Slow cooker beef stew recipe with potatoes and carrots
This slow cooker beef stew recipe is for a 5-quart cooker and about six servings. Browning the beef first adds depth, while potatoes and carrots cook underneath it in broth. Use chuck or another stewing cut; a lean quick-cooking steak is not a useful shortcut here.
Allow 20–30 minutes for preparation and approximately 10–11 hours on low, or 5–6 hours on high, plus a short thickening stage. A stew is ready when the meat yields to a fork and the vegetables are tender.
Why the beef can still feel tough: a collagen-rich cut may need more time even after reaching a safe meat temperature. Increasing flour does not fix toughness. If the gravy gets too thick, loosen with a little hot broth.
Use fully thawed meat, not a frozen block. Cool leftovers in shallow containers and refrigerate within 2 hours; reheat to 165 °F (74 °C). Do not use a warm setting to cook the raw stew from the start.
Recipe and method from Campbell’s
Recipe and method from ask.fsis.usda.gov
Ingredients
Step 1
Prepare vegetables and thawed beef. Toss beef with two tablespoons of flour and pepper. Heat oil in a skillet and brown the meat in batches so the pan does not cool into a pool of meat juices.
Step 2
Put potatoes, carrots, onions and garlic in the crock. Add browned beef,750 ml broth, Worcestershire sauce, thyme and bay leaf. Cover and start cooking immediately.
Step 3
Cook on low about 10–11 hours or on high about 5–6 hours, following your appliance’s loading guidance. Check a piece of beef and a potato before moving on; if either remains firm, continue cooking.
Step 4
Remove the bay leaf. Mix remaining flour with the reserved cool broth until smooth. Stir into the stew with peas, switch to high, cover and cook until the flour mixture has fully cooked and the gravy thickens, at least 15 minutes after heating through.
Step 5
Taste before adding salt, since broth varies. Spoon into warm bowls, checking that the gravy is hot throughout.
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