Best North Woods Beef Stew Recipes

OLD FASHIONED BEEF STEW

Steps:

• *See the pictured tutorial for more info on the tips to creating the best beef stew.
• Sprinkle the beef chunks with the salt and pepper. Sprinkle the flour over the beef to coat all sides.
• Heat the oil and butter in a large Dutch oven or heavy stock pot until hot (when you sprinkle in a few drops of water they should jump and sizzle). Add the coated beef chunks, spacing them out about 1/2 inch from each other and, working in batches so as not to overcrowd, generously brown the beef on all sides. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
• Add the onions with another tablespoon of butter to the Dutch oven (do not remove the browned/blackened bits in the bottom of the pan) and cook until soft and translucent, 5-7 minutes (add a little more oil or butter if necessary). Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the wine, bring it to a rapid boil, scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan, and boil for 2 minutes or until the wine is mostly evaporated. Return the beef to the Dutch oven.
• Add the broth, tomato paste and seasonings. Bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, cover and simmer for 90 minutes.
• Add the vegetables, cover and cook for another hour. Add salt and pepper to taste.
• Serve hot sprinkled with a little chopped fresh parsley.

NORTH WOODS BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Place the carrots, celery and onion in a 5-qt. slow cooker. In a bowl or shallow dish, combine the flour, salt and pepper. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and turn to coat. Place beef over vegetables., In a small bowl, combine the soup, wine, tapioca, Italian seasoning, paprika, brown sugar, bouillon and Worcestershire sauce. Pour over the top., Cover and cook on low until meat and vegetables are tender, 8-10 hours, adding mushrooms during the last hour. Serve with noodles., Freeze option: Freeze cooled stew in freezer containers. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Heat through in a saucepan, stirring occasionally; add water if necessary.

CLASSIC, HEARTY BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Place beef cubes into a large bowl. Season with kosher salt and black pepper. Add flour and paprika and toss until evenly coated.
• Heat oil in an oven-safe Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Sear the beef cubes in batches until dark brown, about 4 minutes per side. Flip or stir gently with a wooden spoon until all edges are dark brown, 2 to 3 minutes more. Remove beef and set aside.
• Add onions to the beef fat with more salt and pepper; cook and stir until they begin to caramelize, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and stir until aromatic and soft, about 30 seconds. Stir in tomato paste and cook until it turns brown and begins to caramelize and stick to the bottom of the pan. Deglaze with red wine, scraping up the flavorful browned bits on the bottom. Let the wine reduce until almost dry again, about 3 minutes.
• Add dried thyme, dried rosemary, herbes de Provence, and bay leaves. Add 2 cups beef broth and Worcestershire, stir, and bring to a boil. Add the seared beef cubes back into the stew liquid. Remove from heat and cover the pot.
• Braise in the preheated oven until meat is almost tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Remove from the oven. Add carrots, potatoes, and more beef broth if needed. Cover and return to the oven to braise until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes longer.
• Discard bay leaves. Stir in peas, fresh rosemary, and fresh thyme. Serve hot.

THE BEST BEEF STEW

Steps:

• In a small bowl, toss beef and 1/4 teaspoon salt. In a large bowl, combine 4 tablespoons flour and paprika. Add beef, a few pieces at a time, and toss to coat. , In a Dutch oven, brown beef in oil over medium heat. Stir in tomato paste, herbes de Provence and garlic; cook until fragrant and color starts to darken slightly. Add wine; cook until mixture just comes to a boil. Simmer until reduced by half, about 5 minutes. Stir in broth, 1 teaspoon rosemary and bay leaves. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer until meat is almost tender, about 1-1/2 hours., Add potatoes, onions and carrots. Cover; simmer until meat and vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes longer., Discard bay leaves. In a small bowl, combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon rosemary, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 2 tablespoon flour. Add cold water and vinegar; stir until smooth. Stir into stew. Bring to a boil; add peas. Cook, stirring, until thickened, about 2 minutes. If desired, top with additional fresh rosemary.

OLD-FASHIONED BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Combine the flour and pepper in a bowl, add the beef and toss to coat well. Heat 3 teaspoons of the oil in a large pot. Add the beef a few pieces at a time; do not overcrowd. Cook, turning the pieces until beef is browned on all sides, about 5 minutes per batch; add more oil as needed between batches.
• Remove the beef from the pot and add the vinegar and wine. Cook over medium-high heat, scraping the pan with a wooden spoon to loosen any browned bits. Add the beef, beef broth and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a slow simmer.
• Cover and cook, skimming broth from time to time, until the beef is tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Add the onions and carrots and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes. Add the potatoes and simmer until vegetables are tender, about 30 minutes more. Add broth or water if the stew is dry. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Ladle among 4 bowls and serve.

CLASSIC BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Generously season beef with salt and pepper. Dust with flour and shake off excess. Heat a Dutch oven or other heavy-bottomed pot over medium-high, and swirl in 2 tablespoons oil.
• Add half of beef in a single layer and cook, turning a few times, until browned in places, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer to a plate, leaving fat in pot. Brown remaining beef; transfer to plate.
• Preheat oven to 350°F. Swirl remaining 1 tablespoon oil into pot, still over medium-high heat. Cook onions until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add tomato paste and cook, stirring frequently, until caramelized, 1 minute. Add Worcestershire sauce and wine; boil until mostly evaporated.
• Return beef and any accumulated juices to pot with broth and tomatoes. Bring to a boil. Cover pot, transfer to oven, and cook 1 1/2 hours. Remove pot from oven and stir carrots and potatoes into stew. Cover and continue cooking in oven until beef is fork-tender and vegetables are easily pierced with the tip of a knife, about 1 hour more. Stir in peas; return to oven for 5 minutes more, just to heat through.
• Ladle stew into shallow bowls, sprinkle with parsley, and serve. Cooled stew can be transferred to an airtight container and refrigerated up to 2 days, or frozen up to 3 months.

NORTHERN ITALIAN BEEF STEW

Steps:

• Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook beef in batches in hot oil until browned completely, about 5 minutes per batch. Remove browned beef cubes to a plate lined with paper towels, keeping skillet over heat and retaining the beef drippings.
• Cook and stir onion, celery, and carrots in the retained beef drippings until just softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir mushrooms and garlic into the onion mixture.
• Pour red wine into the pan; bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Continue cooking the mixture until the wine evaporates, 7 to 10 minutes. Stir tomatoes into the mixture.
• Return beef to skillet with potatoes, basil, thyme, marjoram, and sage. Pour beef stock and tomato sauce over the mixture. Bring the liquid to a simmer.
• Reduce heat to low and simmer until the beef is very tender and the sauce is thick, 4 to 6 hours.