I want the best beef stew recipe you know. ?

Question

My boyfriends mother makes a GREAT beef stew, and this weekend we're having a stew-off for fun to feed her sons and their friends.

I need some fresh, new ideas to spice/jazz things up in the crock pot!

...Keep in mind winning the stew-off would be wonderful as well...:)

Thanks!

PS. I know this sounds cheesy, but focus on the question please! :)

Answer 1

Veggies: carrots, onion, celery, potatoes, garlic

(I never measure, whatever looks 'colorful' enough,  you can add tomatoes, I do not)

Meat, I always use beef or venison as I do not like pork.

And for the gravy - I literally use 2 packets brown gravy mixed with 3 / 4 C of water.

Throw all into the crockpot.  Cook all day long.  

Answer 2

For my "basic beef stew", I DON'T bother with pre-browning the meat, because I'm lazy as sin.  BUT seared meat, with or without a flour coating, will give you better stew flavor,  if you're really fussy.  Try a little bacon dripping added to the searing oil for incredible flavor.  (Pan-cook bacon; pour excess fat into jar---keeps at least a year under refrigeration.  Wonderful for eggs, cornbread, fried potatoes, onions,etc!)

Canned beef broth or bouillon works fine; just watch your salting.  A cup or two of two of dry red wine will add tenderness and flavor.  (You don't need fancy--just a nice utility California jug wine.  White wine can also work, but be ready to increase seasonings.)  This will help you get a great gravy----I usually figure on 2 parts broth to 1 part wine.

If you want to really "deepen" the beefy flavor of the stew gravy, add a glug of Chinese oyster sauce (yes, the brown stuff) and cook for a few minutes.  No, it won't taste or smell fishy....taste a dab out of the bottle and you'll see!  This is a good "flavor corrector" in case the beef meat needs to be stretched a little.  

You CANNOT make a good beef stew without plenty of onions!  Fresh are best---chopped or sliced.  Remember, they melt down a LOT in cooking, so throw in lots.  Garlic is nice, too.  And don't forget a couple of handfuls of chopped celery!

Canned tomatoes work well---nice for tenderizing, bulk, and flavor---but I'd **really** rather have fresh carrots (they're sweeter), instead of canned or frozen ones.

I don't think mushrooms are really worth it, in your average hearty beef stew: the delicate flavor gets washed out.  Now, beef stroganoff is a different story....

Potatoes cooked in stew are a mixed bag---some love them, others say "too mushy" or "messes up flavors".  But if you DO like a starchy root in your beef stew.....how about some peeled, chunked sweet potatoes or peeled turnip chunks?

(For a SIDE starch, if you're not doing in-stew potatoes or turnips:  Great big bowl of scratch mashed potatoes OR rice OR pasta noodles.  Or if you can ****possibly***** make or get your hands on some old-fashioned dumplings....MMMMMM!  In the Chicago area, you could buy bread dumplings and liver ones in the freezer section--- just steam or microwave.  Heavenly with gravy!)  

You can give your stew an Italian accent (even with the oyster sauce) with extra garlic, a good dash or two or Worcestershire sauce, and some dried basil and/or oregano and/or marjoram.

From the context, you're feeding your boyfriend, the other sons of the BF's mom, AND their friends???!?    

     OK, how about a Mexican beef stew?  Feed that starving football mob with beef stew meat cooked with wine, tomatoes (the Ro-Tel chili seasoned tomatoes are wonderful---add a can to the regular cheapie tomatoes), chile powder, cumin, some canned hearty beans (black turtle beans, kidney beans, etc.), and corn or hominy (if y'all like THAT---urk).  

     Add some canned chickpeas if you like them or if the Fourth Army Division drops in for dinner, and serve with sides of cornbread and soft tortillas.  If you need to stretch the beef meat, skillet-fry some sausage (cheapie bulk breakfast sausage works great; use spicy if you like it), drain the excess fat, and throw THAT into the pot as well.  

Don't forget a nice crispy salad with lots of dark greens to fill in the stray corners.  Oh, and bread---big, solid, REAL bread, WITH BUTTER!   Iif  the bread bag sags in your hands like a boneless kittycat (i.e., "Wonder white bread", use that horrible stuff to putty up a hole in your plastering and get some proper rye, pumpernickle, or multi-grain!

Have a yummmmm dinner, and good luck!

MEASUREMENTS??? Who measures?---as you've probably guessed, my cooking (as opposed to baking, where accuracy DOES count) tends to be a lot of "if it looks good, toss it in"!  But feel free to contact me by e-mail, and I'll be happy to help figure out how much of what.  As you probably guessed, LOVE to cook! (And you can do these on a stovetop or in oven, if the crockpot isn't big enough.)

Answer 3

This one is, hands down, the best I've ever made.  It helps to have a heavy dutch oven pot w/ lid that will go in the oven.  I'm telling you: FABULOUS.  Comes out looking like a picture in a magazine!

Parker’s Beef Stew

2½ lb. good quality chuck beef, cut into 1½” cubes

1 (750-ml bottle) good red wine (Cab sauv or other)

2 whole garlic cloves, smashed

3 bay leaves

2 cups all-purpose flour

Kosher salt

Freshly ground black pepper

Good olive oil

2 yellow onions, cut into 1-inch cubes

1 lb. carrots, peeled and cut diagonally in 1 1/2-inch chunks

1/2 lb. white mushrooms, stems discarded and cut in 1/2

1 lb. small potatoes, halved or quartered

1 Tbsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)

2 cups or 1 (14 1/2-ounce can) chicken stock or broth

1 large (or 2 small) branch fresh rosemary

1/2 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes

2 Tbsp.s Worcestershire sauce

1 (10-ounce) package frozen peas

Place the beef in a bowl with red wine, garlic, and bay leaves. Place in the refrigerator and marinate a few hours or overnight.

The next day, preheat the oven to 300º F.

Combine the flour, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 1 Tbsp. pepper. Lift the beef out of the marinade with a slotted spoon and discard the bay leaves and garlic, saving the marinade. In batches, dredge the cubes of beef in the flour mixture and then shake off the excess. Heat 2 Tbsp.s of olive oil in a large pot and brown half the beef over medium heat for 5 to 7 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Place the beef in a large oven-proof Dutch oven and continue to brown the remaining beef, adding oil as necessary. (If the beef is very lean, you'll need more oil.) Place all the beef in the Dutch oven.

Heat another 2 Tbsp.s of oil to the large pot and add the onions, carrots, mushrooms, and potatoes. Cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes. Place all the vegetables in the Dutch oven over the beef. Add 2 1/2 cups of the reserved marinade to the empty pot and cook over high heat to deglaze the bottom of the pan, scraping up all the brown bits with a wooden spoon. Add the chicken stock, rosemary, sun-dried tomatoes, Worcestershire sauce, 1 Tbsp. salt, and 2 teaspoons pepper. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetables in the Dutch oven and bring to a simmer over medium heat on top of the stove. Cover the pot and place it in the oven to bake it for about 2 hours, until the meat and vegetables are all tender, stirring once during cooking. If the stew is boiling rather than simmering, lower the heat to 250 or 275º F.

Before serving, stir in the frozen peas, season to taste, and serve hot.

--Ina Garten

Answer 4

try www.allrecipies.com they'll have tons of different recipes and there's a *star* rating system where people who have made it can write a review and give it one to five stars... which means you look at what they have and pick what sounds like the best out of the "five star" recipes : P