Old-Fashioned Beef Stew Recipe
Prep Time:
15 minutes
Cook Time:
2 hours, 30 minutes
Servings:
4 servings
Ingredients
  • 2 pounds beef chuck
  • 1 large onion
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 3 large carrots (10 ounces)
  • 2 large Yukon gold potatoes (12 ounces)
  • 6 ounces thick-cut bacon
  • 2 tablespoons flour
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups red wine
  • 2 cups beef stock
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 fresh thyme sprigs, plus thyme leaves to garnish
Directions
  1. Cut the beef chuck into 2-inch cubes.
  2. Dice the onion and finely chop the garlic.
  3. Peel and cut the carrots into bite-size chunks.
  4. Peel the potatoes and cut into slightly larger chunks, about 1 inch thick.
  5. Stack the bacon slices on top of each other, and cut into 1/2-inch-wide slices.
  6. Put the flour in a large bowl, and season with salt and pepper. Add the beef cubes to the bowl, and toss until covered in flour.
  7. Heat a Dutch oven or large stockpot over medium heat, and add the bacon slices. Sauté until browned and crispy, about 7 minutes, then remove the bacon from the pan and drain on a paper towel.
  8. Sauté the onion in the remaining bacon fat until softened, about 3 minutes.
  9. Add the garlic and sauté for another minute, then remove the onion and garlic from the pan.
  10. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the pan. Add half of the beef cubes, and brown on all sides, about 3 minutes per side. Reduce heat if bottom of pan starts to burn.
  11. Remove the beef, and add another tablespoon of olive oil. Add the second half of the beef cubes and brown.
  12. Remove the beef, and pour in a few ounces of the red wine. Deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom of the pan with a plastic spatula or wooden spoon as the wine bubbles, about 2 minutes.
  13. Put the onion, garlic, beef, and bacon back into the pan. Add the rest of the red wine and the beef stock. The beef should be almost entirely covered by liquid. Stir in the bay leaf and thyme sprigs.
  14. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to medium and cover partway with a lid. Simmer for 1½ hours, stirring occasionally.
  15. Add the carrots and potatoes, and simmer for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If too much liquid has evaporated by the time the beef, carrots, and potatoes are tender, add more beef stock or water.
  16. Remove bay leaf and thyme sprigs before serving. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves.