everything by another half, i.e. 1 1/2 pounds of beef, etc., but you might not need 3 3/4 cups of stock. You just need enough stock to cover the meat and you can always check on it and add more liquid later if needed.
This recipe is amazing and so easy. Thank you so much! I love it, everyone I feed loves it, perfect as written.
Be careful with the turkey broth. I felt it had an off-puting flavor for me . I would go with the chicken stock,
Can this be cooked in a slow cooker if so how long should be cooked low or high
I’m sorry I have no experience with slow cookers but keep in mind that browning the meat is key in this recipe.
We cook our stews and our home made soups in the slow cooker and it works great. We Siri our meat first then throw it in.
Hi! I really want to try this recipe, but I don’t have a dutch oven. Is there any type of substitute that wouldn’t impact the recipe too much? Thank you!
I’m so glad you asked because I didn’t realize I wrote Dutch oven in the recipe when I didn’t even use one in the video. I used a large sauté pan but I have just fixed the recipe to say you can use either type of pan. You can make this recipe in any pan that is large enough to brown the meat as long as it has tall enough sides to hold the entire mixture. It will not affect the result but I will say that a heavier pan is always better.
Jenny,
I made your beef stew for dinner tonight, it is FAB!, my husband loved it, thanks a million for your recipe and the video tutorial, you rock!
Oh my god Jenny! Your beef stew looks amazingly delicious. I use stew meat as well for my beef stew. The last time I made it I tried a chuck roast too and it does contain a lot of fat even though you use chuck and trim the fat. I skimmed the fat out of the pot because I didn’t want it to go to waste, so yeah I’ll be using stew meat when I make beef stew. I use low sodium store bought stock. Btw, did you know they make turkey stock now? I use chicken stock for my dressing but I think I will try using store bought turkey stock next time for my dressing. I’m going to make beef stew your way because it looks mighty tasty 🙂
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