Slow cooker recipes are very tasty and delicious but require a lot of time to cook. Beef stew is one of these dishes that requires time and love while cooking. If you don’t know how to make a perfect beef stew or want to improve your cooking skills follow these tips. Your next stew will be excellent!
Tips to Follow Before Cooking Beef Stew
Before going into the kitchen you should pay attention to these previous steps that are just as important as the moment of cooking.
- Have a clear idea of the stew you want to make. It is important that you know what kind of stew you want to cook. If you want it to be thicker, with more beef flavor or something more like a soup. You should take this into account when choosing the ingredients and cooking them.
- Choose the right cut of beef. The best cuts for beef stew are boneless chuck, brisket or round. You can use bone-in short ribs for more flavor too.
- Buy quality food. The key to making the stew taste excellent and delicious is not only to buy quality beef, but also the vegetables and other ingredients that you are going to use.
Tips while Making Beef Stew
This is the most delicate part that cannot go wrong if we want to make the perfect beef stew. Follow these tips so you don’t have any problems:
- Make homemade broth. All stews start with the broth. For more flavor it is recommended to make it at home and you can use either beef or vegetables. If you want it to have a strong flavor, make it with beef, but if you want a milder flavor, use vegetables.
- Sear the beef first. One of the most important steps to a flavorful stew is browning the beef. Searing it over high heat gives the beef a deeper, richer flavor because that browns and caramelizes the exterior of the beef.
- Take time to cook the beef stew. The most important thing while you are cooking the stew is to have time. You must allow time for each ingredient to cook and it also needs time to rest.
- Don’t forget to deglaze. By sautéing the meat and sweating the vegetables, browned parts remain in the pan. You can add a little wine, beer, apple juice or simply water and this way they are released and mixed creating a liquid that contributes many aromas to the stew.
- Choose the rest of the ingredients well and add them at the right time. You can add carrots, garlic, onion, pumpkin and all the vegetables you can think of to the stew, but you must take into account that the flavors combine. You can also add those already cooked vegetables such as roasted garlic or caramelized onion. And be sure to add the vegetables to the stew at the right time so that they are not overcooked or undercooked.
- Choose how to thicken the stew. The classic trick is to use a few spoonfuls of flour but you can also use, for example, tomato paste depending on how thick you want your stew to be. Keep in mind that if you use tomato paste you will add that flavor to your stew!
- Decide where you want to go with spices. Spices determine the flavors and aromas of the stew and should be added at the beginning of cooking. For example, if you want to give it a spicy touch you can use turmeric or ginger or for a more exotic touch use cardamom and cinnamon.
- Finish with fresh herbs. You should add the herbs at the end so that they do not lose their flavor while the stew is cooking. You can use parsley, rosemary, tarragon or dill to give a final touch of freshness.
- Let the stew rest for a while before eating. This way the flavors will settle and it will be delicious.
Some Delicious Beef Stew recipes
You can use many ingredients to give a special touch to your veal stew. If you are looking for new recipes this one for a Steak and Sweet Potatoes Stew is delicious and a little sweet.
On the other hand, if you want a stew with more personality and stronger flavors you can make this special Beef and Guinness Stew. We hope these tips will help you surprise your family with the perfect beef stew!