Classic Beef Stew in Dutch Oven

Wood-stove Dutch oven Classic Beef Stew

Be sure your food is cooked to optimal food safety temperatures before consuming. Always use proper cooking utensils and kitchen safety accessories.

Time

This dish needs at least 1 hour of prep time before you can leave it to slow-cook.
I like to slow-cook this dish for at least 6 hours.

Yield : 4 quarts (about 6 servings)


Equipment  

4.5 quart Dutch Oven
Stirring spoon
Soup ladle for serving


Ingredients

1.5 lbs Beef for stew

          - You can use just about any cut since this is stew it will cook a long time and get tender. Some even use ground meat. I am using pre-cut "stew beef" from my grocer. This is usually the leftover trimmings from more expensive cuts and it is cut to chunks of about 1 -2 inches.

1 lb. carrot

 - cut into about 1-2 inch lengths. You could also use "baby" carrots

1 lb. red potato

 - cut into about 1- 2 inch chunks. You can also use fingerling or yellow potato. Just try to stay away from russet as they can just "melt" into a mush with a long cooking process.

10 oz - 1 lb onion

 - cut into 1 inch chunks. I used a combo of sweet yellow and red onion this time. Pearl onions or shallots would also work but will give a milder onion flavor.

Beef stock or broth about 3 cups or 26 oz

2 -3 tbsp flour - depending on how thick you like your stew

1 bay leaf


Optional ingredients to your taste:

Salt  - to taste
Pepper - to taste
2 garlic cloves (I added this)
Celery - not in mine since hubby has a strong aversion to this ingredient
Other types of veggies like green beans or corn.
Diced tomatoes

Method

I like to preheat my cast iron dutch oven on the hot plate of my stove after the stove has come to optimal temperature (a drop of water in the pot will quickly sizzle).


When the dutch oven is nice and hot. I will place the beef in the pot and get it cooked brown on the outside and cooked to about medium.
Sprinkle the flour evenly over the stew meat and stir in.

Add the veggies, bay leaf and broth. Give it a little stir to incorporate ingredients and to be sure the flour does not clump or get stuck on the bottom.

Cover and let cook for at least 6 hours, stirring occasionally. I kept mine on the hot plate of the stove with the stove on low. My stove thermometer read about 400 degrees F for surface temperature. If I were cooking on a colder day, I might have used the trivet depending on how hot the stew were to get. I don't want a boiling stew but an occasional simmer would be OK. 



I like to check and adjust about an hour before serving. This way I can adjust the seasoning, check the thickness and make adjustments to the fire, leave the lid off the pot or add things. If your stew is too thin for you, you can smoosh up some of those potato chunks or make a roux. If too thick, a little water will not hurt.

Don't forget to remove that bay leaf - it's not edible.

I like to serve beef stew with a warm, hearty artisan bread like whole grain farmhouse bread or a crusty on the outside, chewy on the inside roll. A dollop of butter in the stew does not taste bad either.