- 2.5 pounds beef chuck tender roast
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour, plus extra for dredging
- 1 red onion
- 2-3 tablespoons of Gourmet Gardens® Minced Garlic
- 5 red potatoes
- 36 baby carrots
- 4 cups beef broth/stock
- 1 bottle Honey Brown Lager
- 2 tablespoons brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon smoke sauce
- 1 teaspoon McCormick® Peppercorn Medley
- 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon McCormick® Chipotle Chile Pepper
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
- 1 package Shenandoah Growers® Poultry Blend (fresh rosemary, sage, and thyme)
Directions:
Cube the beef. Dredge with flour. Divide into two piles and set aside. Mince the red onion and set aside.
In a cast iron dutch oven, melt two tablespoons butter into two tablespoons olive oil. Braise the beef in two (or more) batches, so that you can get a good sear. Put the beef on a plate and set aside.
Place the onion and garlic into the pan and sauté until golden brown. Add brown sugar, worcestershire sauce, smoke sauce, paprika, all the peppers, and salt. Stir well and simmer a bit. Add beer and broth. Stir well.
Cut the beef into smaller pieces and return to the pot. Be sure to scrap all the juice from the resting plate back into the pot as well. Cover and simmer for 90 minutes, then start prepping the vegetables.
Cut the baby carrots into thirds. Cut the potatoes into half inch cubes. Mince the herbs. [Since I know nothing about fresh herbs, I stripped the rosemary and thyme leaves from the stems and removed the stems from the sage and then minced everything together.] Add the vegetables and herbs to the pot, cover, and simmer 30 minutes more.
Remove the cover for the rest of the cooking.
Remove two cups of liquid to make a roux. Melt two tablespoons butter into a sauce pan. Slowly add two tablespoons flour, stirring constantly until well mixed and smooth. Allow to brown a bit as you keep stirring. Very, very slowly add the two cups of liquid, stirring constantly. Once all is mixed together, allow to simmer for a minute or two. Then return the roux to the pot and stir thoroughly.
Raise heat to bring the stew to a more vigorous boil. Cook uncovered for 15 more minutes to finish reducing and thickening.
Serve with crusty bread.
Myrtle's Note: I was trying very hard to stick to the advice in this article about the making of stew. However, my stew looked nothing like the photos in the original recipe and I did want a thick stew. So, I went with the roux route, as well as mincing a cup of the vegetables. I am decidedly a savory and sweet person, and it struck me that I had the same sort of outcome as in Myrtle's Medley Black Eyed Peas. In the end, I am enormously pleased with the stew because it is tailored to my desires: thick, savory, sweet, heavy on the meat, and no celery!!
Yield: 8 Servings
Based on: http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/beef-stew-with-beer-and-paprika/
