The Anatomy Of A Beef Stew

Delicious Beef Stew!

The beef, vegetables and a thick soup like broth that's the result of the stewing liquid and the natural juices of the stew combination.

"A stew of beef is the ultimate comfort food. Premium beef or gourmet beef is not required!"

Like so many comfort foods beef stew is a product of extreme frugality.

It uses the cheapest cuts of beef. That cheap beef cut is then extended even further by the vegetable and broth addition.

That's enough food to feed a family and it doesn't cost a lot of money.

(There are recipes at the bottom of this page.)

How To Make Homemade Beef Stew

A stew can be thrown together without much thought. Just toss the beef, liquid and vegetables in a pot, put it on the back of the stove and let it simmer all day long.

However with a little more thought and good technique it's possible to produce a beef dish that is awesome.

Selecting The Beef

Any beef stew, regardless of the other ingredients, is all about the beef.

Most every supermarket I've been in has what they call "stewing beef" in their meat section. The package is simply precut chunks of beef.

There is no claim of which section of the beef critter the beef is from and there's not any mention of the grade of beef used. Its primary selling point is convenience.

I've used it before myself.

However these days I like to choose my own beef cut. Usually a USDA choice beef chuck roast. The final product justifies the small amount of time that it takes to cube the beef.

Beef chuck is my favorite but there are other beef cuts that will work well also. Cuts from the round, flank, plate and shank are some others.

Just choose a beef roast from either of those sections and cube it yourself for the best beef stew.

The Aromatic Vegetables

An aromatic vegetable is a vegetable used as a flavor base for cooking. Carrots, onions, garlic, peppers, and celery are often used for this purpose.

Aromatics add a depth of flavor to the stew that will be missed if they're not included. To me a minimum of onions is absolutely essential.

Seasoning

Keep it simple with the seasoning. Salt and pepper are basic.

Adding others according to your taste is certainly acceptable but you want a compliment. Not something that will overwhelm the richness of the beef flavor.

The Cooking Liquid

Because it's simmered low and slow, using water as the liquid in your stew will certainly be ok.

The combination of the beef, the aromatics, seasonings and any other added vegetables combined with the slow cooking would achieve a good broth.

However the liquid can be most anything. Wine is one favorite. I've even seen recipes that call for tomato juice. Not to my taste.

Personally I like to have a really rich, beefy broth so I most always use beef broth as the liquid. Canned beef consommé with gelatin added is a favorite.

The liquid is an opportunity to add additional strength of flavor. Don't miss it.

Added Vegetables

Just the beef and the broth would be ok with me. But I know most people expect to have added vegetables in their stew.

Carrots and potatoes seem to be universal. But most anything that you like would be acceptable.

Just be careful of the vegetable cooking time. You should add each of them to the stew so they just reach doneness at the same time as the beef.

The Cooking Vessel

The best cooking vessel for stew is a heavy pot with a tight fitting lid. The heavy pot will hold heat and the tight lid will keep the steam from escaping.

I wish I had a cast iron Dutch oven. It's the ideal stew pot.

Unfortunately I don't so I use what I've got. That is a heavy stainless pot with a cast aluminum base. It has a pretty heavy glass lid and makes a nice beef stew.

If you're not ready to make an investment in cookware then do like I do and use the best you have.

Applying The Heat

Any cooking method is about temperature, time and volume or surface to mass ratio. Keep in mind that the best stew is cooked low and slow.

There are several options for applying heat to your stew. Each method has its advantages and disadvantages. But you will wind up with good stew with either.

First is your range. Your range has two options which are the oven or on top.

In the oven you can apply low heat for a long time or higher heat for a shorter time.

For instance I've seen recipes that call for 350 degrees for 3 hours and recipes that call for 250 degrees for 5 hours.

I feel that both will yield a pretty good beef stew.

On your cook top you don't have that much leeway. Your beef stew should simmer slowly with the lid on for several hours. A slow simmer is when you have just a few bubbles breaking the surface.

The microwave? Absolutely. The recipe calls for leftover beef. There's a link below.

If you have a slow cooker or crock-pot then you have a stew cooking machine. Its design fits the needs of a stew perfectly.

There you have it. The anatomy of a beef stew! Hopefully you can now construct a beef stew that will appeal to the tastes of you and your family.

Try some of the recipes below as a starter. Feel free to alter them in any way you see fit.

More Beef Stew Recipes: