Beef Stew
Beef chuck browned and braised low and slow with aromatic vegetables until fork-tender in a rich savory broth.
- Prep
- 20 mins
- Cook
- 3 hrs 30 mins
- Total
- 3 hrs 50 mins
- Serves
- 6
Braising at its most essential: brown the meat, cook the aromatics, add liquid, cover, and cook gently until tender. An extra thirty minutes rarely harms a chuck roast — the meat is ready when a fork meets little resistance.
Ingredients
For the stew
Instructions
Brown the beef
- Heat the oven to 325°F (165°C) and season the beef generously with salt and pepper. Heat the oil in a heavy pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat and brown the beef well on all sides, in batches if necessary — about 8–10 minutes per batch. Remove and set aside.
Build the braise and finish
- Add the onion, carrots, and celery to the pot and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5–7 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste if using and cook 1 minute.
- Return the beef to the pot and add the water or stock, bay leaves, and thyme — the liquid should come about halfway up the meat.
- Bring to a bare simmer, press a sheet of aluminum foil over the top of the pot, set the lid on top, and transfer to the oven. Cook 3½–4 hours, until the meat is fork-tender and pulls apart easily. Taste the liquid and adjust salt before serving.
Notes
For every covered braise, press a sheet of foil over the pot before the lid — it traps steam and keeps the liquid from reducing before the meat is tender. Brown in batches; crowding steams instead of browns.
