Soups & Salads · American

Beef Stew

Name: Beef Stew
Total time: 195 min
Yield: 2
Ingredients: 1 lb beef, chuck (cut in 1.5-inch cubes, patted dry); 1 ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp black pepper (ground); 2 tbsp flour; 1 tbsp vegetable oil; 1 tbsp butter; 1 unit onion (diced); 1 unit celery (sliced); 3 clove garlic (minced); 1 ½ tbsp tomato paste; ¾ cup red wine (dry); 2 cup beef stock; 3 sprig thyme; 1 unit bay leaf; 1 tsp worcestershire sauce; 2 unit carrot (cut in thick coins); 1 lb potato, waxy (quartered)

17 ingredients · 195 minutes · 2 servings

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1145kcal82.6g protein57.1g fat57.2g carbs~$6.79/ serving*

No pork

Contains: gluten, dairy, fish

Ingredients

Servings:

1 lb	beef, chuck (cut in 1.5-inch cubes, patted dry)
1 ½ tsp	salt
½ tsp	black pepper (ground)
2 tbsp	flour
1 tbsp	vegetable oil
1 tbsp	butter
1 unit	onion (diced)
1 unit	celery (sliced)
3 clove	garlic (minced)
1 ½ tbsp	tomato paste
¾ cup	red wine (dry)
2 cup	beef stock
3 sprig	thyme
1 unit	bay leaf
1 tsp	worcestershire sauce
2 unit	carrot (cut in thick coins)
1 lb	potato, waxy (quartered)
4 oz	mushrooms (quartered)optional
½ cup	peas, green (frozen)optional
2 tbsp	parsley (chopped)optional
1 tsp	red wine vinegaroptional

Method

season15 min
room temperature, uncovered
beef cubes + salt + black pepper, left to sit — the salt pulls moisture out and then reabsorbs it, so the surface ends up drier than when you started, which is exactly what a crust needs
sear14 min
high, in batches, heavy pot
beef tossed in flour, shaken free of excess, into oil + butter; brown hard on two sides only. Crowding is the one unrecoverable mistake here: packed meat drops the pan below the boiling point of the juices it releases, and nothing above 212°F happens, so no browning happens. Set the beef aside and leave the fond in the pot
sweat8 min
medium, in the beef fat
+ onion + celery, scraping the browned fond loose as their water comes out; salt lightly to speed it
caramelize2 min
medium, stirring constantly
+ garlic + tomato paste, until the paste darkens from red to brick — raw tomato paste tastes tinny and metallic, and two minutes of direct heat is all it takes to turn that into savory depth
deglaze6 min
high, reducing
+ red wine, scraped to lift everything stuck to the bottom, reduced by half — this drives off the harsh alcohol edge while keeping the acidity and the glycerol body it contributes
braise105 min
325°F oven, lid on, bare simmer
+ seared beef and any resting juices + beef stock + thyme + bay leaf + worcestershire. Chuck is edible only after its collagen hydrolyzes into gelatin, which needs hours in the 160–180°F range; a rolling boil is worse than useless because it contracts the muscle fibers and wrings out the water, giving you dry meat swimming in liquid. If you see more than an occasional bubble, drop the oven 25 degrees
simmer40 min
325°F oven, lid on
+ carrot + potato (+ mushrooms). They go in late on purpose: a full braise turns potato to slurry and carrot to fiber, and the stew wants them intact enough to identify on the plate
rest5 min
off heat, uncovered
skim the surface fat, then + peas + parsley (+ a teaspoon of vinegar if the pot tastes flat rather than under-salted — long braises lose brightness before they lose salt). The flour-thickened liquid tightens slightly as it cools off the boil