Classic Beef Stew (The One Trick: Brown the Beef in Batches)

Beef stew is one of those dishes everybody figures they can make, and most people can, it just comes out fine instead of great. The gap between fine and great almost always comes down to one step at the very beginning, before the stew is even a stew yet.

That step is browning the beef. Not a quick toss in the pan, a real, hard sear, done in batches so the pot never gets crowded. Pile all the beef in at once and the pot cools down, the meat dumps its juices, and instead of searing it steams. You end up with gray, boiled-looking cubes and a stew that tastes flat no matter how long it cooks. Give the beef some room and a few minutes of patience, and you build the deep, browned flavor that carries the whole pot.

Why Beef Stew Comes Out Bland (and How to Fix It)

If your stew has ever tasted thin or one-note, it is almost never the seasoning, it is the browning. The crust on seared beef, plus the sticky browned bits left in the bottom of the pot (that is the fond), are packed with the savory, roasty flavor that makes a stew taste rich. Skip that step or rush it and there is nothing underneath the broth to hold it up.

The fix is simple but it takes a little discipline: dry the beef well, do not crowd the pan, and do not move the pieces until they have formed a crust. Once everything is browned, you deglaze, scraping all that fond back into the pot with a splash of wine or broth. That is where your flavor lives, so do not leave it stuck to the pan.

The One Trick: Brown the Beef in Batches

Here is exactly how to nail it. Pat your cubed chuck as dry as you can, season it, and give it a light coat of flour, the flour browns beautifully and helps thicken the gravy later on. Heat your oil until it is just shimmering, then add the beef in a single layer with space between each piece. For three pounds of beef, that usually works out to three batches.

Let each piece sit undisturbed for two to three minutes before you flip it. You are after a deep brown crust, not gray. Move the seared beef to a plate and keep going until it is all done. Yes, it takes ten extra minutes. Those ten minutes are the whole ballgame.

What You Need

Nothing fancy, which is the beauty of a good stew. Grab a chuck roast (not the pre-cut packs labeled stew meat, which are usually a mystery mix of trimmings), a bag of baby Yukon Gold potatoes, carrots, celery, an onion, and some beef broth. A cup of dry red wine does a lot of heavy lifting for flavor, but you can leave it out. Fresh thyme and a couple of bay leaves round it out. Full measurements are in the recipe card below.

As for what to serve alongside, beef stew is practically built for mopping up gravy. I like it spooned right over a pile of make-ahead mashed potatoes, but a wedge of Grandma’s skillet cornbread or a batch of soft homemade dinner rolls will do just as nicely for soaking up every last drop.

Classic Beef Stew

Rich, old-school beef stew with fork-tender chunks of chuck, carrots, potatoes and pearl onions in a deep, velvety gravy. The one trick: brown the beef hard in batches so you build real flavor instead of boiling it gray.

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Prep Time 30 minutes mins

Cook Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Total Time 3 hours hrs

Servings: 6

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: American

Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients

  

For the beef

• 3 lbs beef chuck roast cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes, patted very dry
• 1.5 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp black pepper freshly ground
• 1/3 cup all-purpose flour for dredging
• 3 tbsp olive oil divided

For the stew

• 2 tbsp tomato paste
• 1 large yellow onion diced
• 3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 cup dry red wine or substitute extra beef broth
• 4 cups beef broth low-sodium
• 2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
• 2 bay leaves
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme or 1 tsp dried

Vegetables

• 1 lb baby Yukon Gold potatoes halved
• 4 medium carrots cut into 1-inch chunks
• 2 stalks celery sliced
• 1 cup frozen peas stirred in at the end

Method

 

1. Pat the beef cubes very dry with paper towels, dry meat is the whole game here. Season all over with the salt and pepper, then toss in the flour until lightly and evenly coated. Shake off the excess.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a heavy Dutch oven over medium-high until shimmering. Add the beef in a single layer with space between each piece, work in 3 batches so you never crowd the pot. Sear undisturbed 2-3 minutes per side until each piece has a deep brown crust. Move seared beef to a plate and repeat, adding the last tablespoon of oil as needed. This is the one trick: a hard sear in batches builds the fond that flavors the entire stew.
3. Lower the heat to medium. Add the tomato paste and onion to the pot and cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes until the paste darkens a shade and the onion softens. Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.
4. Pour in the red wine and scrape every browned bit off the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon, that fond is pure flavor. Simmer 2 minutes to cook off the raw alcohol.
5. Return the beef and any juices to the pot. Add the beef broth, Worcestershire, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a gentle simmer, then cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours, stirring occasionally, until the beef is nearly fork-tender.
6. Add the potatoes, carrots and celery. Cover and simmer 30-40 minutes more, until the vegetables are tender and the beef falls apart easily.
7. Fish out the bay leaves and thyme stems. Stir in the frozen peas and let them warm through for 2-3 minutes. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. If you want it thicker, mash a few potato pieces against the side of the pot or simmer uncovered a few extra minutes.
8. Let the stew rest 10 minutes off the heat before serving, it thickens and the flavors settle. Serve in bowls with crusty bread or over mashed potatoes.

Notes

Make-ahead: beef stew is even better the next day. Cool, refrigerate up to 4 days, and reheat gently on the stove. It freezes well for up to 3 months. No wine? Swap in an extra cup of beef broth plus an extra teaspoon of Worcestershire. For a richer gravy, stir in a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch plus 2 tablespoons cold water in the last 5 minutes of cooking.