This one-pot, oven braised beef stew is filled with hunks of browned beef and vegetables like potatoes, carrots, mushrooms and green beans along with fresh herbs and garlic in rich, deep flavorful gravy. Just this thing to warm your up on a cold winter’s day!
Baby, it’s cold out side.
The snow has been falling steadily all day long. And by the end of the week, our temperatures will be low. And by low I mean -1. GAH! I do not want to leave the house when it’s like this. I want to be holed up with movies and coffee wearing all the scarves, thick socks and eating cozy comforting dishes. Like stew.
Over the weekend I made this amazing oven braised beef stew. It’s my mom’s recipe that I found in the beloved three-ring binder of Our Family’s Beloved Recipes that she gave all us daughters years back. And because I’m my mother’s daughter, I only changed the quantities a little, but the ingredients remain the same. Maybe.
Beautifully browned beef with lots of veggies, herbs and garlic in a deeply rich and brown gravy, all in one pot. It’s just what the cold weather ordered (wait, huh?) so bust out a loaf of crusty bread and dive on in!
To Make This Braised Beef Stew You Will Need:
- bacon fat
- extra light olive oil
- bottom round roast, cut into 1 to 1-1/2 inch pieces
- steak seasoning (I like Simply Organic Chophouse Seasoning)
- dry red wine (I like Malbec)
- yellow onions
- celery
- carrots
- mushrooms
- russets potatoes
- green beans
- garlic
- fresh thyme, rosemary and bay leaves
- beef stock
- fine ground tapioca flour
- Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt and black pepper
- chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Preheat your oven to 250℉ (or 120℃).
First cube up a 2-1/2 pounds of a bottom round roast into a little over 1-inch pieces, like how I did it in this post. I like to cut my own stew meat, because do you really know what cut of meat is in the pre-cut package labled “stew meat”? Then prep all of the remaining veggies and rustle up the remaining ingredients.
Next sprinkle the pieces of beef with 2 tablespoons of steak seasoning. I like to use Simply Organic Chophouse Seasoning.
Heat 1 tablespoons each bacon fat and olive oil in a large 6 quart (or larger) dutch oven. Then work in batches, searing the meat until deep golden. The rich color and deep flavor of this braised beef stew is because of the searing of the stew meat.
Transfer the deeply caramelized meat to a clean bowl and repeat with the rest. For me I did it in 3 batches and it took me about 20-25 minutes.
Then reduce the heat to medium, pour 1/2 cup dry red wine into the pot, using a wooden spoon and scraping up the browned bits on the bottom. Immediately tossing all the meat back in afterwards.
Then mix the 1/4 cup of tapioca flour in with the 4 cups beef broth and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire and then pour it all into the pot. Next, toss in, 2 yellow onions (cut into eighths), 2 stalks of celery, sliced, 4 large carrots that have been cut into pieces, 1 (8 ounce) package of mushrooms (halved or quartered if large), 2 medium russets (cut into 1-1/2 inch pieces), 1/4 pound fresh green beans (trimmed and halved), 4 peeled and roughly chopped cloves fresh garlic. Give it one last stir. Lastly, place 4 springs fresh thyme, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary and 2 bay leaves on top, cover with the heavy lid and bring to a boil before sliding into your preheated 250° oven for 3-1/2 to 4 hours.
Yes 250°. Low and slow, remember? ❤️
Ps. I found tapioca flour and my local grocery store but if you’re having trouble finding it, you can order it on Amazon. [affiliate]
In the oven is where the magic happens. Slowly cooking the vegetables until they are perfectly tender and the meat falls apart easily.
So comforting! And smells intoxicatingly delicious!
As you’d expect, this braised beef stew fills your home with the most intoxicating aroma. And on days when the winter weather chills you to the bone, this stew is a warm hug… thawing you from the inside out in the best way possible.
Enjoy! And if you give this Braised Beef Stew recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
Oven Braised Beef Stew
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon bacon fat, or olive oil
- 1 tablespoon extra light olive oil
- 2½ pounds bottom round roast, cut into 1 to 1½ inch pieces
- 2 tablespoons steak seasoning, Like McCormick's or Simply Organic Chophouse Seasoning
- 1/2 cup dry red wine, like merlot or malbec
- 2 yellow onions, cut into eighths
- 2 ribs celery, sliced, about 1 cup
- 4 carrots, diced
- 8 ounces mushrooms, halved or quartered if large
- 2 medium russet potatoes, cut into 1½ inch pieces
- 1/4 pound fresh green beans, trimmed and halved (optional)
- 4 cloves garlic, peeled and roughly chopped
- 4 sprigs fresh thyme
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- 4 cups beef stock
- 1/4 cup fine ground tapicoa flour
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- kosher salt, to taste
- freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- chopped parsley leaves, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 250℉ (or 120℃).
- Heat the bacon fat and olive oil in a 6 quart or larger dutch oven on medium high heat.
- Meanwhile, toss the stew meat with the steak seasoning. Work in batches searing the meat until deep golden brown on all sides, transferring it to a bowl and repeating with the remaining pieces.
- Reduce the heat under the dutch oven to medium low, de-glaze with the wine and scrape up the brown bits on the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Add the browned stew meat back in the pot, with the vegetables and garlic, stirring to combine.
- In a large liquid measuring cup, combine the beef stock, Worcestershire and tapioca. Pour the mixture into the pot, add in the bay leaf and lay the fresh herbs on top. Cover and increase the heat to high and bring it to a boil then slide the pot into your oven and braise for 3½ to 4 hours.
- Once braised, remove pot from oven and uncover. Remove the herbs and bay leaf and season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Top with chopped fresh parsley and serve with crusty torn bread.
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Looks great! Love a beef stew that cooks slow in the oven. Nothing makes your house smell better!
Also, thank you so much for including a specific wine recommendation. I never know what to buy when a recipe says dry red or dry white wine.
Hi Susan! I totally agree with you! The rosemary especially smells heavenly! And about the wine, I am the same way! I had to start writing down the wine I’d use in recipes, because I could never remember Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio etc. I’m glad you find it helpful too! 🙂
How much Worcestershire sauce should be added? Thanks!
Hi Jim! That’s 1 tablespoon, I fixed it the recipe instructions. Thanks for kindly pointing that out! 🙂
Is there a substitute for the steak seasoning?
In a pinch you could do coarse salt and pepper. 🙂
230 degrees is too high for slow cooking. Put mine down to 180c and dried out too much. Think 160 would be best. Used gravy powder instead of tapioca. Tasted good.
Hey Judith! The temperature listed is in Fahrenheit not Celsius.
Do you have to use tapioca flour? Can it just be regular flour?
I’m sure you could!
Tasted great! I used Madeira wine. I didn’t have fresh herbs, so I used dried. I will definitely make this again!