Slow Cooker Beef Brisket
Give your kids a meal to brag about with this slow cooker beef brisket recipe. Theyll tell all their friends how their parents make the best brisket.
They dont have to know how easy it is! This recipe yields a juicy brisket that is so tender, you wont even need a knife to cut it.
Complete the meal with mashed potatoes and green beans for a family favorite.
What Kind Of Meat To Use In Beef Stew
I recommend using a boneless chuck roast to make beef stew. You can also use beef stew meat, but the stew meat that you buy pre-cut at the grocery store is often lower quality and less tender than buying a larger cut of beef and cutting it into smaller pieces yourself.
Look for a boneless beef chuck roast that is about 2 pounds total. A little bit of fat marbled throughout the meat will add flavor, but you should cut off any excess fat when you cube the meat.
Notes & Tips For Beef Stew
- When picking your vegetables, feel free to substitute, omit, increase, or decrease the amounts used. The vegetables do add their own texture and flavor, but its more important that you like the combination used as opposed to using the exact melody of flavors listed in this recipe. For instance, Im not always in the mood for mushrooms, so Ill leave those out and increase the amounts of carrots or green beans to make up for it.
Also Check: Paleo Recipes For Weight Loss
How To Make It
See recipe card at bottom of post for ingredient quantities and full instructions
Cut meat into 1-inch cubes, discard any large pieces of fat. Fat marbleized into the meat is fine!
Season beef with pepper, garlic salt, and celery salt. Toss to coat. Sprinkle flour over the meat and toss again. Sear the meat in batches for 45 seconds per side and transfer to the Slow Cooker.
Melt 1 Tablespoon of butter and soften the onions and garlic, scraping up any meat remnants up from the pot. Add a splash of wine to help loosen if necessary. Transfer to the Slow Cooker.
Add all remaining ingredients except for the peas, corn starch, and 2 Tablespoons of cold butter. Heat on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours, until the vegetables are softened and the potatoes are fork tender.
Add the peas during the last 15 minutes of cooking. To thicken, combine 1/4 cup cold water + 3 Tablespoons corn starch and slowly stir it into the broth. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Turn off heat and remove the bay leaves and rosemary stem. Add browning and seasoning sauce.
What Can I Do To Make My Beef Stew Vegetables Not Mushy
You can put them into the crockpot later than the meat. Crock pot temps and times are varied across different brands and models. If you find your veggies are too mushy, first check to see if you put the crock pot on LOW. If its on low , put them into the crock pot later. Usually, the most irritating veggies to get too soft are the potatoes and the carrots. So, you can consider putting them into the crock pot about 1-2 hours after the start of the cooking process.
Read Also: No Carb No Sugar Dinner Recipes
Slow Cooker Ropa Vieja
Ropa vieja is a classic filling for burritos or gorditas. Prepare this filling in your Crockpot and then get ready for a hearty meal.
Store-bought tortillas are the perfect way to serve this delicious concoction. Steam them on the stove, or even just in the microwave, then pile them high with ropa vieja.
Step outside the taco Tuesday box with this classic recipe!
French dip sandwiches are the perfect meal for a Sunday luncheon, or dinner any time of the week.
Dip your toasted bread in the au jus sauce for an irresistibly juicy experience.
This recipe gives you incredibly tender strips of roast beef to pile high on your sandwich.
Dont let a drop of the drippings go to waste! It makes the perfect dip for your sandwich.
This isnt the sandwich from your lunch box days. These French dip sandwiches are warm and flavorful.
If you need a reprieve from your stressful week, try this slow cooker beef bourguignon recipe.
Tender carrots and pearl onions are cooked to perfection alongside savory chunks of beef.
This fancy meal is given humble beginnings in your slow cooker, for a simple process that still yields delicious results.
Make enough to have leftovers because youll want some the next day.
What To Serve With This Beef Stew Recipe
- warm soft bread soaks up the juice nicely
- toasted bread is nice too if you like crispy bread
- Make a sandwich out of it using a soft hoagie loaf bread
- serve it on top of rice, couscous, quinoa or your favorite grain.
- Pasta is always a great way to add the stew on top of. From spaghetti to macaroni or your favorite pasta is delicious.
This slow cooker split pea soup looks fantastic! This recipe was originally published in 2019 and re-published in 2020 with updated video.
Don’t Miss: Simple Salad Recipes For Dinner
What Type Or Cut Of Beef Should You Use
This recipe calls for chuck roast, which is ideal for slow cooker recipes due to its deep marbling, as it ensures that the beef will cook fall-apart tender with lots of flavor.
For best results, Id recommend buying a whole piece of chuck roast then trimming and cutting it yourself at home. This way youll know exactly what youre getting and can control the size of the cuts. From there, you can use as much as you need and freeze the leftovers for next time.
Slow Cooker Steak Fajitas
Fajitas are a popular menu item, and now you can make them yourself. Splurge on a platter of steak, onions, and peppers, economically made in your own kitchen.
Grab your tortillas and favorite toppings for a fiesta your whole family will love! Sour cream, guacamole, and maybe some pico de gallo will complete this dish.
Also Check: Easy And Delicious Keto Recipes
Should You Sear Meat For Beef Stew
Searing, or browning, your meat is all about building flavor. When you sear your meat, you cook it at a high temperature until a crust starts to form and the surface begins to caramelize. This really helps to creates that deep and savory flavor. I typically cut my beef into chunks, dredge in flour, salt and pepper, then sear it in two batches.
Tips For Searing Meat For Stew
How To Freeze Beef Stew
If you want to freeze cooked stew, consider not adding the slurry/thickener because it will separate on thawing.
- To freeze uncooked beef stew, combine all the prepared ingredients in a large freezer bag or an airtight container and place in the freezer.When ready to make, thaw all the ingredients and continue with the recipe. You can also just place all the thawed ingredients in the crock pot and cook for 7 to 8 hours on LOW.
- To freeze cooked beef stew, allow beef stew to cool down completely. Transfer beef stew to large freezer bags or airtight containers and place in the freezer for up to 2 months.
Also Check: Lime Margarita On The Rocks Recipe
Is There Anything Extra That Makes This Beef Stew Crock Pot Healthy
Yes. One item is that you do have lots of vegetables but, were also leaving the skin on the potatoes. Peeling the potatoes is a step that can be forgone and isnt necessary. By leaving the skin on, it has some good added healthy nutrients. Mostly, it adds a lot of fiber but also its good in iron. The rest of the skins nutritional values are minor levels but there are a few more.
Bread To Go With Beef Stew
Beef stew really is a great all in one pot meal. That said, I do like to serve it with a delicious bread or roll on the side. Ive got some great breads to go with beef stew for you.
- Easy Homemade Dinner Rolls are absolutely perfect to pair with this recipe.
- My Jiffy Cornbread recipe, when paired with this stew, is the ultimate in comfort food!
Don’t Miss: Pretzel And Hershey Kiss Recipe
How To Make This Easy Beef Stew On Your Stovetop Instead Of The Slow Cooker
Easy Beef Crockpot Recipes
If youre looking for an easy weeknight meal, these beef Crockpot recipes are sure to do the trick!
Just dump in the ingredients and let your Crockpot do the work!
Want to save this recipe? Enter your email below and we’ll send the recipe straight to your inbox!
From slow cooker soups to delicious pasta dishes, theres a meal here that your family will love.
Get your red meat fix with one of the many beef recipes below. If youre tired of your usual dinner meals, these dishes are a great way to mix things up.
Satisfy your appetite with one of these delicious beef Crockpot recipes. Each one is better than the last!
Also Check: Recipe Ideas Based On Ingredients
What Type Of Red Wine Should You Use
When it comes to picking a wine, the most important aspect is that it should be a dry wine. This makes cabernet sauvignon a popular choice, as the tannins in it really bring out the flavor of the beef. You really cant go wrong picking any type of cabernet sauvignon that fits within your budget.
If youd like to read more about using red wine in cooking, check out this guide: Best Dry Red Wine for Cooking.
Ingredients In Slow Cooker Beef Stew
This easy slow cooker beef stew recipe is filled with savory flavors, hearty potatoes and veggies to make it filling and delicious. Heres what youll need to make it:
- Beef chuck: youll need about 3 pounds of beef chuck, which will end up about 2 1/2 pounds once you trim the excess fat off.
- Beef broth: you can use beef broth or beef bone broth in this recipe.
- Dry red wine: my recommendations are Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir and Shiraz.
- Tomato paste: youll use some tomato paste to help thicken the broth and to give it a nice tang of sweetness.
- Worcestershire: the wonderful addition of Worcestershire gives this beef stew recipe an incredible savory umami flavor.
- Balsamic vinegar: helps to give the beef stew a little tang and sweetness.
- Fresh herbs: both garlic and thyme are used!
- Vegetables: onions, carrots, potatoes and peas are forever my favorite.
- Flour: this helps to thicken the stew once its done. You can use regular, whole wheat or gluten free all purpose flour.
You May Like: Simple Mills Banana Bread Recipe
Tips For Making The Best Beef Stew
- Sear your beef beforehand. This is important! Browning the beef in a skillet beforehand will bring out even more flavor.
- Cook it on low. While many slow cooker recipes can be made on high for 3-4 hours, I highly recommend cooking this beef stew on low for the full 7-8 hours. This will ensure that the beef gets nice and tender.
- Thicken your stew properly. When its time to add your flour to thicken the beef stew, remove 1 cup of beef broth from the slow cooker and add it to a bowl. Youll then whisk in ¼ cup flour until there arent any lumps, add back to the slow cooker and stir to combine. Be sure you dont add flour straight to the slow cooker as it will become lumpy.
About This Beef Stew Crock Pot Easy Recipe
Over the decades, the efforts involved with making this beef stew crock pot simple, required a lot of steps and timings to get it right. Finally, this quick recipe eliminates some of those steps and timings to make it this beef stew crock pot simple. Its quick in prep work it just takes time to cook on its own.
You dont have to braise the meat first. Thats an important step to keep if you not using a slow cooker, though. Not having to braise the meat is a big bonus also because its one less pan involved in cleanup. Also, because of layering the meat on the bottom of the crock pot, and ensuring the veggies are on top, the veggies wont cook as fast due to no direct contact with the bottom heating element. This results in them not being excessively soft or mushy.
Read Also: Hamburger And Tater Tot Recipes
How To Cook Stew Meat In The Crockpot
You can definitely cook them stew meat in the crock pot. The longer you cook stew meat in the crock pot the more tender the meat will be become. If the stew meat is too tough, it needs to be cooked longer in the crock pot.
I have tried to make a beef stew on the stovetop in under 30 minutes on low medium heat and the meat was too tough. Using the crockpot it needs to cook on low for about 8 hours to get tender and the slow cooker is the best way to do that.
The meat comes up so tender, it just melts in your mouth.
However, with this recipe, you want to cook the stew long enough for the meat to be tender but you also want the vegetables to not turn to mush.
The potatoes and carrots will get very soft as they cook, cut them into large pieces so that they can cook longer to allow the meat to become tender but the vegetables to not get too soft.
About Crock Pot Beef Stew
If youre searching for an easy, hearty meal that will warm you up on a cold day, look no further than a big, flavorful bowl of beef stew.
And since this stew is made in a crock pot, its perfect for novice cooks: the slow cooker does all the work for you. All you need is time for it to cook, and once you make it to the end, youre rewarded with a delicious stew thats perfect as an appetizer, dinner, or a comforting snack.
Read Also: Easy Juicing Recipes For Weight Loss
Do You Have To Cook Stew Meat Before Putting It In The Crockpot
For the best beef stew, you need to brown the meat first.
- The crust that forms on the beef as you brown it is the most essential foundation of the stews flavor. Its the secret to making an old fashioned beef stew youll devour over and over.
- In every way but waiting for it to cook, this is an EASY beef stew recipe. Browning the meat takes some time, but it is worth it.
- Brown the meat in batches and dont crowd the pan to ensure that glorious crust forms. Be patient. Pour yourself some wine. Embrace the moment.
Slow Cooker Beef And Broccoli
Turn takeout into take-in with this slow cooker beef and broccoli recipe.
All of your favorite Chinese entree flavors are incorporated into this recipe, which is designed specifically for your Crockpot.
Serve this over rice or noodles for a filling meal your family will enjoy. Even picky eaters will run to the table for this recipe!
Dump in the ingredients and go about your day. Your Crockpot will ensure a hot meal is on the dinner table.
You May Like: Hamburger Recipes For Instant Pot