Slow Cooker Beef Stew
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Beef Stew in the slow cooker is one of those meals where you can dump it all in the crock pot and confidently say, "This will be a filling, nutritious meal for my family several hours from now." that's really what I love best about this meal. There are so many hardy and filling root vegetables paired with fork tender beef that make a bowl of this melt right in your mouth. This is one of my top 15 best slow cooker recipes that I know you will love too!
What Cut of Beef to Use
The cut of beef is really important in this recipe if you want something that is fork tender and rips apart easily in your mouth. The most common cut of beef for stew meat is the chuck. Chuck Steak or Chuck Roast is typically known to be a tougher cut of meat because of its low fat and high amount of connective tissue. As the stew meat slow cooks, these connective tissues eventually break down and the result is a melt in your mouth, fork tender piece of beef.
Vegetables Used in Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Beef and potatoes will always be match made by the Heavens but here are some other great choices to mix up your stew:
Carrots - adds just enough sweetness to an otherwise very savory dish. This will balance out the dish
Peas - add in only at the last 15 minutes if using so they dont become too mushy. Peas are another great way to add a subtle sweetness to this savory dish.
Sweet Potato - This is an either or situation. I woudn't add both potato and sweet potato for the dis may become overly starchy
Mushrooms - Added in at the last 15 minutes, mushrooms will enhance this dish with a robust earthy taste. Consider upping the amount of rosemary if mushrooms are added.. they are a perfect flavor profile!
Squash - have you gotten the hint this super savory dish needs something sweet so its not so one note? Squash is a fantastic seasonal vegetable to consider adding to switch this recipe up for the fall.
What is Braising?
Freezing is a cooking method that uses both dry and wet heat to cook meat. For this recipe, first we're going to lightly brown the beef in a pan on the stove. This will add a little bit of color to the beef as well as bring out an additional flavor profile. Then, to cook the beef all the way we will slowly simmer it in the slow cooker with the lid on. Cheaper, tougher cuts of meat are usually reserved for braising like the Chuck steak used in this recipe.
Type of Equipment Needed
This recipe doesn't call for anything out of the ordinary that you wouldn't commonly have in your kitchen; knives, cutting boards, etc. The most important item you will need is a slow cooker or crock pot that is big enough! As you can see from my photos, my 3 quart pot just isn't big enough. I'd recommend cooking this recipe in a 7 quart or larger.
Ingredient Swaps
Beef stew is a great beginners slow cooker meal. As long as you dont skip the braising process, you'll wind up with a hearty, tender stew even if you make some ingredient swaps to use what's in your pantry.
Here are a few ingredient swaps I've made and can attest to:
Broth - I don't always have beef broth on hand. It is more common to find chicken broth in my pantry because I make my own so I use that. I try to eliminate preservatives in my cooking so making my own broth is one way I can be sure my family is getting a truly nutritious meal. Learn how to make your own here!
Wine - I am alcohol free, which means i dont always remember to buy wine for cooking! Whatever your reasoning is for not having a splash of wine on hand, you can deglaze your pan several different ways. They wine adds 3 things to your meal; liquid to cook the celery and onion down, a flavor profile, and acid to further tenderize the meat. I commonly replace the wine with a splash of broth and a teaspoon of vinegar, red wine vinegar, sherry vinegar, white wine vinegar, or apple cider vinegar. The vinegar will add the acidity back to tenderize your meat cubes.
Beef - This may sound silly but you don't need beef to make a beef stew! I've swapped the beef chuck for boneless leg of lamb (cubed and seared the same way). I suppose that would make it a Lamb Stew!
Tomato Paste - I make a lot of pasta and subsequently run out of tomato paste frequently. Swap this ingredient for diced tomatoes. Just drain the liquid from the can, and blend the tomatoes. Your stew wont be as thick but this is a great swap in a pinch!
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