Beef Stew
Tender chunks of meat you can cut with a fork… it’s the perfect comfort food. Browning the meat is key and takes time. Homemade beef stock is best to use, but canned unsalted chicken stock works too - I use Swanson in a carton. (canned beef stock is too pungent). - Jenny Jones
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 2 hours, 15 minutes
Total Time: 2 hours, 45 minutes
Makes: 3 to 4 servings
Ingredients:
- 3 teaspoons olive oil, divided
- 1 pound beef stew meat, visible fat removed
- 1 cup chopped onion
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 1/2 cups homemade beef stock or canned unsalted chicken stock
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 1 bay leaf
- 4 medium red potatoes (about 1 pound) cut in 1-inch chunks
- 2 large carrots, sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 2 cups)
- 2 celery stalks, sliced 1/2-inch thick (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 2 1/2 Tablespoons flour
- 1/4 cup stock
Instructions:
- Heat 2 teaspoons of oil in a large sauté pan or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Brown the meat on one side for 5 minutes without turning over. Sprinkle with salt & pepper.
- Turn meat, add 1 tsp. oil & brown another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Do not crowd the meat. Brown in two batches if necessary.
- With all the meat browned and in the pan, reduce heat to medium. Add onion & garlic. Cook and stir 2-3 minutes until onion is browned.
- Add stock, salt, thyme & bay leaf. Meat should be submerged so add more stock if needed to cover the meat.
- Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat & simmer for 2 hours, checking occasionally.
- After 2 hours, stir in potatoes, carrots & celery and bring to a boil. Cover & simmer 10-15 minutes until vegetables are done.
- Combine flour with 1/4 cup stock or water, whisking until there are no lumps. Stir into stew and cook 5 more minutes until thickened.
Note: For my homemade beef stock recipe, click here.
Do you need to stir it occasionally?
I made this using 2-1/2 beef Boulton cubes and the same amount of water. As I was thickening the end product, I actually added brown gravy mix.
Today’s stew is the 4th time I’ve followed you’re excellent recipe.
It’s 😋👍🏻 great
I used beef broth instead of chicken broth…whoops. Still is going to be good I think
This is our absolute favorite. I didn’t change a thing and it is perfect. This is my second time making it. Thank you for publishing this.
Tomorrow will be my second time making Jenny’s beef stew recipe, nothing else will do. Thank you. 😁
This is the only stew recipe that I make, love it, so does my husband. i have been making this stew foe the past 5 years. Thank you. A fan from Canada.
Best stew recipe. The only one I use!
I have never tried it before. It looks so good!😋 I am making it right now.
All the liquid evaporated at the end and the food started to stick to the bottom.. it didn’t mention if that was supposed to happen.. was it?
No that should not happen, the meat should be submerged in the broth. Did you have the lid on?
We love this comfort food dish. So satisfying.
Thank you Jenny!
This is the best beef stew I have ever cooked. Will never make it another way again. I tossed in a can of LeSeaur peas at the end. Used baby carrots. Fantastic!
Love this simple, yet delicious stew recipe! I used a bottle of red wine for braising the beef…yummm! Don’t forget the dumplings…makes the dish a complete meal. Thank you for sharing!
Growing up I loved watching Jenny. Who knew she could cook? I have made this beef stew several times and it is always a hit. Thank you Jenny for sharing your recipes. My family really enjoys them.
I’ve made this several times over the last year or so & it’s awesome! I use russet potatoes & baby carrots since those items are what I always have on hand. I put my baby carrots in about 30 min before the end & also add my potatoes a bit early to cook about 20 min. We like the veggies nice & soft & soaked with oniony flavor.
I’ve made this several times and it’s fail proof. Best ever. I’ve also made it with venison. Amazing I must say. So ladies with that extra deer meat from your freezer and you just don’t know what to do with it, do this recipe! Hard to tell that it’s not beef. Don’t forget the cornbread….
I finally tried this recipe and OMG this is the best stew I have ever made. The only thing I did differently is I omitted the potatoes because I serve my stew over creamy mashed potatoes. Thank you Jenny!
Dear Jenny- Made your stock. It’s phenomenal. Went to White’s Country Meats and got beef marrow bones. They’re beautiful. And I felt guilty about discarding everything so I left it in the stock and am going to incoordinate it into your beautiful beef stew. The parsnips literally disappeared after 2-3 hours of simmering. Love your Utube demonstrations. Very helpful.
Can this be frozen?
Hi Nancy
I freeze mine. I put in containers for my son.
Can I use russet potates?
Yes, any potatoes it does not have to be red.
I love this recipe and your tips! I’ve made it a couple times; in fact, I’m cooking the stew now. I have a little teardrop trailer and am taking off tomorrow for a 4-night getaway even though a little snow is predicted, even at sea level. I am looking forward to feasting on this stew around the campfire, and no I won’t get tired of it! 🏕
I will drop some of it off with my brother; he loves it too! He’s letting me store my camper in his shop. Fair trade, I’d say! 😉
Are people using beef broth or chicken broth
Chicken, just as Jenny instructed. Her recipes always turn out great.
Actually the recipe called for either. I am making it now with Beef stock
People use both chicken and beef stock I use chicken. First time making this!
Best beef stew recipe ever! I’ve been cooking this for over a year now
I made this and I Loved it and I have made it again everyone loved it so it’s in my Recipe Book with your name on where I got it from Thank You
This is so easy. And it’s the best stew I’ve ever made.
This is easy, hearty and delicious. Period. Thanks Jenny!!!?
It was fantastic!! First time making it. Thanks dear Jenny. Hope your husband and you are safe and doing well. God bless you!!
Found this recipe about a year ago and it is now my go to. DELISH. making it tonight for supper. Thank you Jenny for such a wonderful recipe.
My go to recipe. Thanks Jenny for an amazing recipe that is a crowd pleaser!
Awesome Jenny, Thank you, Ive tried so many of your recipes, all delicious, thank you Jenny
Best beef stew you will ever eat! Thanks Jenny for a great recipe!
Hello what was that white liquids you put in it I never made beef stew before thank you stay safe god bless you
I bet the white liquid is the flour and broth mixture to thicken the stew in the last 5 minutes.
Can you make this in a crock pot?
You could but you need to Brown the meat in a skillet first. And make sure you use the broth to get all the tasty bits in the skillet.
I make this stew all the time exactly as Jenny’s recipe. Turns out perfect every time. The stew meat melts in your mouth!
Thank you Jenny❤
I made this stew for supper tonight and it turned out just as you said it would! Thanks for posting!
Thanks again Jenny for another keeper recipe! My family enjoyed this tasty recipe vs. my old beef stew recipe. Can’t wait to get more stew meat so I can make it again! Tried your rib recipe too which is outstanding. Can’t wait to try the rest of your recipes.
I have been baking your bread and sharing with neighbours. I found your site a while ago and I’m so happy with all your recipes ! Loved your tip on how to get an egg to room temperature ! Do it all the time Thankyou !!!! You and your recipes bring me so much joy !!!
I just found your site today and I’m sooo glad I did. I have to start watching my sodium intake. You have such an easy way in your videos. I’m going to start making the stock now but I don’t have a parsnip so I hope it’s ok. Can’t wait to make the stew tonight.
Jenny I love your recipes and videos, you are so comical.
Would love to see more newer videos!
Thank you
Can’t wait to make your beef stew this afternoon. Got to tell you, last week I made your excellent cabbage rolls!
Love your video selection and your teaching method. Cheers from Northern Ontario
Love your recipes, I have cooked the polish way , butter and lard not too often. Yours are much healthier.
Thanks for the tips
The recipe calls for 1/4 cup of stock….Is that correct? I would think it would be more. Thanks
It is more. Please look again – it’s 2 1/2 cups of stock.
just watched the beef stew video, I think when the person asked if it was 1/4 cup of stock he meant to thicken the stew. I don’t really know but that is they part I rewound because I don’t know who to make gravy. Oh well they could have meant when you are simmering the mean also. Thanks Jenny
It’s easy, buy gravy mix and add I cup of water per packet. Than as you get used to cooking, get a good cook book and branch out. This person gives great ideas for gravy on this web site.
Randy,
Read all the recipe….2 1/2 cups and then 1/4 cup.
O.M.Gosh…I love watching your videos.. you are so precise and explanatory..I just started watching some of your videos..haven’t had time yet to bake any, but tomorrow, for sure am going to make the stew…we love beef stew…I’m going to check your site yet, but need to learn to make beef stock…I hate the store bought stuff.. thank you for sharing
I plan on making your beef stew recipe in a few weeks, company for lunch! I enjoy your presentations with your sense of humor. ❤️
Hi Jenny,
I made this wonderful stew and it was fabulous. The only thing I did different was make it with yams cut into chunks. I loved the recipe and your video. You really are an awesome cook and an inspiration – thank you! 🙂 Sandy
This recipe was wonderful! I only added a little kitchen bouquet to the liquid when simmering and used cornstarch instead of flour to thicken. My family absolutely loved it and said it was the best tasting beef stew ever..and they’re pickey!! Thank you…
Bigos (Hunter’s Stew) is a Polish dish of chopped meat of various kinds stewed with sauerkraut and shredded fresh cabbage. It is served hot and can be enriched with vegetables, spices, or wine. The flexible and forgiving recipe for bigos allows a significant number of variants, often merely using what ingredients are at hand. It is often claimed that there are as many recipes as there are cooks in Poland.
The principal ingredients of bigos are assorted kinds of meat chopped into bite-sized chunks and a mixture of sauerkraut (pickled cabbage) and shredded fresh white cabbage. The meats may include pork (ham, shoulder, bacon, ribs, loin, etc.), beef and veal, poultry (chicken, duck, goose, turkey) and game, as well as charcuterie, especially various kinds of kiełbasa, or Polish smoked sausage. The variety of meats is considered essential for good bigos; its preparation may be an excellent occasion to clean out one’s freezer and use up leftovers from other meat dishes. Some of the meats may be roasted before being diced together with different cuts of meat and braised in lard or vegetable oil.
The sauerkraut is often rinsed and drained before being chopped and mixed with shredded fresh cabbage. The proportion depends on the sauerkraut’s maturity – the longer it has cured, the sourer it tastes, calling for more fresh cabbage to balance the flavor. Traditionally, cabbage was pickled in fall, so bigos made at that time could be made with only half-cured sauerkraut, but by early spring, the sauerkraut had to be combined in equal parts with fresh cabbage. The mixture is precooked in a small amount of water before being mixed with the braised meat and left to simmer for several hours. Ideally, the stew should thicken through evaporation alone, but flour, roux, crumbled rye bread or a grated raw potato may be added to it to take up excess moisture.
Other ingredients often added to bigos include onions, diced and browned in lard together with the meat, and dried forest mushrooms that are pre-cooked separately in boiling water. The stew is usually seasoned with salt, black peppercorns, allspice, juniper berries and bay leaves. Some recipes also call for caraway, cloves, garlic, marjoram, mustard seeds, nutmeg, paprika, and thyme. The tart flavor of sauerkraut may be enhanced by adding some dry red wine or beet sour (fermented beetroot juice), which may impart a reddish hue to the stew. Bigos is often slightly sweetened with sugar, honey, raisins, prunes or plum butter is known in Polish as powidła.
Traditionally, bigos is stewed in a cauldron over an open fire or in a large pot on a stove, but it may also be prepared in an electric slow cooker. The contents should be stirred from time to time, to prevent scorching, which may impart a bitter taste to the entire batch. Bigos is considered best after it has been repeatedly refrigerated and reheated to allow the flavors to fuse.
Very interesting and inspiring for future stews! Thank you ?!
Last 20 minutes of my Stews and Bigo’s I love to make Dumplings on top out of Bisquick!!!,
Recipe on the box…
Hi Jenny, just want to say I love you’re recipes, all of them I have tried and they are the best ones yet.
You make cooking very fun and easy and I love ur jokes you make me laugh. Thanks again Angie from Winnipeg MB, Canada
Hello Jenny!
As a Swedish immigrant I appreciate your tried and true, Canadian, American, Polish, Greek, etc. etc. Recipes. This Beef stew is delicious ?. Thank you! You are inspiring! ? Ingrid
Hello Jenny again
On this stew will it ruin the meat if
I soak it in red wine over night? I don’t cook fancy but I have this wine
that I’ll never drink so why not? Thanks ???
Marinating in red wine sounds great. Use a beef stock then, ’cause it’s a stronger flavor with the combo. Be careful browning wine caramelization is un-predictable. It would be good to make a wine sauce/gravy instead. This makes a great ragoút. All this wine stuff is good for really cheap meats, using pork too! A white wine sauce is good with chicken or fish, using plenty of unsalted butter. (Sorry, Jenny.)
you were fun too
Thank you for this recipe , and thank you for not droning on and on… makes this a very nice sight, it was delicious and easy, and its in my bank of recipes
Not only does the recipe look amazing you are the only person I think on YouTube that doesnt talk you to death and repeat what they are saying over and over! I am so happy to subscribe to your channel!
Thank you so very much for the beef stew recipe, the meat was so tender and it was so simple to make thanks to your fun video. 🙂
I have always used beef stock or bullion when I make beef stew. As per this recipe, I used chicken broth and I will not try that again. Beef stew needs a beef flavored broth! The flavor of the gravy was not as good as it could have been. I also added baby peas to the stew as per my mother’s recipe. The meat turned out incredibly tender and the rest of the recipe was fine. As long as beef broth or stock is used this is a very tasty recipe.
You can add a few blubs of Worcestershire or soy sauce to get a meatier flavor with the chicken broth. But make sure your broth is salt-free, because the sauces have a lot of sodium
My daughter-in-law uses radishes instead of potatoes, but when it is finished the radishes tastes like potatoes. But healthier. Her kids can’t tell the difference.
I have always used beef stock or bullion when I make beef stew. As per this recipe, I used chicken broth and I will not try that again. Beef stew needs a beef flavored broth ! The meat turned out incredibly tender and the rest of the recipe was fine. As long as beef broth or stock is used this is a very tasty recipe.
The picture and receipt — That is exactly like my Grandmother and Mother made stew, and me too! You did have celery in the picture,which wasn’t in the receipt but again matched exactly!!!!
I am going to check your other receipts. YUM
Celery IS in the recipe, after carrots.
Jenny, what a lovely recipe!! Thank you for your wonderful disposition and humor in your videos as well. We are sitting down to a venison version of your beef stew. Bon appétit!
I love to watch you cook. Please don’t stop making the videos yet.
I had surgeries in my mouth and can’t eat by mouth for 2 years. Have to use G tube for all the meals but you are my inspiration. One day when I can eat by mouth again ,I would cook your recipes. I can sense it that they are all delicious. They are prepared with love. Thank you Jenny.
I’m so sorry about your surgery and look forward to hearing from you as you recover.
Great receipt and for the clear how-to instructions.
Thank you so much for your receipt and for the clear how-to instructions.
Love love the stew recipe.. can the recipe be used in a crock pot ? Anyone tried it … thanks
Can this be cooked in the oven?
Wonderful!! I added one cup of wine for some of the broth as well as a jalapeño for spice. Used potato starch to make it gluten free. Delicious!!
Just made this for dinner tonight. Followed it to the T (except for adding a little more veggies) and it was worth the wait. Considered making it in the Crock-Pot but saw this recipe and thought it was easy enough. It was delicious. First time making beef stew and my husband loved it. On his second bowl as I type this ?
So very very GOOD it’s amazing
.I don’t like to cook. I’m not very good at it, but I’m going to give this a try. Thanks for sharing this. It looks really good.
Made this tonight exactly as written. Smells and tastes delicious. I love the ease of it. No dredging so therefore less oil. I used the low sodium chicken broth I had on hand & it worked perfectly Thanks for a great recipe. Hubby gave it s thumbs up.
Hi, Jenny! I just made your Beef Stew and No Knead Bread for dinner tonight. What a success! I stumbled accross your videos on YouTube while I was looking for another Polish dish to make with my pierogi for Christmas this year and decided I will be making your Cabbage Rolls. Yummy. Thank you for the inspiration and for the videos. (You look beautiful in them by the way.)
This is the best stew I’ve ever made. Normally I have to doctor recipes that I find..but not this one. Thanks for the great recipe!
OMG! Best beef stew recipe ever! My whole family loved it and my 12 yo son ate 2 large bowls which made me a happy mama. I’ll have to double the recipe next time!
Still loving this wonderful recipe! Ready to serve for supper on a cold rainy day. Never thought I could make beef stew this good! Thanks Jennie!
I love watching you, you are teaching me so much! And with a Great sense of humor, I laughed so hard about the high heels!
Me again. Folks asked about making this stew in the Crockpot.
I made your almost exact recipe, but followed your directions exactly, using the Presto Crockpot.
1) Brown beef, onions and garlic per your directions.
2)Transfer browned beef mixture to Crockpot.Add spices, beefstock,and bayleaf per instructions. Set Crockpot on Low (8 hr) setting. Make sure that the mixture simmers, that is small bubbles forming around the sides. If it is not bubbling, change to the High setting.
3) Simmer 2 hours like you have been told.
4)Add vegetables and simmer until done.
5) Then finish the recipe per instructions.
If time and work requires it, before work,you could quickly brown the beef, onions, etc. and put to slow cook until after work, then add the vegetables and finish on High. The beef doesn’t have to be done, but it MUST be browned for the long cook.
My variation is I don’t make a gravy, but add about a half cup No Salt Added.Petit diced tomatoes, with juice to this recipe. Either is traditional in Texas.
Ok now make Jenny’s Hashbrowns to accompany this stew. Don’t get creative, make them exactly as the you are told.
I just found your website. I’m a 79 yo male, whose Mother and Grandmother taught to cook. I have read several of your recipes and I’m amazed that many of them are about the same as what I call Old Real Southern and Texas cooking. I see recipes for authentic real down home Southern cooking that are giggle-worthy in their being just plain wrong.
I am going to make this stew now and I will finish in the crockpot (so I won’t forget it and let it burn).
To answer a couple of questions, yes you can use any cut of beef to make stew. My favorite is sirloin, roast or steak. It makes for super tender beef.Today I am going to use a super lean cut of beef called London Broil. It is just a thick, lean round steak.
I will brown the ingredients in a perfectly seasoned iron skillet, over 100 years old that has been washed in hot soapy water after every use for all that time. I make a stew the same as this recipe, only I don’t make a gravy and add tomatoes. This freezes well and I usually eat it over lots of brown rice. Both are traditional in Old Texas cooking.
This would be a great pressure cooker recipe as is. Just interrupt the cooking after the beef is done, then add the vegetables and pressure a few minutes until they are cooked. If you cook the vegetables with the meat, they will be over-done and mushy.
Thanks for sharing so much with us. ❤️
Does this make a gravy? In the picture, it doesn’t look like there is much gravy to this.
I have the same question.
Marie and Amber,
Yes, the recipe as given makes gravy.
Hi Jenny,
I just wanted to say thank you for sharing your amazing recipes! I’m a mom of two and I’m not so great when it comes to cooking. I made your beef stew over the wintertime and my little ones LOVED it… they even ate all the veggies!!! Thank you so much and I look forward to making more of your recipes!!!!
If I do this in the crockpot should I put the meat in for the whole time?
How many servings does this make!? I’m tying to make it for my work lunches. Will I get 5 servings or should I make more?
I SEE THE SERVING SIZE NOW. I don’t know how I missed it. Lol
You can double the recipe I think
I have made this exactly as it is written for family, friends, “girlfriends cook together” afternoons, folks recovering from injury, and have taken it to pot lucks. This is an awesome, hearty, go-to meal! Thank you!
This is so identical to the one I have made for 45 years? I add fresh mushrooms also if I have them and a bay leaf because my mother always did. It gives an added dimension to the flavour. Love, love, love your recipes. WW ciabatta is in the oven right now! Thanks for all you do?
Made this last night. Hubby said it’s the best he’s ever had… do not tell his mother lol!! I added some red wine into the beef stock for extra flavoring. So delicious!
I would love to try this recipe in a slow cooker. Any suggestions?
this is a fantastic recipe that i keep on hand!! the only things i change is i coat the meat in flour before browning and add a dash of worcester. if i need to add flour at the end, i mix a tiny bit of flour with cold water in a bowl and slowly drizzle into stew and never have lumps that way. thanks again!!
I made this and it’s the best best stew.
Tried this recipe and it is now a hit at home. Best stew I’ve ever tried.
She was so great!! She was so funny with her comments and loved the old time recipe!! She is a pleasure to watch, listen and learn. What a great friend she would be!! Thank you for your old time recipe and all the enjoyment of watching and feeling like I was in your kitchen learning, feeling like I was back in time with my mom. Love u. Hope to see so much more recipes!! Kim.
As im getting older, im shying away from some tomato based recipes. (Spaghetti, stews). When i was in 2nd or third grade the spag. sauce was so bad i wouldnt eat it. But the teachers would come around and check if you ate everything. Solution: i dumped my whole tray on the floor by my feet. Problem solved.