Making CrockPot Beef Stew

One of my all-time favorite slow cooker dinners is CrockPot Beef Stew. It is wonderful and filling, with juicy beef chunks, carrots, potatoes, and peas (or green beans). Beef stew made in a slow cooker is the best comfort food there is!

All that’s truly required to finish the dinner is a side of quick buttermilk biscuits or butter-slathered cornbread muffins. Alternately, serve CrockPot Beef Stew with hearty baked bread to dip into the gravy. Heaven will have everyone there!

Ingredients for a stew in a slow cooker

The ingredients for this CrockPot beef stew dish include beef chuck or stew beef, fresh peas or beans, and root vegetables like potatoes, carrots, and celery.

Chuck steak is the ideal type of meat to use in beef stew. It will need to be cut into cubes by you. The shoulders and front end of the animal produce chuck, tough yet flavorful meat.

It is ideal for pot roast or Crock Pot Beef Stew (a similar texture to pork shoulder which is used to make Crock Pot Pulled Pork). Under the low and gradual cooking of a crock pot, it keeps its rich, meaty taste and turns succulent and fork-tender.

Delicious Slow Cooker Beef Stew: Seasonings, beef broth that has been thickened, and flavorful herbs are what make a stew a stew. CrockPot beef stew with red wine could add even more flavor to the dish.

To deglaze the pan you used to brown the meat, swap out a cup of the beef broth for a cup of strong dry wine, like Cabernet Sauvignon or Merlot. You might also include some button mushrooms.

How to Prepare Crock-Pot Beef Stew?

While we enjoy making a traditional beef stew on the stovetop, you can leave this simple recipe in the slow cooker to simmer while you go about your day. In only a few easy steps, crock pot beef stew may be prepared, and the beef becomes incredibly soft.

Cook the beef in batches in olive oil after coating it with the flour-garlic powder combination. Don’t crowd the pan. (You can skip this step, but the stew gets a lot of flavor from browning.)

Use the same pan to sauté the onion (use a broth or red wine to help deglaze and add any brown bits to your crock pot).

Everything should be added to a slow cooker—I use a 6-quart one—and cook until the beef is tender. Peas are added after stirring.

How Long to Cook Beef Stew in Crock Pot?

Crock Pot beef stew is a meal that can be prepared ahead of time and left to cook on its own. Until the meat is soft, cook it on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 8–9 hours. If further time is required, you can leave it on warm for another hour or so.

To thicken beef stew in a crock pot, I use a cornstarch slurry, which I add at the end of cooking. After adding the slurry, let it cook for about 10 minutes to get rid of any starchy flavor.

We serve beef stew with homemade dinner rolls or other crusty bread for the ideal meal!

Crock-Pot beef stew leftovers

In the refrigerator, leftovers last for three to four days.

You’ll be pleased to learn that CrockPot Beef Stew freezes extremely well, so make a big batch for those times when you need a quick meal.

Your stew will last for four months in the freezer if you place it in plastic containers with approximately an inch of headspace for expansion.

1. Mix the flour with the garlic powder and season with salt and pepper. Beef is tossed in a flour mixture.
2. In small batches, brown the meat and onions in olive oil. Scrape up any brown parts in the pan and add some of the broth.
3. To a 6QT slow cooker, add all the ingredients minus the peas and cornstarch.
4. Cook beef until soft, about 4-5 hours on high or 8-9 hours on low.
5. Combine 2 tablespoons of water and cornstarch. To thicken, stir a little at a time into the stew (you may not need all of the mixtures). Put in peas.
6. Cook for 10 minutes while covered. Add pepper and salt to taste.

Nutrition