1. 4 Secrets for the
Best Slow Cooker Beef Stew
By Hilary Meyer, Associate Food Editor, EatingWell Magazine
1.Maximize Flavor On Your Stove First
Dumping ingredients into your slow cooker and walking away
may be convenient, but it’s usually not the best way to get the
most flavor out of your food. You need the caramelized bits you
get from searing your meat and vegetables on the stovetop first.
Since you don’t need to worry about cooking things through
(they’ll finish in your slow cooker) the process doesn’t take long.
Just heat up a small amount of oil and give your meat and vegeta-
bles a sear before adding them to the slow cooker. Then “deglaze”
the pan with liquid to get all the brown, caramelized bits from the
sauté pan and pour the flavorful liquid into the slow cooker.
2.Pick the Right Meat
When it comes to your slow cooker, not all meat is created equal.
To get richly flavored, melt-in-your-mouth-tender meat, you need
to choose tougher cuts that can benefit from hours of cooking.
Cuts like chuck, brisket and bottom round are all good choices--
full of flavor and, another perk, relatively cheap too. As your stew
cooks, the collagen inside the meat breaks down, making it tender
and delicious.
3. Pick the Right Vegetables
Just like meat, there are some vegetables that are born to go into
the slow cooker. When you’re picking vegetables for your stew,
think hearty: root vegetables like potatoes, turnips and rutabaga
are all good options--they can take the prolonged cooking and
still hold their shape. Mushrooms also hold up well. More tender
vegetables like snow peas, spinach and other leafy greens can
certainly have their place in the slow cooker, but you may want to
add them later; they can disintegrate if they spend too much time
cooking.
4.Cut Your Ingredients to Size
Bigger is better when it comes to the size of vegetables that will be
going into your slow cooker. For vegetables where holding their
shape is important (like chunks of potato or carrots), a good rule
of thumb would be pieces no smaller than 1 inch. By cutting them
a little larger, they remain toothsome, not mushy when you cook
them. For vegetables that contribute flavor more than texture (like
onions and garlic), cutting them smaller is fine. Meat for beef stew
should also be cut into 1-inch pieces. Cut the pieces too large and
they may not come out as tender.
“The humble slow cooker can turn out some pretty mean food if you
know a few tricks. Not to mention it’s convient, relatively inexpensive
and very easy to use.”
2
Flemish Beef Stew
Ingredients
• 4 teaspoons canola oil
• Divided 2 pounds bottom round trimmed of fat and
cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3/4 pound sliced cremini or white button mush-
rooms
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups brown ale or dark beer
• 4 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon caraway seeds
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 bay leaf
Directions
1. Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add half the beef and brown on all sides, turning frequently,
about 5 minutes. Transfer to a 6-quart slow cooker. Drain
any fat from the pan. Add the remaining 2 teaspoons oil and
brown the remaining beef. Transfer to the slow cooker.
2. Return the skillet to medium heat, add mushrooms and
cook, stirring often, until they give off their liquid and it
evaporates to a glaze, 5 to 7 minutes. Sprinkle flour over the
mushrooms; cook undisturbed for 10 seconds, then stir and
cook for 30 seconds more. Pour in ale (or beer); bring to a
boil, whisking constantly to reduce foaming, until thickened
and bubbling, about 3 minutes. Transfer the mushroom
mixture to the slow cooker.
3. Add carrots, onion, garlic, mustard, caraway seeds, salt,
pepper and bay leaf to the slow cooker. Stir to combine.
4. Put the lid on and cook on low until the beef is very ten-
der, about 8 hours. Discard the bay leaf before serving.
Makes 8 servings.