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Slow cooker beef stew is one of my absolute favorite meals from childhood. Just thinking about it makes me smile (and hungry!). The mix of beef and vegetables just hits the spot, especially on a cold day.
I've mentioned this before, but honestly, I'd like to sing it from the mountaintops - I LOVE my slow cooker! If you don't have one, you need one. There's a reason that the Crock Pot is my go-to gifts for newlyweds and my adult girlfriends - it's a lifesaver. When I was a kid, I'd come home from school and I'd open the door to the most amazing smells coming from my mom's slow cooker. She'd fire it upbefore she left for work so that we'd have a hot, hearty meal for dinner. One of my favorites was always her slow cooker beef stew. During the brutal Connecticut winters, this stew would warm the soul.
Besides being easy to make, this recipe is also a crowd pleaser. Everyone in our family enjoys this slow-cooked beef dish with all of the vegetables tucked in with it. When I was a kid we'd serve this stew with a loaf of crusty bread and it was a true feast. Nowadays I try to make more gluten-free meals so we skip the bread and use a little rice flour instead of traditional wheat flour for thickening. I think it actually turns out better when prepared gluten-free.
Here's the recipe for my mama's Slow Cooker Beef Stew
5 from 1 vote
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Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Courseslow cooker
CuisineAmerican
Servings6-8
AuthorRuth V.
Ingredients
2lbsof stew beefor use leftover sirloin tips, too
1 to 1 ½cupsof sliced carrots
2-3stalks of celerysliced or chopped
1medium white or yellow onionchopped or sliced to preference
In a large skillet, add some canola or vegetable oil and heat on medium.
Place the flour in a large zipper plastic bag, enough to coat all the meat.
Place the meat in the bag after trimming excess fat, and shake or roll to coat the meat on all sides.
Add the meat to the skillet and brown on all sides.
When the meat is browned, add about a cup of the beef broth to the skillet and the juices will thicken.
Pour all the meat into a large slo-cooker, add the carrots, potatoes, celery, onion, and the remaining beef broth, and stir. You can add a bit more water or broth if you prefer, mixed with a little flour.
Lay the string beans on the top, season as you wish with salt, pepper, and dried or fresh parsley and cover the slo-cooker.
Set on HIGH for 5-6 hours, or LOW for 8-10 hrs.
Serve with crusty bread if desired.
If you need more dinnerideas,here are a few recipes to try:
Slow Cooker BBQ Chicken
Easy Chicken Dinner Ideas
5 Ingredient or Less Dinner Ideas
Dinner Recipes Using Ground Beef
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Comments
Cindy Brookssays
I love my slow cooker, too! I use it 3-4 times a week when we have sports practices and games. Thanks for the recipes.
Omgosh this sounds amazing!! So perfect for this snowy weather we are expecting!! Nothing like great belly warming meals 🙂
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Deborah Dsays
I will definitely make this stew.
Reply
Linda Mannstsays
This sounds so good. I can't wait to make this for the family. Great recipe
Reply
Miasays
I am also a big slow cooker fan because of the convenience and with the right recipes the food is always so delicious. I like this recipe for stew which is one of my favorites for these cold winter nights.
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Stacey Robersonsays
This looks delish! I love using my slow cooker for soups and stews. So easy and hardly no cleanup.
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rochelle haynessays
This looks nice love to try this
Reply
G Ksays
I love stew and this one looks simple and delicious.
Reply
Rosiesays
I love his beef stew recipe. I'm shopping for a slow cooker now! I'd love to make this recipe.
Reply
rosa rogerssays
These look great..My daughter just got me a slow cooker can't wait to try these recipes...Thank you
"Raw meat is a slow-cooker staple, but you may need to add it to the pot before adding other ingredients like green vegetables," she shared. "Browning meat in a skillet before adding it to the slow cooker has been a game-changer for my slow-cooker meals.
The long, slow cook time leaves lean meat, like sirloin, tough and chewy, while tougher cuts, like chuck, break down and become really tender. Follow this tip: When choosing the best meat for beef stew, stick with using chuck meat.
For most types of stew, it takes time to develop great flavor. Stew uses collagen-rich, tough cuts of meat, which need at least two hours to break down. If you try to rush it and boil the stew, the muscle fibers will shrink and become tough. So give yourself a few hours to let it do its thing.
"Browning, or caramelizing, meat before putting it into a slow cooker isn't 100 percent necessary, but it is well worth the effort for the most flavorful and full-bodied end result," he says. "The caramelized surface of the meat will lend rich flavor and color to the finished dish."
There are flavors in tomatoes that are alcohol-soluble, so adding red wine along with tomato paste also helps to enhance beef stew." Laurence has a few other tricks I've borrowed to create the best beef stew, including adding Worcestershire, which gets a serious umami punch from anchovies.
Use cornstarch to thicken your stew towards the end of cooking, as cooking it for a long time can break down the starch and your stew will thin out again.
Although I added carrots, little red potatoes, rutabaga and cremini mushrooms, you have plenty of options. Parsnip, turnip, pearl onions, squash and fennel will also work. Stir them in gently and immediately return the pot to the oven for the final hour of cooking.
Insufficient Liquid: If there wasn't enough liquid in the crockpot, it could have caused uneven cooking. Potatoes need to be fully submerged in liquid to cook evenly. Old Potatoes: Very old or stored potatoes can become starchy and may not soften as well during cooking. It's best to use fresh, firm potatoes.
Your onions will be fine, but mushy potatoes and carrots are a no-no. Instead, add them about 20 minutes before the end of cooking. When they're tender, the stew is done.
Can you overcook something in a slow cooker? Slow cookers are specially designed to cook food for long periods of time, but yes, you can still overcook in a slow cooker if something is left on the wrong setting for longer than it's supposed to be.
Searing meat takes a long time, and it's tempting to skip it. Don't. Searing the meat until it develops a dark brown crust and a sticky “fond” starts to glaze over the bottom of the pan are both key to creating the kind of rich, caramelized flavors that make stews irresistibly good.
Personally I would add as many aromatics and flavor enhancing substances that I like. If the stew is already finished, then you can sauté onions, garlic peppers, celery and carrots then add them to the stew. I would also add some herbs and finally salt and pepper to taste.
Very simply put, browning equals flavor. As beef sears, the outside caramelizes, adding extra flavor to the beef, not to mention creating these tasty little browned bits that form on the bottom of the pot. Without browning, the finished stew just won't taste as good and the sauce won't be as dark.
You should always brown ground beef or any ground meat in a skillet before adding it to your slow cooker to prevent the meat from clumping up or from adding excess grease to your cooked dish.
You don't have to but it develops valuable color and flavor in the dish. Browning ground beef before adding it to a slow cooker is not necessary, but it can add some extra flavor to the dish. Browning the beef helps to develop a rich, caramelized flavor and texture.
Plus, adding some sort of liquid — such broth, wine, tomato juice or beer — gives a pot roast recipe extra flavor. Yes, you can cook meat in a crockpot without water, but you won't like the results.
Reheating leftovers in a slow cooker is not recommended. Cooked food should be reheated on the stove, in a microwave, or in a conventional oven until it reaches 165 °F. Then the hot food can be placed in a preheated slow cooker to keep it hot for serving—at least 140 °F as measured with a food thermometer.
Introduction: My name is Mrs. Angelic Larkin, I am a cute, charming, funny, determined, inexpensive, joyous, cheerful person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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