Beef stew kind of day...

[K Frame]

Going to be seriously crappy weather the next few days.

Snow today, and plunging temperatures well into the coming week.

So, I decided that it's time for a big batch of baked beef stew.

Nope, this isn't going to be Boogaloo a la Ben. This is going to be a classic "stuff tossed in the dutch oven" beef stew.

I've got a 2.5 lb chuck roast defrosting that I'll cube and sear in my big flat pan and then toss in the dutch oven.

Then sautee the onions, mushrooms, and celery a bit, then deglaze the pan with red wine and beef broth. Then all that goes in the dutch oven.

Then a bag of baby carrots, a couple of pounds of cubed red potatoes, a can of tomatoes, some worcestershire sauce, some spices (thyme and Italian seasoning) and into the oven at 300 for 2 to 3 hours.

About half an hour before it's done I'll add some roux to thicken the juices and a bag of frozen peas. I don't know why, but I love peas in my beef stew. My Mom, who made an excellent beef stew (without the red wine) would never add peas. She didn't like them.

No recipes involved. This was something that was always just assembled in my family. Normally it was cooked on the stove top or in the slow cooker. I'm baking it because... well why not.

I just hope it's as good as my Mom's.

[Boomhauer]

Sounds very good! I’m definitely doing our next roast in this kind of style because I’ve heard it’s better than the crock pot we normally use, and my wife just got a nice Dutch oven for Christmas.

Speaking of red wine for this kind of cooking, is there a right or wrong way to go? I know not a damn thing about wines since I don’t drink them, so I don’t know is there a preferred kind of red wine for cooking or what?

[K Frame]

Well, I don't know much about wines at all, either.

But, I do have a couple of rules of thumb.

I use Malbecs when the dish contains a LOT of tomato. Chili, pastas, etc. Malbec (which I generally like as a drinking wine, but I'm not that big on red wines in general) works really well with tomatoes.

In dishes without tomato, though, I find that it takes on harsh tones when cooked. I found that out a couple of years ago when I used it in beef stew and I was not impressed with the results.

For beef stew and other dishes that call for a red wine base I generally go with a Merlot or a Pino Noir, dry reds that have a lot of character when cooked in a dish.

I'm using a Robert Mondavi Merlot for today's beef stew because it's what I have open in the refrigerator, left over from my Christmas cooking. I used it as the base for a shallot mushroom reduction gravy and it was very, very nice, so I suspect that it will work really well in my stew.

I also have a bottle of Alamos Malbec in the fridge. I don't know how long that's been open. I need to pour a glass to see if it's still good, and if it is, make something with a lot of tomatoes. Like chili.

[K Frame]

Oh, and the crock pot is great for making beef stew. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You just need to brown the meat before hand, which a lot of people don't do when using the crockpot. And that robs the dish of an incredible amount of flavor.

[Boomhauer]

Oh, and the crock pot is great for making beef stew. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise. You just need to brown the meat before hand, which a lot of people don't do when using the crockpot. And that robs the dish of an incredible amount of flavor.

Oh I’ve never had bad results from the crock pot, I do always brown the roast. I’ve just heard the Dutch oven is often better.

[K Frame]

Got the stew in the oven just a little bit later than I wanted, but my back is simply not cooperating with me.

Decided instead of a can of tomatoes that I'd go with a couple of heavy squeezes of ketchup. It works. Also forgot to get fresh garlic, so garlic powder it was. Sigh.

[HeroHog]

We had leftover beef stew the wife made yesterday and it's even better today!

Next up? Texas Tortilla Soup!

[K Frame]

Well that was the best beef stew I've ever made.

[T.O.M.]

For long slow cooks, I really like the results I've been getting using tri-tip.  Kroger sells tri-tip cut into steaks in two pound packs.  Super tender and with great flavor.

[K Frame]

For long slow cooks, I really like the results I've been getting using tri-tip.  Kroger sells tri-tip cut into steaks in two pound packs.  Super tender and with great flavor.

I rarely buy beef. The chuck roast I used was one I bought in October 2022 and threw into the freezer and promptly forgot about.

[K Frame]

One of these days I really need to try making beef stew with drop dumplings.