Description
This Wholesome Crockpot Beef Stew is a hearty and comforting dish, perfect for chilly days. Tender stew meat is slowly cooked with carrots, baby Yukon gold potatoes, onions, garlic, and a robust blend of beef stock and cabernet sauvignon wine. Enhanced with bay leaves, rosemary, and optional gravy master for color, this stew delivers deep, rich flavors with minimal effort thanks to slow cooking in a crockpot.
Ingredients
Scale
Beef and Seasoning
- 2 ½ pounds of stew meat
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon garlic salt
- ½ teaspoon celery salt
- 1/4 cup flour
- 3-6 tablespoons olive oil
- 3 tablespoons chilled butter, split
Vegetables and Aromatics
- 2 cups chopped yellow onions
- 4 minced garlic cloves
- 5 medium carrots, chopped into 1-inch pieces
- 1 pound baby Yukon gold potatoes, halved or quartered
- 1 cup frozen peas
Liquids and Flavor Enhancers
- 1 cup cabernet sauvignon or merlot wine
- 4 cups beef stock
- 2 beef bouillon cubes
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 3 tablespoons tomato concentrate
- 1/4 cup cold water mixed with 3 tablespoons corn starch (optional, for thickening)
- 2-3 drops gravy master (optional, for deeper color)
Herbs and Spices
- 2 bay leaves
- 1 rosemary sprig
Instructions
- Prepare the Beef: Pat the stew meat dry, then season evenly with black pepper, garlic salt, and celery salt. Dredge the meat in flour, shaking off any excess to lightly coat each piece.
- Brown the Meat: Heat 3-6 tablespoons of olive oil and 1 tablespoon of chilled butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Sear the beef pieces in batches until browned on all sides. Set aside the browned meat.
- Sauté Aromatics: In the same skillet, add the remaining butter and sauté the chopped onions and minced garlic until softened and fragrant, about 3-5 minutes.
- Deglaze the Pan: Pour in the wine (cabernet sauvignon or merlot) to deglaze the skillet, scraping up any browned bits from the bottom for extra flavor. Let the wine reduce by half to concentrate the flavor.
- Combine Ingredients in Crockpot: Transfer the browned beef, sautéed onions and garlic, carrots, potatoes, bay leaves, rosemary sprig, beef stock, beef bouillon cubes, Worcestershire sauce, and tomato concentrate into the crockpot.
- Slow Cook: Cover and cook on low heat for 7 hours or on high heat for about 3.5 hours, until the meat is tender and the vegetables are cooked through.
- Add Peas and Adjust Thickness: About 20 minutes before serving, stir in the frozen peas. If you prefer a thicker stew, mix the cold water with corn starch to create a slurry and stir it into the crockpot. Let the stew cook uncovered until thickened.
- Season and Finish: Add 2-3 drops of gravy master if desired, to deepen the color of the stew. Remove bay leaves and rosemary sprig before serving. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve: Ladle the stew into bowls and enjoy warm with crusty bread or a side salad.
Notes
- Be sure to brown the meat well to develop deeper flavors.
- The optional gravy master adds color but no significant flavor; omit if not available.
- Corn starch slurry helps thicken the stew without altering its flavor.
- Using chilled butter helps prevent it from melting too quickly during sautéing, giving better control over texture.
- Leftovers store well and taste even better the next day.
