Ingredients

2 clove medium Garlic

minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

4 fillet Anchovy

finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye

(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 large Onion

halved and cut from pole to pole into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)

4 medium Carrot

peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

0.25 cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour

2 cups Red Wine

2 cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth

2 leaf Bay

4 sprigs Fresh Thyme

4 ounces Salt Pork

rinsed of excess salt

1 pound Yukon Gold Potato

scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1.5 cups Frozen Pearl Onion

thawed

2 teaspoons Unflavored Powdered Gelatin

(about 1 packet)

0.5 cup Water

1 cup Frozen Peas

thawed

Table Salt And Ground Black Pepper

Best Beef Stew

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (J. Kenji Lopez-Alt)

Serves	Total	Shares
8	225 min	3

Despite hours of simmering, most beef stews fall flat. With its rich gravy and tender meat, this one packs in more flavor in less time. The taste of beef stew is rarely as complex as its rich aroma would lead you to believe. We wanted a rich-tasting but approachable beef stew with tender meat, flavorful vegetables, and a rich brown gravy that justified the time it took to prepare.Step one for achieving rich meaty flavor is proper browning. If you crowd the pan, the meat ends up steaming in its own juices, so for a big pot of stew, it’s important to sear the meat in two separate batches. After browning the beef (beefy-tasting chuck-eye is our preferred cut for stew), we caramelized the usual choices of onions and carrots, rather than just adding them raw to the broth.Along with traditional stew components like garlic, red wine, and chicken broth, we added ingredients rich in glutamates like tomato paste, salt pork, and anchovies. Glutamates are compounds that give meat its savory taste and they contribute considerable flavor to the dish. To mimic the luxurious, mouth-coating texture of beef stews made with homemade stock (provided by the collagen in bones that is transformed into gelatin when simmered), we included powdered gelatin and flour. The rest of the recipe was simple. We added frozen pearl onions toward the end of cooking along with some frozen peas. As for potatoes, medium-starch Yukon Golds added halfway through cooking beat out starchy russets.

stewsmain coursemake ahead

Save this recipe to your personal collection, manage your grocery lists and access the step-by-step cooking assistant with the TastyBites app.

Instructions

Note: Use a good-quality, medium-bodied wine, such as Côtes du Rhône or Pinot Noir, for this stew. Try to find beef that is well marbled with white veins of fat. Meat that is too lean will come out slightly dry. Four pounds of blade steaks, trimmed of gristle and silver skin, can be substituted for the chuck-eye roast. While the blade steak will yield slightly thinner pieces after trimming, it should still be cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Look for salt pork that is roughly 75 percent lean. The stew can be cooled, covered tightly, and refrigerated for up to 2 days. Reheat it gently before serving.

1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye
(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups Red Wine
4 ounces Salt Pork
rinsed of excess salt

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic and anchovies in small bowl; press with back of fork to form paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.

2 clove medium Garlic
minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
4 fillet Anchovy
finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

Pat meat dry with paper towels. Do not season. Heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in large heavy-bottomed Dutch oven over high heat until just starting to smoke. Add half of beef and cook until well browned on all sides, about 8 minutes total, reducing heat if oil begins to smoke or fond begins to burn. Transfer beef to large plate. Repeat with remaining beef and 1 tablespoon vegetable oil, leaving second batch of meat in pot after browning.

1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye
(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

Reduce heat to medium and return first batch of beef to pot. Add onion and carrots to Dutch oven and stir to combine with beef. Cook, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits, until onion is softened, 1 to 2 minutes. Add garlic mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until no dry flour remains, about 30 seconds.

2 clove medium Garlic
minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye
(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 large Onion
halved and cut from pole to pole into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
4 medium Carrot
peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
0.25 cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour

Slowly add wine, scraping bottom of pan to loosen any browned bits. Increase heat to high and allow wine to simmer until thickened and slightly reduced, about 2 minutes. Stir in broth, bay leaves, thyme, and salt pork. Bring to simmer, cover, transfer to oven, and cook for 1 1/2 hours.

2 cups Red Wine
2 cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 leaf Bay
4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
4 ounces Salt Pork
rinsed of excess salt

Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and salt pork. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.

2 leaf Bay
4 ounces Salt Pork
rinsed of excess salt
1 pound Yukon Gold Potato
scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

Using large spoon, skim any excess fat from surface of stew. Stir in pearl onions; cook over medium heat until potatoes and onions are cooked through and meat offers little resistance when poked with fork (meat should not be falling apart), about 15 minutes. Meanwhile, sprinkle gelatin over water in small bowl and allow to soften for 5 minutes.

1 pound Yukon Gold Potato
scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1.5 cups Frozen Pearl Onion
thawed
2 teaspoons Unflavored Powdered Gelatin
(about 1 packet)
0.5 cup Water

Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

2 teaspoons Unflavored Powdered Gelatin
(about 1 packet)
1 cup Frozen Peas
thawed
Table Salt And Ground Black Pepper

Best Beef Stew

J. Kenji Lopez-Alt (J. Kenji Lopez-Alt)

Serves	Total	Shares
8	225 min	3

stewsmain coursemake ahead

Save this recipe to your personal collection, manage your grocery lists and access the step-by-step cooking assistant with the TastyBites app.

Ingredients

2 clove medium Garlic

minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)

4 fillet Anchovy

finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)

1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye

(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces

2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 large Onion

halved and cut from pole to pole into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)

4 medium Carrot

peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)

0.25 cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour

2 cups Red Wine

2 cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth

2 leaf Bay

4 sprigs Fresh Thyme

4 ounces Salt Pork

rinsed of excess salt

1 pound Yukon Gold Potato

scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1.5 cups Frozen Pearl Onion

thawed

2 teaspoons Unflavored Powdered Gelatin

(about 1 packet)

0.5 cup Water

1 cup Frozen Peas

thawed

Table Salt And Ground Black Pepper

Instructions

1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye
(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 cups Red Wine
4 ounces Salt Pork
rinsed of excess salt

Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 300 degrees. Combine garlic and anchovies in small bowl; press with back of fork to form paste. Stir in tomato paste and set mixture aside.

2 clove medium Garlic
minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
4 fillet Anchovy
finely minced (about 2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon Tomato Paste

1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye
(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 tablespoons Vegetable Oil

2 clove medium Garlic
minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 teaspoons)
1 roast Boneless Beef Chuck-eye
(about 4 pounds), trimmed of excess fat, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 large Onion
halved and cut from pole to pole into 1/8-inch-thick slices (about 2 cups)
4 medium Carrot
peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces (about 2 cups)
0.25 cup Unbleached All-purpose Flour

2 cups Red Wine
2 cups Low-sodium Chicken Broth
2 leaf Bay
4 sprigs Fresh Thyme
4 ounces Salt Pork
rinsed of excess salt

Remove pot from oven; remove and discard bay leaves and salt pork. Stir in potatoes, cover, return to oven, and cook until potatoes are almost tender, about 45 minutes.

2 leaf Bay
4 ounces Salt Pork
rinsed of excess salt
1 pound Yukon Gold Potato
scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces

1 pound Yukon Gold Potato
scrubbed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1.5 cups Frozen Pearl Onion
thawed
2 teaspoons Unflavored Powdered Gelatin
(about 1 packet)
0.5 cup Water

Increase heat to high, stir in softened gelatin mixture and peas; simmer until gelatin is fully dissolved and stew is thickened, about 3 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste; serve.

2 teaspoons Unflavored Powdered Gelatin
(about 1 packet)
1 cup Frozen Peas
thawed
Table Salt And Ground Black Pepper