In this episode, get all our best tips for making the very best beef stew at home. This winter time comfort food will warm you up on a cold day.
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You can listen to this podcast episode below or listen on any of these podcast players - Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music, Google Podcasts. If you would prefer to read the text, you will find a transcript below.
👀 Check out our How to Mae the Best Beef Stew page to get links to all the blog posts we refer to in this episode.
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Here is the transcript of this episode.
On my blog Eat Like No One Else, in the last month we have been posting a lot of information on beef stew. It's something that I love to make during the colder winter months.
Let me share my best tips. I got more in depth with these topics on the blog, so check the show notes page for those links.
Beef Stew Vs Pot Roast
Have you ever wondered what the difference between beef stew and pot roast is? Both are made from tough cuts of meat that need time to be broken down.
The big difference is really the size of the meat. Pot roast is a large piece of meat and beef stew is made with small pieces of meat that are bite sized. The size difference also means beef stew has a shorter cooking time.
While you cook both in a flavorful liquid, only beef stew is served with the liquid. A pot roast is removed whole from it's cooking liquid along with the vegetables. Beef stew is also cooked with more liquid.
How to Cook
The Instant Pot is a great way to cook beef stew if you don't have the time to manage it on the stovetop. However I do like slow cooking it on the stove better because I can easily add the veggies at the last 30 minutes of cooking so they aren't mushy when I serve up the stew.
I am working on a sous vide method that will produce stew meat that is more steak. I haven't perfected the recipe yet, so you will need to stay tuned to my blog for that.
Best Vegetables
Here is a full list of vegetables that go great in a beef stew.
⦁ Carrots
⦁ Potatoes
⦁ Daikon Radish
⦁ Rutabaga
⦁ Turnips
⦁ Celery
⦁ Celery Root
⦁ Parsnips
⦁ Onions
⦁ Shallots
⦁ Pearl Onions
⦁ Peas (Frozen or Fresh)
⦁ Corn (Frozen or Fresh)
⦁ Sweet Potatoes
⦁ Green Beans
⦁ Broccoli
Best Bread to Serve With
You are ready to sit down with your hot bowl of beef stew. You got your spoon ready to dig in. But it dawns on you something is missing.
Why bread of course? There is nothing in the world that goes better with a soup or a hearty stew than a roll or a nice slice of bread. What breads go best with beef stew? Let's talk about them.
⦁ Dinner rolls. The more buttery the better.
⦁ A crusty sourdough bread
⦁ Whole wheat bread
⦁ Ciabatta bread
⦁ Garlic bread (buy store bough bread and add garlic & butter)
⦁ Challah loaf - great for just ripping apart and dunking
Is your stew cooking and you just want to make something fast to go with it? When you don't have time for bread to rise, then go with a quick bread. My favorites to go with stew or either soda bread or cornbread
Thicken Beef Stew
If you stew comes out with too much liquid you can make a slurry of flour and water or corn starch and water and add it to the stew. Cook until the stew has thickend.
Another option is to remove some of the veggies and the liquid in the stew. Puree them in a blender or food processor and then add back to the stew. This is a great way to add body to the stew, especially for those on a gluten free diet.
What you need to know before you checkout at the grocery store or market:
You can buy beef stew meat at pretty much every grocery store. I got some from ALDI that I turned into a great meal. The stew meat costs $5.29 per pound there and comes in a vacuum sealed bag.
I do have to recommend that if you can choose beef stew that doesn't come vacuum sealed that would be better. The problem with that is there is excessive liquid in the package and that made it harder to brown the meat before cooking. I didn't find that when I cook stew that came in more traditional meat packaging.
If you do buy stew in a vacuum sealed bag at least make sure you dump out any excess water and pat dry the meat with a paper towel before cooking.
🎧 Check out Episode 018 - How to Cook a Cheap Roast
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