Good Eating Tuesday: Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Today's Good Eating recipe, Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew, is one I found on Pinterest that I've made several times with great success!

Choosing Your Beef:

I generally use Chuck Roast, though you can use any beef roast style or beef ribs or chuck style you prefer.
Something laced with fat works better in slow-cooking and will be more tender. You don't need a huge quantity of meat---I usually choose the smallest, least expensive Chuck Roast.

Searing:

Any time you put meat in a slow-cooker or, I daresay, even an Instant Pot, which is a pressure cooker, you should always
sear or brown it on all sides in a very hot skillet with a bit of olive oil. This seals in the juices and makes for a more favorful meat. Also gives it some color, if you're pressure cooking.So cut up your beef into stew chunks, salt, then sear in a hot skillet.

I usually sear my meat with salt & pepper without flour, but you may dredge in flour, if you like. (For that use 1/4 cup flour with 1 teaspoon salt & 1/2 teaspoon pepper combined in a zip-lock bag & shake to coat.)

Don't over-crowed the skillet--divide the meat in half, searing each portion if necessary.

Deglaze the Skillet:

This is a favor building option: add a little beef broth to the skillet you just seared your meat in and scrape around, picking up the remaining juices and beef bits.

(I actually didn't even notice this in the bloggers recipe extensive info when I made mine, so it's not a necessary step)

(photo is my own)

Easy Slow Cooker Beef Stew

Ingredients

Beef, cut into chunks & seared

1 1/2 cups beef broth

1 teaspoon paprika

2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce

2 Tablespoons ketchup 

1 clove garlic, minced

1 small to medium onion, diced

4 medium potatoes, cut into chunks not smaller then 1 inch. 

4 large fresh carrots, sliced (or 1 12oz bag frozen sliced carrots)

3/4 cup frozen peas 

2 - 3 teaspoons cornstarch

Other options: sliced fresh mushrooms or other frozen vegetables, such as green beans, if you don't prefer peas, adding more garlic or other seasoning like Bay Leaves or Rosemary.

Directions:

Season & sear beef chunks, then add to slow cooker along with broth, paprika, Worcestershire, ketchup, garlic, onion, potatoes & fresh carrots. 

(Ketchup is my secret ingredient for any stew because it adds just a touch of sweetness to the broth.)

Cover and set on Low. After 1 1/2 to 2 hours, make a cornstarch slurry (combining with a teaspoon or two of water with the cornstarch  & stirring to liquefy, then add a spoonful or two of hot broth from slow cooker, stir together then stir the cornstarch into the stew to thicken.
Now your peas and/or other frozen veggies options, cover and let cook another 30 to 60 minutes.

(I actually used the whole 12 oz bag of peas and one could easily substitute a 12 oz bag frozen peas & carrots instead of using carrots & peas separately.)

Serve with garlic bread, cornbread or this fantastic home-made Garlic Rosemary Focaccia Bread I made
OR serve French-style spooned over mashed potatoes.