Outstanding Slow Cooker Beef Stew

I was thinking of naming this recipe Boozy Beef Stew but thought that may offend some people so I opted for a more demure title (even though this stew has red wine and a large can of stout or dark lager beer in it).

I don't want to get too big for my britches, but this could be the beef stew to end all beef stews. It has so many flavour combinations going on, but they all work together into one gigantic, gastronomically delicious dish. Nom-nom!  

Beware though, even with the addition of the cornstarch in the last hour of cooking this is still a very juicy stew. To 'solve' this issue, we sopped up the extra juices with thick slices of crispy garlic bread (oh, my word!). As the cooled, it thickened up quite a bit so I'd call this more of a 'stoup' (half soup/half stew) and the leftovers (of which there will be plenty) will be thicker than the first time you eat it.

The wine and beer give the stew a delicious richness and depth of flavour and the chunky cuts of meat and veggies round out a fantastic, hearty meal. Just make sure you don't skip the step where you sear the meat! It makes a world of difference for keeping the moisture in your meat and making it fall-apart tender too. 



Outstanding Slow Cooker Beef Stew
Servings: 6-8

Cooking time: 8-10 hours 

(please see instructions (highlighted below) for one hour before serving time)

2 tbsp grapeseed or olive oil
2 1/2 lbs stewing beef
2 1/2 tsp (or more) of Emeril's Essence spice mix (recipe below)
6 small potatoes - peeled and cubed into 1/2-inch pieces (approx. 4 cups)
2 cups carrots, sliced
3 celery stalks - sliced
2 medium onions - peeled and chopped into chunks
6 large white mushrooms - chopped into chunks
5 garlic cloves - minced
1/2 cup red wine (I used Jackson Trigg's Cabernet Sauvignon)
2 cups beef broth
1 can (473mL) stout beer (I have used Waterloo Original Dark Lager as well as Guinness)
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 can (156mL/5oz) tomato paste
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
1/2 tsp allspice
4 tbsp cornstarch

Emeril's Essence Spice Mix
2 1/2 tbsp. paprika
2 tbsp. salt
2 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tbsp. black pepper
1 tbsp. onion powder
1 tbsp. cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tbsp. dried thyme

Prepare Emeril's Spice Mix by combining all spices and mixing well. Keep remaining spice mix in an air-tight container for later use.
Recipe for spice mix from: The Food Network

Prepare stew: Heat oil in a large skillet over med-high heat. Add beef to skillet. Sprinkle meat with Emeril's Essence spice mix and sear outside of meat ensuring that all sides are seared. Remove from heat.

Meanwhile, add potatoes to your large slow cooker. Place meat onto the potatoes and scrape all of the juices on the spuds too (putting the potatoes on the bottom will ensure that they cook through and are surrounded by all the liquid). Add remaining ingredients except the cornstarch.

Gently mix up the beef, veggies etc. (try to leave the potatoes on the bottom).  Place lid onto your slow cooker and set it on the low setting.  Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

About an hour before serving, remove about a 1/2 cup of the liquid from the slow cooker and add the cornstarch. Mix well and add to the slow cooker.  Gently mix.  This should help thicken your stew.  Add more if you want it thicker.

The first night it's quite juicy - perfect for dipping crusty bread!

Remove bay leaf. Serve stew with a crusty loaf - one of our favs is my Honey Whole Wheat Bread (click HERE for the recipe) which is ever-so-tasty and great for dipping.