Dinner's In the Crock: Beer Braised Stew
I love my crock pot. There, I’ve said it. It might seem strange but next to the microwave this is my favorite kitchen appliance. It means I can run around all day and still do a decent job of feeding the family. Bellow is one of my favorite recipes from Taste of Home’s Crock Pot recipe section. My tip? Don’t skimp on the bacon. I normally use about 6-8 pieces to pump up the flavor.
Ingredients
3 bacon strips, diced
2 pounds beef stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 cups fresh baby carrots
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 bay leaf
1 can (12 ounces) beer or nonalcoholic beer
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon dried thyme
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 cup water
Hot cooked noodles
Directions
In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat until crisp. Remove to paper towels; drain, discarding drippings. Sprinkle beef with pepper and salt. In the same skillet, brown beef in oil in batches; drain.
Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker. Add the carrots, bacon, onion, garlic and bay leaf. In a small bowl, combine the beer, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce and thyme. Pour over beef mixture.
Cover and cook on low for 5-1/2 to 6 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender.
In a small bowl, combine flour and water until smooth. Gradually stir into slow cooker. Cover and cook on high for 30 minutes or until thickened. Discard bay leaf. Serve beef with noodles. Yield: 8 servings.
Do you have any crock pot favorite recipes you’d like to share?
– Maggie AAR
Printed this and shared it!!
My favorite recipe is for French Dip: 1 pkg Good Season’s Italian dressing, 1 pkg Au Jus mix, 1 can Campbell’s beef broth and 1 can of water. Pour over roast and cook all day.
Even though we live in a warm climate I use the crock pot year round. That way we’re guaranteed a good dinner without the after work scramble.
Maggie, I love the sound of your recipe. I’m desperately in need of a new crock pot. Anyone have a favorite brand?
I LOVE my crockpot. I cook small turkeys in it because it make a greater amount of drippings and the meat does not dry out. Then I freeze the meat in individual bags for latter casseroles. I also freeze the drippings/broth to use later as turkey broth is much richer than chicken broth and makes recipes calling for chicken broth taste much better.
I cook a cinnamon roast in my crock pot that is wonderful. Just dump the roast in there, rub down generously with cinnamon. Add minced garlic and garlic salt, a bay leaf or two, Worcestershire sauce (to taste). We have something in the south called Dale’s sauce which is a soy based sauce that I also add, but the worchestershire sauce will do if you do not have access to Dale’s. I also add a little water for more gravy. I cook the roast for a couple of hours before adding the veggies so they do not get mushy. I add onions, potatoes, baby carrots and whole or halved mushrooms. Serve with rice or mashed potatoes.
Our crockpot is definitely an underused resource. Your recipe sounds delicious!
Probably my favorite is the easy sweet and sour recipe that’s made of one package of onion soup mix, one can of cranberry sauce and a small bottle of French dressing. Into the crockpot with almost any kind of meat – meatballs, chicken, pork, beef, whatever. I also throw in chunks of onion and peppers.
I’ve been reading recently about breakfast in the crockpot – throw everything in the night before and breakfast is ready when you get up, but I haven’t tried them yet so can’t vouch for the results.
Definitely an autumn recipe! :)