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by: Susan Gast | Author, Blogger at Easy Food Dehydrating, Beesville Books, and SupaBees music!

Beef Stew: An Old-Fashioned Hearty Dish

Beef stew is a hearty dish that has its roots in peasant cuisine. It was traditionally made with whatever meat and vegetables were on hand. Over time, it has evolved into the dish we know and love today.

Beef stew typically contains beef, potatoes, carrots, onions, and celery cooked in a rich broth. and thickened with flour or cornstarch and typically served with bread or biscuits.

Enjoy a hearty bowl of beef stew cooked to perfection in your slow cooker (aka crock-pot) and let the aroma of this delicious dish fill your home (and your tummy) when you get home from work!

My recipe contains dehydrated onions, carrots, potatoes, celery, peas, and garlic and FRESH beef. You don't need to rehydrate the veggies prior to slow cooking. Just make sure to keep your eye on it during the day if possible.

If you have to leave it unattended, it's always best to add "extra" stock than have too little. If, upon your return home you have too much stock, do this: Drain off the excess stock, and put it in a small saucepan. In a separate jug add a couple of ounces of water and add a tablespoon of flour (or cornstarch) to it. Mix well.

Add this flour/water mix to the stock in the pan and bring to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for a few minutes to cook the flour. Save this thickened meaty sauce for biscuit-dipping or pouring over boiled spuds. The reason for bringing it to a boil is that you never want to have raw flour in your gravy.

NOTE: When you've cooked the thickened stock, stir it/mix it into the beef stew in the slow cooker.

Brown Yer Beef, Brown It!

If you have the time, then feel free to brown/sear the beef before adding it to the slow cooker. Doing so adds flavor, and gives a bit of a bite/crust to the beef instead of everything being soft and spongy-tasting.

According to J. Kenji López-Alt, a 2023 James Beard Foundation award-winner, and a #1 New York Times bestseller and author of "The Food Lab" and "The Wok," he says browning your beef in larger chunks makes it easier to sear, and then cut the beef into smaller cubes. Great idea, Kenji!!

Best Cuts to Use for Beef Stew

The best cuts of meat for beef stew are the tougher, cheaper cuts like chuck roast or round steak.

These cuts of meat are high in collagen, which breaks down into gelatin during cooking and makes the stew nice and thick. It also gives the meat a more rich and flavorful taste.

Ingredients for Beef Stew

• 1/2 cup dehydrated carrots
• 1/2 cup dehydrated potatoes, sliced
  
• 1/4 cup dehydrated onion
• 1/4 cup dehydrated peas
  
• 3 tablespoons dehydrated celery
• 2 slices dehydrated elephant garlic, crumbled
• 3/4 to 1 lb. fresh stewing beef
• 3 cups beef stock (Better than Bouillon is excellent!)
  
• 2 tablespoons plain flour, mixed with 1/4 cup cold water Italian (dried) herbs to taste (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• 1 tablespoon tomato paste (optional, but really adds depth of flavor and color!)
• 2 tablespoons tomato ketchup

   salt* and pepper to taste

I make this beef stew in a slow cooker—how easy is that?

NOTE: If you wish to use ALL fresh ingredients, see the items to use a little further down the page too.

How to Make Delicious Savory Beef Stew

1. Put the dehydrated items and seasonings in your slow cooker.
2. Prepare 3 cups of beef stock in a large jug. Add the Worcestershire Sauce, ketchup, and optional tomato paste. Stir to dissolve the ketchup.
3. In a separate jug, measure 1/4 cup of cold water, add the flour, stir well, then add this to the beef stock and Worcestershire Sauce and ketchup mix. Stir well.
4. Add the stock mix to the slow cooker.
5. Add the stewing beef, sear/brown first if desired as mentioned at the top of the page. Stir gently to mix it well. Cover with the slow cooker lid.
6. Turn on the slow cooker to low heat, for 4 - 6 hours.

*IF you need to add salt, do so, BUT be careful NOT to over-salt as the bouillon has salt in it.

BEEF STEW

Nutrition Facts

Servings: 6

Calories: 271.6

Amount per serving

---

% Daily Value*

Total Fat: 11.7g    Saturated Fat: 4.5g Cholesterol: 59.7mg Sodium: 422.8mg

15% 23% 20% 18%

% Daily Value*

Total Carbohydrates: 17.3g    Dietary Fiber: 2.1g    Total Sugars: 5.2g Protein: 24g

6% 8%

% Daily Value*

Vitamin D: 0.5mcg Calcium: 50.9mg Iron: 2.4mg Potassium: 680.6mg

3% 4% 13% 14%

*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

Want to Use Fresh Ingredients?

Want to use fresh ingredients that you have on hand? Do this:

Exchange the dry ingredients in the recipe for these fresh ingredients listed below!

• 2 medium carrots, washed, peeled, and sliced
• 2 medium potatoes, washed, peeled, and sliced
• 1/2 large onion, peeled and diced
• 1 celery stalk, sliced

and

• 2 slices of fresh elephant garlic, or 1-1/2 small cloves of "regular-sized" garlic

When You Get Home...
Your Delicious Beef Stew is Ready to Eat and Serve!

This is what your beef stew will look like with the dehydrated veggies, above.

With the meat and stock added...

And when you get home from work, you'll lift the lid to discover a super-satisfying stew.

You can see how much the stock/water level reduced to make the thick gravy; that's why it's important to make sure you add enough stock in the first place!

Slow cookers are great for simmering stews all day. You get to enjoy a nourishing meal at day's end, check out these from Amazon, below:

Super SLOW COOKERS at Amazon

Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry Programmable Slow Cooker, Digital Timer, Stainless Steel

Crock-Pot 6-Quart Cook & Carry

• Programmable Slow Cooker with Digital Timer
• Digital countdown control from 30 minutes to 20 hours
• Easy-to-use locking lid

Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Set & Forget Digital Programmable Slow-Cooker, Stainless Steel

Hamilton Beach 6-Quart Set & Forget Slow Cooker

• Hamilton Beach Portable Slow Cooker
• Patented Temperature Probe
• Clip-tight gasket lid prevents messy spills when transporting

Hamilton Beach Portable 5-Quart Digital Programmable Slow-Cooker, Stainless Steel with Lid Lock

Hamilton Beach 5-Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

• Hamilton Beach Portable 5-Quart Digital Programmable
• Full-grip handles make carrying heavy meals easier
• 2 choices for easy, automatic cooking

Cuisinart PSC-350 3-1/2 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker, Silver

Cuisinart PSC-350 3-1/2 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker

• Cuisinart 3-1/2 Quart Programmable Slow Cooker, Silver
• Touchpad control, 24-hour LCD countdown timer
• 4 Cooking Modes

As an Amazon Associate, I earn commission from qualifying purchases. The price you pay does not increase.  Read disclosure here.

Here's How to Make EASY MEALS with Dried Food

20 Taste-Tested Easy Recipes

Containing dehydrated food... that even your kids and spouse will eat!

🍕 Pizza! 🥧  Shepherd's Pie! 🥘  Beef Stew!
plus Cauliflower Soup and Cauliflower Mash, along with crazy Carrot Soup!

Decadent Desserts:
Carrot Cake and Cranberry Pineapple Pie!
and more...

Fresh food ingredient amounts are included for when you have fresh food on hand.

Traditional Irish Stew

Irish stew is a variation of beef stew that is popular in - yes, you guessed it - Ireland. It typically contains lamb or mutton, potatoes, carrots, onions, and fresh herbs.

Some recipes add Guinness Stout, giving it a rich and flavorful taste. Irish stew is typically served with boiled potatoes and crusty bread.

Brunswick Stew

Georgia's Brunswick Stew is a traditional Southern dish that is popular in barbecue joints all over Tennessee, North Carolina, and Virginia too. It is typically made with chicken, pork - or beef, tasty vegetables, and a tomato-based sauce.

The stew is traditionally cooked in a large pot over an open fire. This gives it a smoky flavor that is unique and delicious.

I remember eating a bowl of Brunswick Stew served in a round hollowed-out baked bread 'bowl' ... they poured in the stew... and nothing went to waste. Delicious memory!

If you like stew, I'm betting that you'd love Black Bean Soup too. Go check it out!

Don't forget to get your free "Six Simple Steps" eBook where I share how to dehydrate food safely!