Growing up, there was nothing better than smelling my mom’s beef stew slowly simmering on the stove. She more usually made it in winter, when a hot is most welcomed. And, just before the stew was done, she’d quickly whip up a batch of baking powder biscuits – there was no such thing as tube biscuits when I was young. When she went back to work when I was in fifth grade, we more likely had it on weekends because the real key to the dish was the long, low simmer on the stove.
Mom didn’t know how the dish came to be. It might have been from the coveted old Watkin’s cookbook, purchased from the door-to-door guy back in the 50s. She’d been making it so long, it came from memory. As an adult, my challenge became to replicate her dish and my husband has enjoyed the many iterations while I’ve tried to get it just right!
The beauty is it’s an inexpensive meal, and has minimal ingredients. I buy the least expensive roast I can find (watch for them on sale and stash in your freezer!), because with a long, low simmer the meat will tenderize terrifically. Don’t waste your money on buying “stew meat” – it’s just a cut up roast and you’re paying extra for the butcher to cut the meat! There’s no reason you can’t cut up your own roast into stew pieces. To keep it simple and save you time, chunk all the ingredients in medium bite pieces. No need to get fancy.
A cast iron skillet or at least a skillet that is not non-stick works the best. I love Lodge cast iron skillets and have a nice collection of various sizes! That’s the best way to get a beautiful sear on the beef and have a nice dark brown gravy. But, if you’re using non-stick just know the sear won’t be quite as dark. The key to this dish’s deep flavor is a dark sear. I’m talking, leave it until it’s almost burned. Only turn the pieces when they can freely be lifted from the pan – this is your indication of a great sear.
And last tip, save time and serve with tube biscuits. The stew is also good over egg noodles. If you’d like to try homemade, try my Simple Homemade Egg Noodles recipe.
I hope you enjoy this warm, savory meal as much as my family. Let me know what you think!
Belly-Warming Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1-2 T vegetable or canola oil
- 1.5-2 # beef chuck roast cut medium chunk
- 1 large onion medium dice
- 3-4 C water
- 4-6 russet potatoes peeled & medium dice
- 4 large carrots peeled & cut to medium coins
- 1 tsp ground cloves
- 2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp pepper
Slurry for gravy
- ¼ C corn starch
- ½-3/4 C ice cold water
- Mix well to ensure no clumps
Instructions
- In a large skillet, heat oil on high until it begins to smoke slightly. The oil will look like it’s making ripples in the pan.
- Carefully put beef pieces into the hot oil (be careful of the oil splashing) and let them sit until you can freely lift the pieces from the pan. Turn. Sear beef on all sides. Reduce heat slightly, if necessary, but you want to leave them sear until they're almost burning. You'll smell the sear!
- When all sides of the beef are seared, add the onions to the pan and saute briefly. Then, add 3 cups of water, salt & pepper. Reduce heat to a very low simmer, and cover pan. If you see the water is getting low, add more water. Make sure the pan does not simmer dry! Simmer on low approximately 1.5 hours.
- Then, turn the heat up to medium, add potatoes, carrots and ground cloves, cover and let simmer approximately 30 minutes more, or until vegetables are fork tender.
- Next, thicken pan liquids for gravy by turning the heat up for a boil. Slowly stir in the slurry until you reach your desired thickness. You might not need the entire amount. Add one last dash of salt & pepper, and serve piping hot over biscuits or egg noodles.
