Slow Cook

Slow-Cooker Beef Stew

by:
December  8, 2019
7 Reviews
Slow-Cooker Beef Stew
Photo by Rocky Luten. Food Stylist: Amelia Rampe. Prop Stylist: Brooke Deonarine.
Author Notes

To make beef stew in the Crockpot, the one thing you need is a bit of time. But in many ways that is the usefulness of this recipe, and all slow-cooker meals. Too often we don't make the distinction between food that takes a long time to cook and food that takes a long time to prep. Sure, there's a bit of searing in the first step here, but after that, it's basically a dump, set, and forget situation. This means that, in the morning before work, you can prep the ingredients (beef chuck roast, or whatever stew meat you like; root vegetables like carrots and potatoes; mushrooms and pearl onions; beef broth; and a few other aromatics), set it all for 8 hours in the Crock-Pot, and have dinner waiting for you when you come home.

This slow-cooker beef stew recipe does not have a slurry of thickened corn starch—for good reason: The chuck roast chunks, again, have already been floured, which helps thicken the stew a little later, but also it's the looser, cleaner-tasting gravy that works well with a side of white rice versus the usual heavy, dense mashed potato pairing. That said, feel free to serve this beef stew with whatever you like, and add whatever vegetables you prefer. Instead of carrots and potatoes, try parsnips and turnips. And if you are used to the thicker gravy, just add a slurry of broth and corn starch in the last 30 minutes of cooking, or stir in a bit more flour at the end.

This recipe is really just a blueprint, so try not to stress about it. The nature of a stew is that there are no rules—only personal taste. —Max McDonough

Test Kitchen Notes

This slow-cooker recipe is part of our Set It & Forget It series. —The Editors

  • Prep time 15 minutes
  • Cook time 8 hours
  • Serves 4
Ingredients
  • 1 pound beef chuck roast, cut into large chunks
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • All-purpose flour, for coating beef
  • Olive oil, for searing beef
  • 3 to 4 carrots, cut into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 stick celery, cut into chunks
  • 12 or so pearl onions, peeled
  • 4 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 cup halved cremini mushrooms
  • 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce, plus more to taste
  • 2 cups beef broth
  • Fresh flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped, for garnish
  • Cooked white rice, for serving
  • 2 to 3 potatoes, cut into chunks
In This Recipe
Tools
Set a Timer
Directions
  1. Season beef generously with salt and pepper, then coat in flour. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium-high and sear beef on all sides, about 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to slow cooker.
  2. Add carrots, celery, potatoes, onions, garlic, and mushrooms to slow cooker, as well. Season with salt, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce. Add broth and stir together gently.
  3. Cook on low for 8 to 10 hours, or until potatoes are tender and beef is fall-apart succulent. Adjust seasonings and gravy consistency as desired (see Author Notes above). Serve over rice and garnish with parsley.
Tags:

See Reviews

See what other Food52ers are saying.

  • Stan Zippan
    Stan Zippan
  • Judith Peres
    Judith Peres
  • Rebekah Carver
    Rebekah Carver
  • Max McDonough
    Max McDonough
Review
Max McDonough
Max McDonough grew up on the Jersey Shore. His writing has appeared in T Magazine, Best New Poets, Gulf Coast, The Adroit Journal, and elsewhere. When he's not working, you can find him in the plant section of the Home Depot.

Popular on Food52