Nothing seems to satisfy my soul more on a cold day, than a rich hearty dutch oven beef stew. This is one of my favorite braise meat dishes. Tougher cuts of meat cooked slowly in a rich flavorful gravy with potatoes and carrots until tender. This wonderful comfort food is sure to become a family favorite.

What is braising?

Braising is a cooking method, where the tougher cuts of meat are seasoned and seared quickly to lock in all their precious juices. The seared meat is then simmered in a flavorful liquid low and slow, until the meat is tender. Braising the meat breaks down the tough connective tissue in the meat making it tender. This results in a really tender, moist, and flavorful  piece of meat.

Tips to a Great Dutch Oven Beef Stew

• Choose the proper cut of stew meat. I choose a whole 3-4 pound chuck roast from our local butcher and then cut the roast into 1 to 1.5 inch cubes. Chuck roast is a tougher cut of meat with good marbling throughout and great for stewing. Most of the flavor is in the marbling. The fat renders down during the low and slow cook breaking down the connective tissue in the meat. This results in an extremely tender and flavorful stew meat. I prefer not to buy prepackaged cut stew meat from the supermarket. You never quite know what you are getting. I have found that sometimes you get nice cuts of stew meat mixed in with leaner cuts such as Sirloin. Leaner cuts like sirloin lack in good marbling and produce drier stew meat with less flavor.

• Cook Low and Slow. Do not try and rush the stew by increasing the cooking temperature. A good stew or any braised meat needs time for the connective tissue to break down and tenderize the meat.

• Sear the stew meat quickly in small batches on all sides to lock in their juices, and prevent the meat from becoming dry. Browning the meat also produces added color and flavor to the stew.

• Add the vegetables in stages throughout the cook to prevent overcooking. Not all vegetables cook at the same rate either. For instance, in this recipe, the carrots and potatoes are added to the stew halfway through the cooking time, then the peas and mushrooms are added near the end of the cook.

• Omit the baby potatoes from the recipe, if you plan on freezing the stew. Or removed the potatoes before freezing. The potatoes develop an unpleasant texture, after being frozen and reheated. A great alternative to the baby potatoes, is to serve the stew over some creamy mashed potatoes.

How to Make Dutch Oven Beef Stew

Step 1: Gather Ingredients (Mise En Place)

• Chuck roast
• Kosher salt
• Coarse Black pepper
• Olive oil
• Bacon
• Onion
• Garlic cloves
• Tomato paste
• Red wine
• All purpose flour

• Beef broth
• Button mushrooms
• Bay leaf
• Sprigs of thyme
• Sprig fresh parsley
• Sugar
• Carrots
• Frozen peas
• Seed mustard

Step 2: Brown Bacon and Sear the Stew Meat

Cook the bacon over medium heat until the bacon has browned. Place the cooked bacon on a plate lined with a paper towel. Drain all but 2 tbsp of fat from the pot. Reheat the bacon fat over medium high heat. I like the added flavor from searing the stew meat in the bacon fat instead of oil. Sear the stew meat in small batches, and do not over crowd the bottom of the pot. Overcrowding the pot will cause the stew meat to boil in its own juices rather than sear. This will result in meat that is tender but dry in the finished stew. It’s important to sear the meat quickly and brown it on all sides to lock in those juices, and prevent the juices from leaching out throughout the cook. Transfer the browned stew meat to a bowl and set aside.

Step 3: Sweat the onions and add tomato paste

Add the onions to the pot and cook for 5 minutes until the onions just start to soften and change color. Next, add in the tomato paste and cook for another minute. The acid in the tomato paste helps breakdown and tenderize the meat. The tomato paste also adds nice color and helps thicken the broth. 

Step 4: Deglaze with red wine and add flour

Deglaze the bottom of the pot with red wine. Deglazing the pot with red wine adds a nice flavor profile to the stew. It also helps lift and dissolve caramelized bits of food from the bottom of the pot. Scrape the bottom of the pot well to help remove these bits.

Add the flour to the pot. Stir the flour into the deglazed liquid until well incorporated with no flour lumps. Cook the flour mixture for 1 minute to help cook out some of that starchy taste. The flour acts as a thickening agent for the stew. The starchy flavor will eventually cook out. The flour will help thicken and transform the broth into a smooth delicious gravy. 

Step 5: Add beef stock slowly for a smooth gravy

Stir in the beef broth slowly 1 cup at a time. Continue mixing until the liquid has fully incorporated into the flour mixture. The gravy should be extremely thick At this point, but should have a smooth texture. Stir in the remainder of the beef broth to the stew 1 cup at a time. Make sure that the gravy is smooth after the addition of each cup. I just find that the finished stew does not have that smooth texture, when I add the liquid all at once verses in stages. 

Step 6: Prepare the stew for the oven

Stir the salt, pepper, sugar, garlic, bayleaf, thyme, and parsley into the stew. Next, stir in the browned stew meat and bacon. Bring the stew to a simmer and cover. Transfer the pot to the 300F oven, and cook for 1½ hours. 

Step 7: Remove fresh herbs and add carrots and potatoes

Remove the thyme sprigs and bayleaf from the stew, and stir in the potatoes and carrots. Cover the stew and transfer it back to the 300F oven. Continue cooking for another 30-45 minutes, until the stew has thickened, and the beef is tender.   

Step 8: Stir in the peas and mushrooms

Remove the stew from the oven after 30 minutes. Check to see if the beef is tender, and the carrots and potatoes are soft. Stir in the peas and mushrooms, return back to the oven for 15 minutes. Remove the stew from the oven, and season to taste with salt and pepper if required.

About the Author:

Our founder, Steve brings his experience as a Red Seal Chef to our Best Ever Food channel. Learn more about Steve here…