Beef Stew

Our beef stew is meant to bring comfort, nourishment, and so much flavor to your fall and winter table. We LOVE this beef stew, and we want you to love it too. 

Tips for a Perfect Beef Stew

• Pre-salt. We salt our stew meat 24 hours before cooking time, thanks to the advice of Samin Nosrat in Salt, Fat, Acid, Heat. This gives the meat time to absorb the salt, lending deeper flavor to the stew.
• Bring beef to room temperature. An hour before searing the meat, we take the meat out of the fridge. Read this article from Bon Appetit to find out more about the benefits of bringing your meat to room temperature before cooking. 
• Sear the meat. We toss the beef in gluten-free flour and do a quick sear in hot oil. This provides another layer of flavor by caramelizing the natural sugars found in the beef. For a step-by-step guide to how to sear meat, check out this post from The Kithcn blog.
• Cook the onions and garlic in the same oil as the meat. Again, this adds layers of flavor to the stew. Also, don’t worry at this point if your onions and garlic start to stick a little. We’ll bring it all together in the next tip …
• Deglaze with wine or stock. To deglaze means simply to add liquid to a hot pan or pot. When you add the liquid, you can scrape up all those little bits sticking to the bottom of the pot, which means–you guessed it–another layer of flavor! We deglaze with red wine, but you could also deglaze with beef stock or water. 
• Simmer, don’t boil. To make sure you get tender–not chewy beef–be sure to keep this stew at as low a simmer as possible.

For the full recipe–including when to add the tomato paste, bay leaf, herbs, potatoes, and carrots–scroll down. We know this stew sounds like a lot of work, but we guarantee your time and effort will be worth it!

Print Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Beef Stew

A rich, flavorful beef stew made with red wine, beef stock, herbs, carrots, and potatoes.

Prep Time1 day d 30 minutes mins

Cook Time2 hours hrs

Keyword: beef stew

Servings: 6 people

Equipment

• soup pot or Dutch oven
• mixing bowl
• cutting board
• chef's knife

Ingredients

• 1 pound stew beef
• 3 tsp kosher salt, divided
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 2 tbsp gluten-free flour
• 1 onion halved and sliced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 cup red wine
• 2 cups beef stock
• 2-4 cups water
• 1 bay leaf
• 4 sprigs each thyme and oregano tied into a bundle with kitchen twine
• 4 carrots cut into coins
• 1 pound potatoes cut into bite-size pieces

Instructions

24 Hours Ahead of Cooking Time

• If stew beef is in large pieces, cut into bite-size pieces. Sprinkle 2 tsp kosher salt evenly over beef. Cover and refrigerate.

1 Hour Before Cooking Time

• Take beef out of refrigerator.

To Make Beef Stew

• Heat canola oil over medium-high heat in large soup pot or Dutch oven. In bowl, toss together stew beef and gluten-free flour. Once oil is sizzling, sear meat in single layer 1-2 minutes on each side. Remove meat and set aside.
• In same oil, saute onion slices 8-10 minutes over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add garlic and 1 tsp kosher salt. Saute 1-2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add tomato paste and saute 1-2 minutes more, stirring constantly.
• Add 1/4 cup red wine to deglaze pot. Add the rest of the wine, the stock, 2 cups water, stew meat, bay leaf, and thyme/oregano bouquet. Bring to boil, then lower heat to lowest simmer possible. Simmer uncovered for 1 1/2 hours, until beef is tender.
• Add carrots and potatoes. Add more water if needed to just cover the vegetables. Simmer another 20 minutes, until carrots and potatoes are just tender, or until desired tenderness. Serve with crusty bread or croutons. Enjoy!