Slow Cooker Beef Stew
A rich and savory beef stew that tastes like it spent all day on the stove, but is made easily in your slow cooker.
recipesbynani.comThere is something wonderful about coming home to the smell of a hearty stew waiting for you. This recipe gives you that deep, slow cooked flavor by using a couple of simple tricks to make sure the sauce is thick and full of character. It is the perfect comfort food for a chilly evening.
My favorite secret is to reduce the red wine before adding it to the pot, which concentrates the flavor beautifully. Adding a crumbled beef bouillon cube also gives the gravy that extra savory kick that usually goes missing when you are cooking without evaporation. It really makes all the difference.
๐งบ Ingredients
- 1.5 kg beef chuck, cut into 4 cm chunks
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 onion, chopped
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 2 large carrots, cut into thick chunks
- 2 celery stalks, cut into thick chunks
- 500g small potatoes, kept whole or halved
- 1 cup red wine
- 2 cups beef stock
- 2 tablespoons tomato paste
- 1 beef bouillon cube
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 bay leaves
- Salt and pepper to taste
๐ฉโ๐ณInstructions
- 1
Toss the beef chunks in the flour with a pinch of salt and pepper until well coated.
- 2
Heat the oil in a large skillet over high heat. Brown the beef in batches until it has a nice crust, then transfer the meat to your slow cooker.
- 3
In the same skillet, pour in the red wine and let it bubble until it has reduced by about half, scraping up any tasty brown bits from the bottom.
- 4
Pour the reduced wine into the slow cooker along with the beef stock, tomato paste, bouillon cube, onion, garlic, carrots, celery, potatoes, thyme, and bay leaves.
- 5
Stir everything gently to combine.
- 6
Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or on high for 5 hours until the beef is very tender.
- 7
Remove the bay leaves and thyme sprigs before serving.
๐ก Tips
This stew tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had time to settle in the fridge. Store any leftovers in an airtight container for up to three days or freeze it for a quick future meal.
Made this recipe? Let us know how it went.
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