Savory Beef Stew

If you have some time to spare this super savory, tender beef stew is sure to warm you up on a chilly evening.

Yellow Springs, a tiny place with a big heart

We were in Yellow Springs, Ohio in early January. Brrrrr, baby it’s cold out there! Low to mid 30s and it was even colder at night. But whatever the weather may be, this little Ohio gem is worthy of a visit. Gorges, limestone formations and rivers often don’t come to mind when one thinks of Ohio. But in Yellow Springs, you’ll find some of Ohio’s unexpected natural beauty. John Bryan State Park is a 752-acre park consisting of some really incredible hiking trails along with a tiny campground. A prime location for a little, but worthwhile adventure. This park happens to be located alongside the most perfect tiny town of Yellow Springs. A pleasant place inhabited by the happiest and most friendly people you’ll ever meet.

Hiking along the Little Miami River you’ll catch yourself admiring the rocky moss covered limestone that lines the riverbed. The soft green botanical was a very welcoming sight among old man winter’s grey and chilly atmosphere. In nature, there’s always something waiting to be discovered. Here you’ll find a trail system that leads you to Clifton Gorge State Nature Preserve. You come upon the gorge containing stunning hanging cliffs, large boulders, a rushing river and even a waterfall. If you’re a climber you’ll be thrilled to come across several rappelling areas.

There’s something magical about the springs

Just east of the town you’ll find another preserve. Inside of Glen Helen Nature preserve you’ll stumble upon beautiful stone formations, a lovely trail that crosses the river, and of course Yellow Springs. This mineral stained spring is a local legend. They claim that if you drink from the yellow spring you will always return or stay. Well I put it to the test and I can say that I did return and that I plan to revisit in the future. There’s something about this folklore that’s really intriguing. Perhaps it’s the combination of a natures wonder and the towns gracious welcoming. Whatever the reason, it feels comfortable and immensely inviting.

A chilly evening calls for beef stew

One of my favorite and cozy meals is a savory beef stew. This one surely did the trick. After an afternoon hike I was certainly ready to warm up. I cooked this stew on an outside grill as the sun was setting. We fired up a campfire to stay warm while it simmered up its complex and savory flavor.

Beef stew might sound like an intimidating challenge to cook on the grill but honestly I just look at it as an outdoor stove/oven. Where there’s a heat source, you can cook! I love a good food challenge. As long as you have your ingredients prepped and everything ready to go, it’s a breeze.

Preparation & easy cheats

Before leaving home I prefer to have meals planned out ahead of time. Which makes life so much easier and cuts down on time. This meal has a lot of components but by pre-measuring ingredients and using select frozen veggies, this dish isn’t impossible. I measured a cup each of frozen peas and pearl onions, labeled them in individual snack sized zip lock bags and into the freezer they went.

Let’s talk about those frozen pearl onions. No onion tears to be shed because they don’t require any chopping. They’re perfectly sized little taste explosions that can be tossed right in. If you can get your hands on tomato paste in the tube, it’s hands down convenient and no need for a can opener or left wondering what to do with the leftover. Using small potatoes for this is quicker then quartering larger ones and P.S. you can buy peeled garlic cloves which means no more pesky peeling!

It’s also not a bad idea to stock up on those little bottles of single serve wines for cooking too. Go for dry wine when cooking, preferably Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay. No need to be fancy here, for cooking wine the stuff on sale will do nicely. Save the good stuff to enjoy with the meal. Consider using a couple of paper bowls and plates to cut down on annoying dishes and water use because water while camping is a hot commodity!

Dredge the beef

On to the beef. Purchasing beef stew meat is a time saver because it’s already cut into perfect bite sized pieces. If I were at home I would’ve broken down a beautiful marbled roast but hey, saving time and ease is the point here! Don’t skip the dredging. That’s where you begin creating flavor and helps thicken the stew. I like to generously salt and pepper the beef before tossing it in a gallon zip lock bag with a quarter cup of flour. Give it a good shake to coat the pieces perfectly.

Time to cook

Always be sure to preheat the grill and allow it to get good and hot. I love cooking with cast irons because they distribute heat evenly and are virtually indestructible. For this meal I reached for my trusty old timer of a Dutch Oven. She’s seen better days but never disappoints.

My rule of thumb is to allow your cast iron to heat it up for a good five minutes before adding any oil. You’ll know it’s ready when a couple drops of water sizzles away almost instantly. Give the beef a golden sear over medium-high heat, I did this in two batches. Do not over crowd here! It will take about 5-8 minutes, then remove the golden stew meat and set aside. You’ll be left with brown flavory bits in the pan, I like to give them a good scrape to loosen them up a bit. Then reduce the heat to medium and add a drizzle of oil.

Add the vegetables

Add the carrots, celery, a pinch of salt and a grind or shake of pepper. Cook for about 5-7 minutes to soften before adding your crushed garlic. Give the garlic 30 seconds to 1 minute. Be sure to keep loosening up the brown bits as the vegetables sweat. (Don’t worry, once we add the wine it’ll really help with that.) Mix in your tomato paste stirring for 1-3 minutes until it’s caramelized and aromatic.

Add wine and allow it to reduce for 3-4 minutes. Once reduced everything but the peas go in the pot. The beef and their accumulated juices, potatoes, mushrooms, onions, and herbs. Topped off with beef broth and given a good stir, then turn the heat up. Once it begins to boil, reduce heat to achieve a simmer. Cover and simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes. Add your peas during the last 15 minutes. Once your beef is tender, sometimes it could be an additional 15 minutes or so, patience is worth it, it’s time to eat!

Serve it up over a warm bed of rice and a nice glass of red wine.

Savory Beef Stew

Recipe by Christina @thyme.and.timberCourse: DinnerDifficulty: Moderate

Servings

6

servings

Prep time

15

minutes

Cooking time

1

hour 

50

minutes

This Savory Beef Stew is a perfect, satisfying meal to warm you up on a chilly evening. This dish was created on a grill while camping but can easily be done on your stove top!

Ingredients

• For the Stew Meat

• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 1 1/2 pounds beef stew meat

• 1/4 cup flour

• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt or sea salt

• 1/2 teaspoon pepper

• For the Stew

• 1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

• 2 carrots, chopped or sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

• 2 stalks celery, chopped or sliced into 1/2 inch pieces

• 5 garlic cloves, smashed

• 1 1/2 Tablespoons tomato paste

• 1 cup dry red wine

• 1 cup frozen pearl onions

• 3/4 – 1 pound small potatoes, halved

• 8 ounces of button mushrooms

• 1 cup frozen peas

• 4 cups beef broth

• 2 sprigs rosemary

• 4 sprigs thyme

• 1 bay leaf

• salt & pepper to taste

Directions

• For the Stew Meat:
• Preheat your grill to medium-high heat. Place a 3 or 4 quart Dutch Oven on the grill and allow to heat until hot, about 5 minutes.
• Meanwhile, salt & pepper the stew meat before dredging. To dredge, place 1/4 cup flour into a large bowl, add seasoned stew meat and stir until coated. Alternatively for easy clean up use a large ziplock bag and shake until coated, discard any leftover flour.
• Add olive oil to the hot pan. Working in batches, sear stew meat until browned on all sides, 5-8 minutes. Add a drizzle of olive oil between batches.
• Remove seared meat and set aside.
• For the Stew:
• Reduce heat to medium. Add 1 Tablespoon of olive oil along with carrots, celery and a pinch of salt & pepper. Sauté for about 5-7 minutes to soften scrapping up any brown bits left in the pan.
• Add crushed garlic and stir for 30 seconds to 1 minute until aromatic. Then add tomato paste, stirring for 1-3 minutes until vegetables are coated and tomato paste begins to caramelize.
• Add add dry red wine and allow it to reduce for 3-4 minutes, stirring to continue to loosen up any brown bits.
• Next add everything but the peas. Add the beef and their accumulated juices, potatoes, mushrooms, pearl onions, bay leaf, rosemary & thyme sprigs. Topping it off with 4 cups of beef broth, stir to combine. Increase heat to high to bring to a boil. Once boiling, cover and reduce heat to a simmer for 1 hour and 30 minutes, or until beef is tender. During the final 15 minutes, stir in peas.
• Finally, remove bay leaf, stems of rosemary & thyme sprigs. Most of the herbs will have fallen off the sprigs while cooking. Serve warm over a bed of rice.
  
  Enjoy!

Notes

• The stew can also be made on stove top using the same steps.
• I love adding fresh or dried parsley as a garnish.