Best Beef Stew Recipe

Beef stew is rarely as complex as its aroma would suggest, here is a version with meaty flavor that surpasses expectations.

Sear pieces of chuck eye in batches to develop deep, savory flavor. Then sautee onion and carrots until they are nearly caramelized. Next, add garlic, wine, and chicken broth; umami-boosting tomato paste and anchovies amped up the flavor even further. Salt pork provides extra savory character. To mimic the mouth-coating texture of stews made with collagen-rich homemade stock, include gelatin and flour, which gives the stew a glossy sheen and a wonderfully rich taste. Potatoes, pearl onions, and peas added more flavor and textural interest.

Look for salt pork that is roughly 7 5 percent lean; rinse the salt pork before cooking or the stew will taste overly salty. Use a good-quality medium-bodied wine, such as Cotes du
Rhone or Pinot Noir, for this stew.

BEST BEEF STEW
SERVES 6 TO 8
TOTAL TIME: 3 HOURS 45 MINUTES

Adjust oven rack to lower middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Mash garlic and anchovies in bowl to paste, then stir in tomato paste.

Pat beef dry with paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium-high heat until just smoking. Add half of beef and brown on all sides, 7 to 10 minutes; transfer to bowl. Repeat with remaining 1 tablespoon oil and remaining beef, then return first batch of beef to pot.

Reduce heat to medium and stir in onion and carrots. Cook, scraping up any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in garlic mixture and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in flour and cook for 30 seconds.

Slowly stir in wine, scraping up any browned bits and smoothing out any lumps. Increase heat to high and simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, salt pork, bay leaves, and thyme sprigs and bring to simmer. Cover, transfer pot to oven, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove pot from oven. Discard salt pork and bay leaves and stir in potatoes. Cover, return pot to oven, and cook until potatoes are nearly tend er, about 4 5 minutes.

Using large spoon, skim any fat from surface of stew and discard thyme sprigs. Stir in pearl onions and cook on stovetop over medium heat until potatoes and onions are tender and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork, about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes.

Increase heat to high, stir in peas and gelatin mixture, and simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. (Stew can be refrigerated for up to 2 days; adjust consistency with extra
broth as needed when reheating.)

Best Beef Stew Recipe Ingredients

4 anchovy fillets, rinsed and minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
4 pounds boneless beef chuck -eye roast, pulled apart at seams, trimmed, and cut into 1 1/2 inch pieces
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 large onion, sliced thin
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups red wine 2 cups chicken broth
4 ounces salt pork, rinsed
2 bay leaves
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch pieces
l½ cups frozen pearl onions, thawed
2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
½ cup water
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
Salt and pepper